Weather Watching #4 Winter 2013/14

happy, got your tiny incandescent xmas light strings still out? you can lay them or drape them aorund to ad before covering?

VV- do you at least choose and gather the Viburnum species for the chocolate leaves? THat kind of cooking skill can be dangerous. Therefore I choose to think I am saving my family from overindulgence. ha ha. . My artistic genes are out there speedies, playing in the dirt.

what a dreary day .... Walking the dog in freezing rain has negative appeal. We are working up resolve to go to the gym. They still have not instituted that Group Lethargy class we have hoped for......

You just need to set the table for them.

"Come, they told me, pah rum pah pum pum..."

Speedie I'm never coming to your house or I'd be as big as one. LOL

Wow, VV, please send my compliments to Mrs. VV! I want to reach into my computer screen and take a bite of that marshmallow mushroom...

I'm actually looking forward to this cold snap. I have such a young garden that it wouldn't be too much of a hassle to replace anything I lose to the cold. I'm thinking of it as a test to see if my zone 7 plants are actually hardy to 0F as advertised.

The weigela I got from HD (the one that they called "a regular shrub") has been looking dead, not just dormant, for over a month now. That's the only plant I'm concerned about at this point.

Looks really yummy, VV!

SallyG -- the idea of using incandescent Christmas lights is great -- but I think we don't have any, any more -- we moved on to the tiny ones. I wonder if they generate any heat?

the newer tiny LEDs? I think they are cold. (By the way, I do not like them. too glaring. but I was tired of buying the incandescent cheap ones and throwing them away so soon with them quitting on me.)

Happy; if you have the burlap or other type of covering, you can just drape it over the plants in question and hold them down with large stones or bricks.. no? Of course, drape loosely, with some extra room so-as not to apply too much pressure to tender little stems and branches.

I've heard of some using large containers (buckets, trash cans) turned upside down over large plants and weighted down with medium/large stones as well.

This cold snap hasn't hit us down here quite yet -- in the mid-upper 40's thus far today. I think the temps will drop as the day progresses though. I am thankful I don't have anything out in the beds that I worry about. Nothing newly planted (they were all installed at the beginning of Fall), and whatever doesn't make it out there this Winter -- well, they're more trouble than I want to deal with anyhow. ;) (Lazy Gardening 101)

Oops, forgot. Ric said

Uh oh. I just noticed that all the snow has melted. I was hoping the snow cover would stick around to give the plants a bit of protection when the cold air hits tonight.

Sigh... I may have to protect my potted plants after all.

ditto ssg!! my little Tinantia is no longer snuggled up under snow.

I'm wrapping my outside water spigot in bubble wrap and letting lowesy faucets drip tonite and tomorrow...
Did anyone see the morning news report of garage fridges 'exploding' open when contents froze and expanded?
Also, cellphones loose charge quickly in deep cold.
Battery life shortens when it freezes.
Going to park my cars where there is shelter from that wind chill mostly coming out of the west here.
Not too proud to pull my hat down and breathe through a layer or two of scarf for the next several days.
I'm envious of all who have 'heated seats' as that would make newspaper delivery more endurable! Right now it looks like most pavement will dry out before the plunge into arctic air arrives here this evening.

I'm very glad there's been an opportunity for snow to melt and pavements to dry before the scheduled deep freeze...

Coleup, definitely keep those scarves wrapped around your nose when the weather is this cold! Hope there is a good heater in your car!!

SallyG: Thanks for the reminder about the Tinantia!

We don't have LED Christmas lights -- we have multi-colored small lights, not the big incandescent lights of years ago. Ours do generate a tiny little bit of heat, but I am a loathe to leave them on the ground which is still wet, especially given how little heat they generate -- I don't think they'd warm the plants more than maybe 1 degree. I bought some Wilt-Pruf yesterday -- but should have put it on in the fall. From the warnings on the packaging I don't think I can use it now -- it is supposed to be completely dry by nightfall, and I don't see that I can be sure of that in this chill and with melting snow still dripping. I am honestly in a bit of a panic, but not sure what we can do.

Catmint, I've read that snow has an R value of 1, so I was hoping for that little bit of insulation.

I'm going to keep the cabinet doors open tonight to give the pipes a little more heat.

By the way, here it will stay above freezing until 5pm, then the temperatures will start to plunge. At 7am it will hit the lowest point (current predicted to be 7 degrees) and then start back up.

We have some old cardboard and blankets -- I'm going to go out this afternoon and wrap some newly planted shrubs and some I know are not very cold hardy. Last year was our "shrub year" so we have a number of newly planted shrubs -- luckily we didn't get as much done as we wanted so many are still in pots!

Grrr (or should I say brrrrr?): I can't find my Peanut Butter shrub. I can't remember where it is. I wanted to protect it....

Cleaning up some residual snow and ice. Things are getting dry, good! Tractor started right up this AM, but I'm still putting in the new battery. Usually just turning on the headlights was enough to warm the old battery and start it.

Happy - did you find out if Wilt Pruf is OK to apply in 20-ish weather? Why didn't I think of that earlier this fall??

Critter: I am so sad to hear about the struggles you've been having with your shoulder and arm. It seems so unfair to conquer the disease only to have to struggle with the aftermath.

The Wilt-Pruf website says it is ok to apply Wilt-Pruf so long as the temps are above freezing (so, "no" to 20-ish). Then you are supposed to let it dry completely in daylight - I don't know what happens if night falls and the Wilt-Pruf hasn't dried. I've never used it before. My plants were still a bit sticky when I wrapped them up.

My front beds now look like a homeless shelter -- combination of old cardboard, blankets, up-side down trash cans, etc. I still have a bunch of containers that aren't covered.

My biggest disappointment: I can't find my peanut butter shrub. It has vanished. I don't know what I did with it, so I can't give it any special protection.

Weather.com is still predicting a low of 7 degrees for my zip code, which will happen at 6am and 7am. I think the Post said it would fall to 4 degrees.

eeeegads going to 5° tonight

Harry covered our little fig tree with 2 layers of plastic bags today tied at the trunk.... no ground mulch though

PB shrub is all exposed. didn't cover it

I forgot the fig!
Don't worry about PB shrubs, ONE of them surely will survive and make plenty of suckers for the rest of us. We'll be cursing the thing in five years. haha.

I took a phone call at the library tonight asking where are the emergency shelters….makes me not worry so much about my plants. Visit me at the library tomorrow , we are a designated warming spot. Why tomorrow is any different I don't know; anybody can come hang out anytime and they DO.

Wellllllllllllll---all you talking about protecting plants got me thinking I better
do something....
I have had this trash-bag-full of year old straw in my shed.
Never knew quite what to use it for...but I sure did today. Went around and stuffed
the straw around my B&B Salvias (I had already stuffer leaves on top and around them)
as well as the Lobelia cardinalis.
I also stuffed it all around and on top of my WS containers--sure hope they make it!
I only have a few......tucked against house foundation and in front of the 6' fence in my side.
That will really protected the containers....as all the wind around here always comes from the West...My neighbor's fence cuts it off nicely.
Got some old rags and tied them around my 2 outdoor spickets.

Wondering if I should let my laundry room spicket drip for tonight?????????
I don't think my pipes are all that exposed......they are all within the walls of the house.

What do you all think? Of course--I will not be up to see your answers...
Going to bed in about 1/2 hr.
G.

Letting some water drip tonite is better safe than sorry, Broken pipes are no joke. Take no unnecessary chances. Why tempt fate for such a simple precaution?

I think we had a high of 49*F this afternoon. 3 hours later we were at 19*F and falling. Now it is 12*F. When you step outside it's pretty breezy at ground level but I'd swear you can hear that Arctic jet stream moving higher up. I'm glad they closed the schools tomorrow, 10-15 minutes at the chill factors expected in the AM can damage little fingers and ears. Many of the rural kids here still have open bus stops and many parents work, at least they can be warm in their beds.

OOps, on Holly's log in again!!!

This message was edited Jan 6, 2014 11:58 PM

The wind was blowing so fiercely last night. An unexpected pleasure was that I could hear the wind chimes all night long. Sometimes the simplest thing can evoke such a nice feeling - the wind was howling, the wind chimes were making their music, and I was warm and cozy all snuggled in bed.

that sounds really lovely, aspenhill!

no chimes here, just that freight train roaring in the tall pine trees behind us!

I love hearing that freight train in the woods behind our house. I was out last night came in about 9:00 the wind was really wild, tossed the truck around quite a bit coming over the bridge across the Susquehanna River.

Baltimore reports 3 degrees right now.

Furnace still running and faucets still dripping!
Will do the vehicle start challenge more towards lunch time.

Happy, thanks for the info on WiltPruf. And kudos for throwing 'appearances 'to the wind and using what you have on hand to protect those newbies during this unusual cold snap. Not just the jet stream this time, but a shift in our direction of the entire polar vortex!
And good exercise to do some bending, stretching lifting and weight (of container) bearing reps!
Also agree that newly planted are more vulnerable than established or those that can readily be moved out of harms way, Sorry you can't find your PB shrub.

Hope all of our efforts during this unusual COLD see our plants come thru with little damage. I do think there will be a smaller fig harvest, however!

At end of my route yesterday pavement was dry, so black ice not a prob here. I can relax .

I went downstairs last night considering the water drip---but the humidifier,
which is part of my central heating system, runs water every time the
furnace is on--which seems like every 15 minutes...
The water runs through the humidifier and discharges into my utility tub.
I figured that was enough water moving around... like a couple gallons an hour.

Bracing to go into work at 12:30PM today. Hope my car starts OK. it should....

My sisters and friend will arrive this evening. We will have hot turkey soup to warm up.
Some wine as well--of course...

Everyone can snuggle up later under down comforters.

G.

Gita, have a wonderful time with your sisters!!!

My cat stuck his nose out the door and turned tail on the cold!

Holly and Sally, I grew up listening to the train in the distance and it is the sound of home to me.

Also now whenever I see/hear trains, I am reminded of this song that I love: "Wagon Wheel" by Old Crow Medicine Show (I find that the video is in poor taste and not congruent with the feeling of the song, so if you search for it on youtube, just minimize the window and listen). The song was written by Bob Dylan.

Hope you all have been doing well. I know I kind of dropped off the face of the earth for a few months but I think I might be back. Life has been pretty crazy, took on some new responsibilities in addition to the old ones which pushed out some of the "free time" activities I was enjoying. I'll have to post on the indoor gardening thread about what I've been up to. Gita reminded me about the seed swap in February. I should be able to make that.

I got most of my newly planted shrubs covered -- but then I forgot the easy step of covering the small potted plants I didn't get around to planting last fall. I don't know which of those are vulnerable - hopefully most are tough and will make it through with no problem. I'll find out come May! I had planned to just throw a few tarps over them. I don't know if it will make a difference if I do it now....

Never thought of covering my outside plants. It was 3* about 8:00 when I thought to look at the temp gauge. I am sure it was lower than than before the sun came up.

typwc, The freight train sound comes from the wind blowing thru the woods behind the house. But my daughter lives not far (as the crow flies) from a train yard and when I sleep over at her house in the summer I can hear the bumping and other noises from the train yard. They are some how soothing to listen to in the night.

Holly: I try not to plant plants that are not hardy in my zone. But I do have a lot of containers, and they need to be treated as being in a climate that is a zone or two lowers than mine. Plus I have some newly planted camellias and sarcococcas that are only hardy down to zone 6b-7a and I know in the first few years those plants can be very susceptible to deep cold snaps. So that is what I was protecting. I didn't protect anything that I planted more than a year ago, and really don't want to get into that business.

welcome back Karen!

I ventured out just now. I could easily move a string of little lights to my gardenia so I did, then replaced the canvas drape, and its up against the sunny side of the house.
I had forgotten the small shrubs I had moved to the front yard in fall….crossing fingers….
Everything that had collected water was fro zen so lid…rats, I pick up a plastic tub and break the rim off because it is so brittle when frozen this cold.

I may add some tarps and insulation to the potted plants that I overlooked -- I bet part of the damage occurs as the plants thaw. Though if that were the case, you wouldn't think it would matter whether they are zone 8 or zone 2 plants, so I'm sure there is more to it than the freeze-thaw cycle.

Dehydration- i can see that as being a big deal today. sun wind extreme cold. Covering will help slow that.

No worries- its blazed all the way up to 8 here. LOL