Rocky Mountain Weather

This is a continuation of "Rain."

We had winds blasting us Saturday and Sunday, Saturday at gusts up to 50 mph. It just took all the moisture out of some of the plants on my balcony. The morning glory vine lost all it's new tips and the leaves got crispy from drying out and me not being able to water it again in time. My pulmonaria's leaves are broken. I could go on and on. It's unusual for us to get such high winds this early. Usually we have them in December and January, maybe November, but rarely in September.

Our weather has been off by about two months ever since the large earthquake that caused the Indonesian tsumani. I remember reading a report that said the force of that quake shifted the earth on its axis by a quarter of something. Can't remember if it was a quarter of a degree or a quarter of an inch. Couple that with the global warming and we gardener's need to be on our toes more than ever to protect our plants. One day they are freezing, the next day they're roasting.

Thanks for the new one, Judith. I Hope things recover; It must be bad to have gotten morning glories. I'd be bringing everything inside with wind like that. Wind is my worst enemy as far as my best plant beign ruined/killed. Spring wind angers me more than anything- a vicious blow in the midst of otherwise perfect growing weather- just in time to shred up the big-flowered tulips and lanky late-spring bulbs.

It didn't freeze last night here, thank goodness. I hope we have two nice months of fall now.

I'm always prepared for spring wind. The plants are small and I can easily get them in. At this time of the year the plants are huge and I can't get them anywhere. I was gone all day Saturday, and it didn't occur to me to check the weather. Bummer. With any luck a freeze will come along -- 31 last night -- and I can start preparing to plant bulbs and clean up the balcony. (Cynical gardener after a fall windstorm.)

Sorry guys but the rain is back where it is suposed to be in Montana. Not Colorado. I am sorry that you are getting the dry blasts. I am in Seattle where the air is rich in fragrance and the rain is continual.

You're on your way home! Hope you see lots and lots of glorious fall colors on the way.

Not really on my way home. I am working for a week here and will go home Saturday. Though it is raining beautifully with a cool drizzle and an occasional downpour. The leaves here fall when wet but rarely turn any color

Poor suckers! I'm glad somehow that they, in garden-heaven-climate, don't get the autumn treat we do. Our reward for so much bloody work to grow anything !

It did get down to 32 Monday night. Some of my zucchini leaves look droopy and some were dry, but they're not dead yet. My potato plants look droopier. My broccoli, however, looks happier than it did all summer.

I never know how to dress. This morning I needed a fall jacket and a wool cap. I got to the office, and it was freezing so I had to put on a sweater. During lunch I went out to sit on one of the benches and read, and I took my sweater off because it was so hot. Lunch over, put the sweater on to go back inside. Left work, walked in shirt sleeves till I got on the bus, whereupon I donned my fall jacket again because the bus was air conditioned down to *freezing*!

and hence the need for layers. If the climate doesn't get you, the office HVAC system will!

today in Seattle was a beautiful 65 F and sunny. No need for anything but a jacket to go to work. I got to go to a nursery that I just love and bought an Acer Japonica (forgot the name) and a dogwood that has the perfect shape for the spot I have it planned for. I spent 2 hours pulling out potential trees and got to decide on the two I could afford. I had to leave them in the waiting room of the clinic I am working at to keep them from being stolen. Everyone who came in wanted to know what they were and where they could buy some. It was a good day. Hey has anyone grown a parrotia tree. They were spectacular and I want one only worried about loosing an expensive tree.

This message was edited Sep 20, 2006 12:21 AM

I feel that way about expensive iris rhizomes. Iris are pretty hardy, but I'm a novice gardener. Wasting marigold seeds because I don't know what I'm doing is one thing. But I really don't want to be responsible for killing a $50 iris.

The best way to kill an iris is to cover its rhizome too deeply in the soil. They will put up with amazingly poor soil but not being covered too deeply with wet soil.

"The Centennial Layer State."

Acer Japonica...you must have been influenced by our discussion. I've even given some thought to planting another one and pledging to be responsible with planting and caring for it. All I need to propel me over to the buying side is to find a variety that stays fairly small and does not expand sideways but is straight like a tree. "Pixie" might work. And it has a wonderful fall color.

This is it Acer Shirasawanum 'Palmatifolium'. The cornus behind it is 'summer delight'. Nice color for a varigated leaf.

Killer Cornus.

(I mean that in a complimentary way)

Wow! I'm sure you're very pleased. I'd get the parrotia tree too. Maybe you won't have a chance to pick it out again. Not everybody's a tree stealer! LOL

Have you seen parrotia grown in zone 4-5? I don't want to pay 80 bucks for a dead specimen in the spring.

Nope. But I've read about it surviving -30FH.

I haven't a clue what a Parrotia is, other than a (small?) tree.
"to the books!"

Ahhh. Giant Witchhazel on Baseball-grade steroids. From Iran, so it should do well in Steve's plantation in Kalispellistan. I bet that would be a sight to behold in early spring, mmm.
Certainly, the way you amend, it should overwinter. Probably best planted in spring, though. (and held over in a cold garage)

Yes it is a persian parrotia. It has vibrant leathery green large leaves that at this time is tipped in Rouge. Or Whatever arabic for red is. It looks like a big leafed Ficus. I read at the nursery that it loves alkaline soil and tolerates drought. I want to get one now you have convinced me kenton, oh great one. I believe that it begins its color with a variation of orange,yellow and turns to a dark green in summer. The trunks of the base of a 4' tree was about 2" in diameter. Quite unique in the garden and suggested planted where everyone can see and marvel.

What about planting in the spring? Are you going to try to plant it now and hope for the best??

I always plant trees and bushes and perenials in the fall. The root developement they get is far more then than during the spring. They survive the summers better with the additional root. Plus the plants are on sale now. LOL

Persians speak farsi, not arabic. The farsi word for red is sorkh(e).
You could wrap it in a fleece chador to protect it thru its first winter, then read it passage's from the Rubaiyat to inspire it to grow in springtime.

Hehee! Been to that warped country of late, GM?
And plant this next to it to keep it company, so there are no foreign accents...
http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/63741/

True, Steve, it depends if winter or summer is the most stressing to the plant. Being a nut who grows palms, I try for spring to give more root developement for winter, grown in the summer.
K

Most interesting GM. Thank you. Now where do I get a chador and does it need to be made out of wool or is poly ok? lol
Kenton if I planted that in my yard I would have Giants decending from the sky into my house. Very beautiful and most interesting flower.

This message was edited Sep 21, 2006 6:54 PM

I'd grow, too, if someone quoted passage from the Rubaiyat at me. That's my favorite poem.

I plan to plant my lilacs Sunday, after the frost warning is over and it warms up slightly. I don't want their first night on their own to be their last. And if my garden cloches fit over them, I'll use them, too, for a couple weeks. But Friday night and Saturday night, they're coming inside.

Steve here is a photo of my 10 year old Parrotia persica. It has never bloomed. Does have nice foliage, sometimes has better fall color than others. I am beginning to get the feeling that we aren't going to have really good fall coloring this year in this area. I also planted a second Parrotia persica in my wind break row. I will post a picture too of its beginning coloring for fall.

Donna

and here is the new growth of the second Parrotia persica and color.

Yep. Overgrown withhazel.
Now I want one, darnit.

Wow, rutholive!
Your depth of knowledge of plants is astounding. I would love to have one of those parrotia persica trees, but it would fill my whole yard. You, luckily, have enough room for it. Just send those of us who are short on space pictures of yours every so often.

On the subject of weather, I said they don't predict snow lines in New Mexico this early. Well I heard today that a nearby village, Chimayo, known for its first class chile, had sleet last night. There was snow on the Sangre de Cristo Mt peaks east of Santa Fe this morning. Tonight the forecasters are predicting snow above 8500 feet.
We haven't had a hard freeze here yet, but my squashes and everyone elses's are looking poorly -- the leaves, not the fruit.
I hate to see summer end, but there is something nice about being in nice and warm in the house while the winds rage outside as they did last night. My dogs have decided to sleep at my feet indoors instead of in their favorite places outside.
I love the harvest season, but I dread December, January, and February and a good bit of March and April in the house. I have promised myself to learn to sew, but who knows if I am up to it.
As Ezra Pound said:
" Winter is a cummin' in. Lude sing
Passes bus and spasheth us and cold string hath my ham."
More or less. That was from memory but expresses my feelings perfectly.
Betty

Anyone else notice the snow on the arapahoes this a.m. after the rain cleared? It was quite beautiful, but scary early.

Oh. Good. Grief. Just saw the CBS weather news cam: deep snow at the Eisenhower tunnel, drifting snow all along I-70 along the divide. Crap.

Steve, a polyfleece chador will be quite acceptable.

Kenton, that's not an overgrown witch hazel, a witch hazel is a runty parrotia!

Haven't needed to speak farsi since ~1979. I'm sure I could still mangle a phrase or two. It was a culturally rich area before modern times. I think you'll find that many tulips originated in Persia and found their way to Holland from there. The cuisine is also tasty.

Persian species, Dutch creativity to hybridize them.

greenjay, DH and I avoided the Eisenhower Tunnel when we took our fall trip because it's down to one lane, besides, going over Loveland Pass is much more interesting. There was enough snow on the runs at A-Basin to make you think it wouldn't be long.

I love this time of year too, when the leaves are changing, the wind gets harsher, and everything says that winter's coming. Like paja above, there's something about the season that draws me in. I don't even mind the winter, except for February. February is the longest month of the year for me. I start all my outdoor planting in March, and February just keeps me from it.