Last week saw the coldest temperatures of the season, a low of 26.6 in my garden. I know that's not cold by most standards but hey, I'm a wimp! The cool-down had been predicted, and so I had plenty of time to get prepared. I thought I was, but then I saw this. How could I have completely forgotten about the Echium candicans 'Star of Madeira'?
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It would have been so easy to turn an old terra-cotta pot over this guy...
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The one in the back garden looks a little better, it might make a recovery. It was so beautiful, and sadly too big to have been easily protected. I enjoyed it while it lasted.
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Earlier in the season I considered digging the Salvia discolor and trying to over-winter it, but I'd pretty much decided not to. Now the final decision has been made for me. Truth be told I'm kind of glad as I think the brown and white coloration post-frost is quite gorgeous.
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I cut a branch and brought it in the house, it filled the room with that lovely decaying, fall, smell.
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There will be no Acanthus sennii flowers for me. By days-end the stems had turned mushy and fallen over.
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After taking the photo above I turned back towards the salvia to see Lila drinking from the previously iced over rain gauge, which had melted in the sun. Evidently water tastes better when it's not in her bowl.
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She did attract my attention to this purple cordyline I picked up for cheap last spring. Experience says theses aren't at all hardy but this one still looks good.
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When I looked out early in the morning the Melianthus major 'Antonow's Blue' foliage was all limp. It perked up with the rising temperatures.
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And the Sedum rubrotinctum still looked good.
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Not so for the bits of Blue Senecio - it's not happy. Ah well, I took a lot of cuttings, it couldn't all be saved.
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The Phylica pubescens from Annie's was untouched.
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But just a couple of feet away the lawn was locked in a frosty state.
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Duh, I meant to wrap the trunk of my in-ground tree fern. I guess better late than never.
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Elephant ears (colocasia) look even more like their namesake once hit by frost.
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Grevillea rivularis (lacy foliage, upper right) looks good, Aloe maculata not so much. When the leaves turn solid green they've frozen.
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It didn't occur to me until after the second cold night that I'd completely forgotten about the Echium wildpretii. How could I? So easy to cover! I had four of them, this was the biggest. Hopefully it will pull through, hopefully they all will.
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The dark leaf cannas actually get even better after a freeze, that is until their leaves turn to mush and the stem collapses.
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Ever the tough guy my Mangave 'Macho Mocha' shrugged off the cool temperatures.
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Although this split in the fleshy leaf is new, perhaps a little frost damage.
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And once again my hope of seeing Tetrapanax blooms has been crushed, the buds are droopy and that's never a good sign.
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Finally I'll end with an image of a tree just up the street. Perhaps it's done this before but this is the first year I've noticed the ombre coloring with super dark maroon leaves at the top, shading down to yellow-green at the base. It's way more dramatic in person, but hopefully you can appreciate the show.
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So that was the first round, I'm currently hearing scary things about next week. The "S" word is being mentioned. Temperatures in the teens (and lower) are being discussed and the two worst words in the English language (arctic air) are being used with frightening frequency. I'm seriously wondering how I would go about constructing a heated dome over my garden, Andrew's handy...
All material © 2009-2013 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.
It would have been so easy to turn an old terra-cotta pot over this guy...
The one in the back garden looks a little better, it might make a recovery. It was so beautiful, and sadly too big to have been easily protected. I enjoyed it while it lasted.
Earlier in the season I considered digging the Salvia discolor and trying to over-winter it, but I'd pretty much decided not to. Now the final decision has been made for me. Truth be told I'm kind of glad as I think the brown and white coloration post-frost is quite gorgeous.
I cut a branch and brought it in the house, it filled the room with that lovely decaying, fall, smell.
There will be no Acanthus sennii flowers for me. By days-end the stems had turned mushy and fallen over.
After taking the photo above I turned back towards the salvia to see Lila drinking from the previously iced over rain gauge, which had melted in the sun. Evidently water tastes better when it's not in her bowl.
She did attract my attention to this purple cordyline I picked up for cheap last spring. Experience says theses aren't at all hardy but this one still looks good.
When I looked out early in the morning the Melianthus major 'Antonow's Blue' foliage was all limp. It perked up with the rising temperatures.
And the Sedum rubrotinctum still looked good.
Not so for the bits of Blue Senecio - it's not happy. Ah well, I took a lot of cuttings, it couldn't all be saved.
The Phylica pubescens from Annie's was untouched.
But just a couple of feet away the lawn was locked in a frosty state.
Duh, I meant to wrap the trunk of my in-ground tree fern. I guess better late than never.
Elephant ears (colocasia) look even more like their namesake once hit by frost.
Grevillea rivularis (lacy foliage, upper right) looks good, Aloe maculata not so much. When the leaves turn solid green they've frozen.
It didn't occur to me until after the second cold night that I'd completely forgotten about the Echium wildpretii. How could I? So easy to cover! I had four of them, this was the biggest. Hopefully it will pull through, hopefully they all will.
The dark leaf cannas actually get even better after a freeze, that is until their leaves turn to mush and the stem collapses.
Ever the tough guy my Mangave 'Macho Mocha' shrugged off the cool temperatures.
Although this split in the fleshy leaf is new, perhaps a little frost damage.
And once again my hope of seeing Tetrapanax blooms has been crushed, the buds are droopy and that's never a good sign.
Finally I'll end with an image of a tree just up the street. Perhaps it's done this before but this is the first year I've noticed the ombre coloring with super dark maroon leaves at the top, shading down to yellow-green at the base. It's way more dramatic in person, but hopefully you can appreciate the show.
So that was the first round, I'm currently hearing scary things about next week. The "S" word is being mentioned. Temperatures in the teens (and lower) are being discussed and the two worst words in the English language (arctic air) are being used with frightening frequency. I'm seriously wondering how I would go about constructing a heated dome over my garden, Andrew's handy...
All material © 2009-2013 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.