Record low temperatures

Heeeeer we go again. Frosts forecast this weekend. At least we are getting a soaking rain which helps make up some for the dessication from the low humidity, 20 temps and unrelenting 25 mph winds last week.

The rain I liked, but I could have done without that hail !! Seems my gardens are doomed this year already !

I have snow on the ground and the driveway is a sheet of ice. I have no electricity since last night. Thank goodness for my stand by generator which gives us power. I don't know if anything will survive all this dismal weather. Whatever croaks I am going to replace it with whatever will grow in Siberia zone weather .........like zone 1 or something. I had planted over 100 asparagus plants along with blueberry bushes and raspberry bushes. I also had planted a couple grapes. I hope they make it but if they don't there isn't anything I can do about it. Mother Nature is showing "us" who is still in control.

I don't think I'll plan on planting my garden till the first week in June this year.

We had short periods of sleet last night. Nothing remarkable - for late November. What does the sun look like? Is it as nice as it looks in pictures?

ROFL!

Snow maybe Saturday here!
Hehe.. The sun has come out in bits but it always comes near cold or bad weather it seems.
Will

Sun? What's that?

78.5° and plenty of sunshine here today. Finally back to the norm.

What a freakshow. It was a record low 21 degrees here on Sat. night. I brought in 17 pots that I had planted seed in, and covered some stuff , but it did no good. My Crepe Myrtles had even leafed out already. Everything is brown and wilted. It messed up Azalea, Rose of Sharon, Saucer Magnolia, Gardenias, Japanese Maples, Wisteria, ect. What should I do, just remove burnt leafs and let them leaf out again ? This has never happened to me before , so any advice is appreciated.

This might help.



Freeze Recovery Information from Tennessee Master Gardeners

Freeze Recovery for Urban Landscapes


What happens to plants during a late freeze? Young green leaves and flowers can get zapped during late spring cold snap. So what exactly happens? In some plants the cell inside the leaves and stems froze and the cell membrane ruptured killing that part of the plant tissue, not necessarily the whole plant. At night plants take in water vapors, carbon dioxide and oxygen through small opening on the leaves called stomates. Others might have wilted. In these plants water escaped from the leaves and plant cells too quickly due to a rapid drop temperature. Cells in the plant actually deflated causing the tissue to wilt (in horticulture we call this epinasty).


Due to the freeze, flowers and tender buds may be lost on plants that flower on old growth like some hydrangeas and some climbing roses. Plants that bloom on new growth, such as crape myrtle and butterfly bush may still bloom- only later, after they have recovered.


What happens now? Will my plants survive? There are many answers. It will depend on how your plant reacted to the cold night temperatures, its location in your garden, the type of plant, or its genetic fortitude. Plants that appear to be only wilted and perk back up when the sun comes out (like some hosta, daylily, or rhododendron) should be fine. Later in the season they may exhibit puckered or stunted leaves or may have a “sunburn” look.


Few may have brown or black spots on the leaves where plant cell membranes did ruptured, killing that tissue. Other plants like some Japanese maples, crape myrtle and bigleaf hydrangea are much more sensitive to the cold night temperatures.


If you notice leaves that look water-soaked (imagine lettuce frozen in the back of the refrigerator) this tissue is dead and won’t re-hydrate. This Does Not Mean the Plant is Dead! Adopt a wait-and-see attitude, some plants may re-leaf and bounce back just fine. Most likely all these plants will have brown and black tissue which can be removed later in the season (more about that below).


So what to do now? Two words… Wait and Water.


Wait to dig or remove any plant material. In a few months you will know if it will survive the summer. For those plants that have lost all of the new leaves to the freeze it will be difficult to regenerate new leaves if there is not enough starch stored up in the root system for “another spring”- they will need extra water for this recovery. Water will allow wilted leaves to re-hydrate.


For trees, water deeply twice weekly. Monitor your plant and if you see leaves start to droop, check the soil moisture around the roots and add more if it seems dry. Keep stressed plants mulched this summer to retain moisture around the roots.


Do Not Prune- Pruning can stimulate excessive growth, these plants are stressed, give them time to recover. Give some plants, especially trees a year before severe pruning. Dead foliage can be carefully cut away, but this is not necessary for recovery. The trick is to not to cut too much off the plant.


Do Not Fertilize- Fertilizing now with nitrogen may cause the plant to leaf too quickly instead of giving it time to recover. Trees and shrubs should not be fertilized until next winter. If you had already fertilized, make sure plants receive ample water to use the excess fertilizer.


Beth Babbit, Urban Horticulture Specialist,
Plant Sciences Department Univerristy of Tennessee Extension
4/10/07



Freeze Recovery for Urban Landscapes

What is the future of my garden?


The damaged tissue at the tips of stems was the growing point for future growth. Tip dieback may cause you plant to look different. In most trees and shrubs you can selectively prune to redirect growth to rebuild the form of your plant (next year). The leaves manufacture a plant’s food to be stored for the next growing season.


If plants aren’t able to store enough food this year they may not make it next year.


But don’t lose hope! Remember: Your garden is also a small ecosystem. The living rudiments that allow your garden or landscape to be viable are both good and bad: plants/weeds, soil, insects, bacteria, fungus, worms, plants, birds and other critters. Each part of this system depends on the other. This freeze may have reduced these populations or will reduce the food sources for them in the coming months.


Pay attention. You may see some changes in your garden’s seasonal routine, greening may be slower, the color may not be as brilliant as last year and you may not see as much activity from the critters this year.


Don’t fret the future of your garden! Look forward each day to see how Mother Nature uses unexpected changes to open new opportunities in the garden. Water-soaked leaves on hosta Wilting on Annabelle hydrangea Leaf burn on oakleaf hydrangea “Sun burned look” on daylily


Beth Babbit, Urban Horticulture Specialist,
Plant Sciences Department Univerristy of Tennessee Extension
4/10/07

Thanks Loon. Very much appreciated !

Thanks so much. That answered all my questions. I was tempted to start pruning but knew it was probably best to just leave everything alone for now. The hardest lesson I've had to learn as a gardener is patience. Since I can't do anything constructive right now, I just ordered a bunch of beautiful daylilies on sale. I feel much better. Light snow is forecast for Monday morning.

We have one more night of below freezing temps forecast. Then we have another full 7 days of temps 10 to 15 degrees below the average for this time of year. Is it gonna end?

No, Snapple, it will never end. Never.

Would you like to come out for the Noreaster we're going to get at the end of the weekend? It'll be a lot more fun than the 5 or so inches of snow we got today.

Watching 50' Black Spruce bend like grass can be rivetting. Taking bets on which one goes first, even more fun. I'm even thinking of taking my newly arrived, bare root Rosa pimpinellifolia Altaica out and toss it into the gale. Probably plant it where it blows to.

Best part, I guess, is all the sea weed that'll wash up. Makes for a swell soil ammendment.

I sure hope so. My neighbors opened their pool and had a pool party three weekends ago. It was 85 degrees. At least we are supposed to get some precipitation. That is better than 3 nights of clear freezing frosts.I feel like hibernating for a couple of weeks, I can't stand to look. Good luck to all.

Now, THAT'S a planting scheme! It brings back the memory of the day this April 4th that I had a 15 ft. Chamaecyparis nootkatensis ‘Pendula’ delivered. It was a Christmas present from Hubby. The delivery could not be delayed. On that day it was 34 degrees and snowing sideways with a steady 45mph wind. The weather the day before was 81 and calm. It took three men and one determined woman to get that thing in the hole, upright, staked and watered in. There was a great moment of apprehension when we let go of the trunk and watched to see if the stakes would do their job. They did.

What are you going to do with the rose? Pot it up in a container and perhaps find an unheated garage or cold room for temporary housing? It's a hardy bugger isn't it?

When the night has been too lonely
And the road has been too long
And you think that love is only
For the lucky and the strong
Just remember in the winter
Far beneath the bitter snows
Lies the seed, that with the sun's love
In the spring becomes the rose


From the song "The Rose"

I tell ya all, about now I ready to trade ya all for yoru snow for what I had the other night and what may just get again tommorrow night.

My yard looks like a a giant shredder machien came threw it. All the newly emerged branches on my Oaks and Hickories especially are layign by the hundred s in tiny piece s all over my yard.

I have plants that have totally desintigrated, buste d pots, crops and seedlings just destroye d and ruined.

I spent par t of today buring birds that were kille d by the hail storm we got. The savign Grace was the tornadoe funnel cloud just barely staye d up in the air, but it dropped hail from large egg siz e to grapefruit. it came fast and furious. I heard the bird s screamign and watche d in horrow as they trie d to fidn shelter, but unfortunately there wasn't any.

My hoop house s look like swis s cheese. My mailbox all the shingle s we rippe d off and layign on the road, and my car looks like somebody took a jackhammer to it.

I just spent half the day gettign the rest of the clas s broke out of my back window and it sucke d up and plastic tape d on it. I had three grapefruit size hail balls bust the back window out.

Will be alogn time for I have to any pruning as the storm more than it it for me. Alot of my shrubs are not goign to bloom now and alot of seedlings I don't know if they will recover at all.

it wasn't scatted hail either it was hailballs ever couple of inches. we have had hail before but it was always small and a novelty type thing. One that dente d in the top of my airconditioner looks about the size of a basketball.

I havent even checke d the damage to the roof of the trailer yet.

ther e was no tiem or warnign from this last hail storm. With the prospect of another one coming tommorrow evening. I wonder if I put some plastic over the top of the shrubs will it maybe try and protect whats left of them or do you think it might do more damage?

starlight ~ I am so sorry for your losses, glad it was NOT the tornado it could've been, how awful about the birds. That would bother me tremendously, give me nightmares for sure. As to your question, I don't think plastic is a good idea, it could smother the plants. If you have big enough pieces of cardboard maybe you could use landscape wire to hold them hoop style over the most valuable ones? I don't really know if this would be any help. Here's hoping it will pass you by tomorrow night.

Oh My! Dreadful. Just Dreadful. And there is more forecast? I think prairiegirlz5 is on to something. Can you get to an appliance store, like Best Buy or an independant, and ask for large boxes or pieces of cardboard before they bale it? Secure it with bricks or stones maybe? I am at a loss for words. If you can stand it can you get photos? I don't know if you would even want to pick up a camera. Wish there was a way I could truly help.

Mary

Thank you for the advic e on the cardboard. That idea never even crosse d my mind. That what is so great about Dave's. The diversity of people with ideas and sections. Will go today around town here shortly before the storm hits and see what I can find from the stocking departments.

The camera I have only take s 6 pics at a time and then I have to go all the way to the college library to have them . Tried to take a couple of photos from the front door, but it wa s dark and most of them didn't even turn out.

The photo below trying to shoot outside got a ways up the hill so the hail looks very tiny in it. Doesn't show how big it really is. Just kind a shows how think the hail was.

Your right, I ain't takign any more pic s of it. Wa s so heart sick that I couldn't even look at the yard for a whole day. Mother Nature is tough on us sometimes. I ha d just finishe d moving most everythign that wa s in hoop houses out too so that they could get some of what I thought wa s just gonan be rain. While movign things out and straightenign and cleanign up some, I was thinking to myself how nicely things were coming along. Guess I shouldn't have thought.

One thign I am grateful for is the fact that a couple of weeks ago I received as a gift some pieces of a very special shrub. Common shrub to most folks but this had an heirloom history behind it. I hadn't figure d out on just the quite perfect place to place the shrub and honor the lady who had lovingly grew it for so many years, and the person who was kind enough to share it with me, so I had it potted up in big pots and in the hoop house. I was so glad to see it was ok and still blooming its head off. This afternoon it come s back in to the trailer til after the storms. I am guarding that baby for sure.

Thanks for the advice. : )

starlight, I am so sorry for all the damage you have suffered. I hope the next storm doesn't bring as much damage. Cover what you can and hope for the best.

starlight, so sorry for the horrible hail storm. I've never seen or experienced hail like you describe and hope I never do. Hail storms are quite rare in this area, so I am no help to you. I surely hope some of your garden makes it for your summer.

Donna

The same system which dropped large hail in Texas is supposed to move through my area today (and starlight's). We'll see what happens...

Have a son in Tulsa who says people in apartments without garages are taking their cars downtown to enclosed parking garages, paying for an overnight stay, and taking a cab home. Cheaper and less hassle than the insurance deductibile.

So sorry Starlight, I thought I had it bad. We are also expecting nasty weather tonight, wind and flood advisory. I have lots of stuff I would be glad to share that would give you some fast color for this season, until your trees and shrubs recover next year. I have Cannas, Hostas, Ginger Lilies, Daylilies, Iris, Rubekia, ect. just let me know if you are interested in any of this stuff. My daylilies got zapped by the freezing temps. of last week, but they should come back soon and be fine to divide. I have lots of four o'clocks too. I brought in 17 pots of seeds I had planted and tropicals. Hope it ends soon. Good luck. Mick

I have no right to whine that it is snowing again, about an inch so far and at freezing.

I wish it would snow tonight. That causes less permanent damage to trees and shrubs than freezing cold temps with clear skies.

Our weather was so cold in Feb. and March so we were behind most of the rest of you. My Vib. Juddi, is still at tight bud stage. MOst of the daffs are in bloom , the hellebores are in bloom, (but earlier were flat on the ground after our one really cold night) but look okay now. We are a little cooler than normal now, but didn't frost the past couple of nights. One big problem is that it is so dry, had just two very short 20-25 min showers since the first of Feb. I have been irrigating for 6 weeks or so.

Donna

Donna , we have also had record low rainfalls. My hellebores have been blooming for months and have not been hurt by the extreme heat, cold and drought. They are on the east side of the house, under the largest red oak in our county in Blount County Tn. It is what I think is called a " Heritage Tree". It is why my husband and I bought our property.There is a white oak that is larger in our county.I love my tree. It is OLD!

Gosh, starlight, you have my best wishes.

The strom finally over and I can get back on the computer. That idea of the cardboard was really cool. That one I will definately keep remembering. is it Murphys Law or what, I got al prepared and only had a long hard heavy rain and some winds. It just squirrted through my area.

Escambi. How did you make out? I have friend s in Texas that I still haven't heard from, and I know they got hit really bad. I am worried for them and am especially praying and worried for the folks up North and alogn the east coast.

I heard the weathe r man last night sayign that they are going to get the worst ever on record of the past ten years comign their way. There problems gonna be lots worse than anything thos e of us down here have been experiencing I fear.

Snapple. Now them folks is smart. No parkign garages out her e or cabs for that matter.

LittleMick... Aren't Oaks great! When bad weather comes, I just park under my giant old Oak. I usually have to pull limbs and leaves off, but the huge canaopy ussually does a good job of protecting my car. I did giv e my tree a hug though cuz even though my car is full of dings and dents and the back window gone. At least it protected the front window.

A friend helped me vacumn it out and put plastic over it. Ony thing is I didn't realize til after we had duck taped it like crazy that I also duck taped my trunk shut. Dah.......

I appreciate the offer of plants, but will be ok. I was realy upset and needed to vent becaus e most of what all I grow is designate d for fund raisers. I spent the major part of yesterday repotting, what could and tryign to re-clean and organize it.

The shrub and tre e seedlings will just let grow out I gues s and maybe they will rebud out leaves . I gathered all the broken pieces of Gardenias up and put them in some water for now. Hopefully they will root, but since most of the pices are on new growth not sure if they will grow out of the juvenile state or not.

I looked at the hundreds of Hickory and Oak leaf sections and sinc e it would take me weeks to pick them up and just considerign lettign them all lay and look yucky til they rot. With them being all new flushe s of growth, lot s of nutrients in them and might as well let it feed the soil some more nutrients.

Thinking optomistically, I maybe won't have gazzillions of Hickory and Oak nuts to rake up this year or bop me in the head. : )

One of the things that really concerns me is the folks up North. Coming from Michigan and Clevland, I know snow storms and cold weather. I know that that the snow in many cases wil act as an insulator for the plants and trees, but with such long periods of wet and cold I wonder how it is gonna to affect the roots of thos e trees.

Eventually all that sbnow is gonan melt again and I am sure those folsk ground s from the last melting are pretty saturated. The damage may not seen immediatey, but hwo much water can the Northern trees take before they start experiencing root root and weakens systems. With somuch water, and I coudl be wrong, but seems their trees won't be able to get the other nutrients needed with all the pore spaces filled with water. Won't this weaken their trees and make them more susceptable to diseases and pests?

littlemick, I envy you your mature oaks and other trees, I only have what I planted 12-13 years ago. Nothing here when I moved except sage and grass. I have planted more than 80 different trees, some I lost but most are still growing. But of course are only 12 or 13 years of age. they are beginning to provide quite a bit of shade, so now I can think seriously of trying a few more hosta.

Starlight, I do hope your garden survives for you, must be very disappointing to look at all that damage.

Donna

No hail here, it was just rain. The sun is coming out now, but the wind is gusting so hard it sounds like it's going to blow the roof off. lol I couple of my tree cages got blown over and one almost broke one of my hybrid chestnut trees. I making some anchors from old clothes hangers now. I'll fix that there problem!

I swear, gardeners are the mother of all ingenuity and invention and the most giving lot of folk on the planet.

Dare I whisper that the forecast here now is for true spring weather? Mainly I will be thinking of those east coast folks looking down the barrel of a mammoth nor' easter.

I did the garden walk this morning in sunshine as last night's snow melted. I havn't lost a great deal. One Japanese maple, a graft, died above the graft. It had partially leafed out. It was young so no huge hole in the landscape. Nearly everything has been badly set back though. Even tulips. The bud stems broke under the onslought of heavy rain and wind followed by last week's plunge into the 20's. I never thought I would see tulips trashed like that. And the list goes on.

Gardeners are also the most hopeful, optimistic folk on the planet. There are containers to plant up soon and there is always next year. Now, what will I replace that maple with?

How about another maple? LOL Hope springs eternal.

I read a reference to genuflecting somewhere else...maybe a Father John J. Fiala Malus selection is in order. See several PlantFiles entries here:

http://davesgarden.com/pf/adv_search.php?searcher%5Bcommon%5D=&searcher%5Bfamily%5D=&searcher%5Bgenus%5D=&searcher%5Bspecies%5D=&searcher%5Bcultivar%5D=&searcher%5Bhybridizer%5D=Father+John+L.+Fiala&search_prefs%5Bsort_by%5D=genus&images_prefs=both&Search=Search

Perhaps 'Leprechaun' will bring you luck next year?

my japanese maple, hydrangeas, altheas ,gardenias,, and crepe myrtles are trashed too. The leaves are like paper. It is supposed to get below freezing again tonight. I just hope everything comes back. I have relatives in New York, Michigan and Dubuque and I really feel for them. Thank goodness for Dixie. I am going to St. Marys Ga. in two weeks to visit my daughter in law. It is just south of Savannah. I am buying tropical plants and soaking up some sun, and forgetting about this mess. If something croaks that is the best reason in the world for buying something new. That is my motto, and I'm sticking to it. .