Yes, snow. And I just planted about 75 perennials.
They are all hardy to atleast one zone colder than mine, many to 2-3 zones colder, BUT they are teeny little plants. They will have been in the ground for only 4-5 days by the time the freezing temps come. I don't think there's much chance of getting accumulating snow, just a good frost more likely. Lows estimated to be 30 and 33 this weekend.
If they were older plants coming back from overwintering in the ground, I would just let them handle nature on their own. I'm wondering, though, if I should cover these baby plants up because they aren't established yet. They're hardy and about as big as if they were brand new growth just returning, but they're brand new :( What do ya'll think??? Is a frost or snow flurry gonna nip these guys all up???
Huga
So The Weatherman Said the "S" Word....
Cover them up! If it were me I wouldn't take a chance... think of how you would feel if they didn't survive - if it is just a matter of buying more I would take the chance, but covering them is so easy.
I've never had to cover plants in the spring before (moved here from Va last year). What should I use? I know I atleast need to cover the hostas.... a sheet? Is that too heavy??? I have several plastic tarps??? Ack!!!
Ack! Huga,I hear ya! Snow on Saturday and Sunday,and it was 80 degrees on Tuesday!! I have used newspaper to cover plants to protect them from freezes and frost. Hopefully the snow will melt quickly as the ground is pretty warm. Ain't Ohio great.
Gail
It's sure not giving me much of a warm gardening welcome, that's for sure!!! LOL...
Okay, newspaper I have, but how in the world am I going to keep it from blowing away??? I'd have to put down about 50 rocks to cover the area, I think.....hmmmm...... do you think the tarp would be lighter on them than the sheet???
Oh,yeah,75 plants....thats alot of newspaper! Ok,researching.......
Ok,Huga,check this site out..
http://www.fairygardens.com/inthegarden/TIPSfrost.html
Checking it :) Bless you, golgi!!
Alright!!! :) I think I have a plan of attack...
Tomorrow I'll rustle up some stakes of some sort, about a foot high. I'll place these stakes in random intervals around the plants. Then I'll cover over the stakes with sheets or the tarps and hold the edges of the covers down with some leftover landscaping rocks we have. The stakes will keep the covers from smashing my poor plants, and they won't take up too much room in the flower bed or be difficult to put in/ take out. Whew! Thank you for that great article!!! :)
From the weather channel's info, it looks like if we can just get passed the weekend, we'll be in the clear. This is a hilarious introduction to gardening in the Heart of It All :) LOL....
Thanks again ;)
It is an exhausting job...opening the coldframes closing the coldframes hauling pots in the house putting pots back out covering the plants uncovering the plants.....6 times in one day.
Did you just recently move to Ohio? and for Gods sake WHYYY!!
LOL -- yes, we moved last year... this is my first spring gardening here :) We moved for the best of reasons, to get our 3 daughters closer to their grandparents :) DH and I are both from here originally, but haven't lived here for 10 years, and I haven't gardened here before. Mom has for about 25 years, so that's a plus! Thanks again for your help :)
Take care,
Jacci
OHHHH,you are the BEST! I'm a grandma.Looks like you are already a seasoned gardener! See ya later
Gail
I just keep checking weather channel every few hrs hoping they will change their minds =)
Welcome to Ohio Huga, I've lived here all my life and heard this a few hundred times, "If you don't like the weather in Ohio, stick around a few minutes cuz it will change" hehe
Good luck!
I sit down for a minute and check in and find you talking dirty! What is the matter with you?!?! We do not say the S word here in April! LOL
LOL :) Badseed!!! You've emereged from your hovel!!! Are all the seedlings happily transplanted just in time to get snowed on??? LOL...missed you this week ;)
Me, too, Jenilyn :) I've checked the Weather Channel at least 4x in the last 12 hours. What do I think is going to change??? LOL...
So sorry to hear that! My friend in Ohio just told me the forecast this morning. He said he wanted a refund or a second opinion or something! LOL The stakes and tarps/sheets sounds good, but what do I know? It only snows in Texas MAYBE once a year. Good luck!
Don't check the weather channel..it's getting WORSE!! Snow on Monday and poss. Tuesday,now. I'm going to bed and not getting out till it'sat least 55 degrees.
I frequently have to do this, and keep a lot of the empty pots that plants come in just for this purpose. We usually have our warmest day right before the snow, so I cover during the day that is warm. I just had to do this a week or so ago, because after 70 degrees, we had 2 ft of snow. And spring snow, is so heavy and wet it collapses sheets and tarps. Scrap wood such as plywood, works well to lean against the house over the flowers. That protected a lot of my hostas. I also use it out in the beds away from the house, but use 4 pots upside down over things, and then balance the wood on top.
I've been known to use empty coffee cans, dishpans, and mopbuckets too, much to the dismay of my neighbors!
That's hilarious, Terre. I hope you're not in one of those neighborhoods where they're calling the zoning board or the homeowners' association as soon as you're finished! LOL Been there, done that.
So you use the 4 pots because of their combined weight? I'm glad now I've got all those pots still on the patio. We're not expecting snow, but a freeze and I have too many new plants in the ground to lose them.
Used to be in that type of neighborhood, so I understand. But when I bought this time, I carefully bought outside of any city limits, and no zoning people or HOA jerks. I'm just too basically contrary to get along with that type of people.
My biggest problem at this time of year is concern about the weight of the snow, more than freezing, so yes, that is the reason for the pots. We can easily get a lot of heavy snow, without the temp ever dropping below freezing. The weekend of April 10, we had 24" of snow dump on us, and I didn't want it to break off or squish any of the emerging hostas, or perennials. Some of the shortest that were just beginning to emerge, I actually just covered with dirt. I do the pots to prevent frost, though and that usually works well for me.
I put an upside down bucket on one of hostas this morning w/ a rock on top LOL :) Actally, do I want to laugh??? :)
The others are covered for frost... I'm not anticipating snow accumulation... even if there is some, i think the various stakes now scattered throughout my beds will help w/ the weight.... we'll see...
Well,Huga,how did you fare?The sun is out here,melting our foot+ of snow.Did you get any accumulation?
I'm not sure it makes a whole lot of difference what you cover them with, so long as they are protected from the frost. It's not so much the cold that gets them, but rather when the leaves freeze and then thaw in the sun, it causes the plant to dehydrate. We have this kind of erratic weather during the springtime every year. I've lost lots and lots of tiny little plants and I know how discouraging it can be. Be sure you uncover them if the day turns sunny so that the accumulated heat under the covering doesn't do them in. Hopefully, your dangerous impending late frost/snow will be over shortly. Ours will continue for more than a month longer and then again next year, and the year after, and the year after, and so on......Sigh. 8=]
O My Word, golgi!!!! Are you up by Cleveland? A foot???? Yikes!
I took the covers off the plants this morning. Had a beautiful albeit windy day. Every single plant looks like it made it through :) No real accumulation here. We maybe had an inch at one point on Saturday, but it melted really quickly. Crabapple blooms bit the dust, but everything else looks like it wasn't phased in the least :) Yeah!
Sure hope the rest of ya'll make it through as well :)
Huga