I'm worried that some of my plants that are suppose to be sleeping will start coming up! Has anyone seen anything greening up that shouldn't?
X
I love this warm weather! But ....
My basjoo are all putting out green leaves again - not much, but it's noticeable. It's forecast to hit 25 here again on Monday, so that should put them back to bed in a hurry. Good to know they all survive the first few freezes though; some aren't even protected and are growing again like nothing happened.
This message was edited Dec 18, 2008 11:49 PM
One of my brugs is greening up as well as some roses. It's suppose to get into the upper 20's in a few days as well.
X
Hit 80 here yesterday and it will be higher today and in the high 30's by Monday night. Poor plants, I don't like these swings either.
I wish it'd just swing up... about 65-70 and stay like that all winter. I could definitely live with that ;)
Well it was nice while it lasted. 77 today, 73 tomorrow - then back to reality on the first day of winter.
Roses blooming away, brug never died back and it's greening up a bit, also have a banana shooting up a new leaf.
Grrrrrr .. I just noticed one of my plumerias has put on a bud? (don't know the correct term. This warm weather has cause many plants in the greenhouse to break out with flowers.
X
Even some of the EE's are growing again. They are calling for 20F now on Monday night *sigh* that's gonna hurt.
Low of 60F tonight, Low of 26F tomorrow.
This message was edited Dec 20, 2008 1:53 PM
My driveway is covered with Live Oak leaves, the littles ones that normally fall in the spring.
X: If it's any consolation, I've heard it's forecast to be a warmer-than-normal winter, which makes sense based on the past couple of weeks. If it continues, all this stuff that's jumping the gun, may do just fine. Though I see a couple of scary low temps in the forecast for Sun/Mon.
I have several Iris blooming that normal start in Feb.! The C. Jessamine on my arbor is covered with buds. All my narcissus are 6" high. Gingers have new shoots. Odd December.
Deb
WOW, look at the new forecast that just came out for the extended range. Warmer winter indeed.
http://www.cpc.noaa.gov/
Sigh, I hope the forecasts are right. I spent 3 months trading like mad for crinum and gingers and got every one I wanted. They were all put in the ground a week before the start of the 20 degree temps a few weeks ago. I've got a sick feeling I've lost them all along with a solandra maxima I put in the ground with the crinums. It froze to the ground. I have no idea if anything will recover. I guess I have a few months to wonder.
X
Gingers seem pretty tough. I am testing several in the ground to see how they turn out this winter; including one from HI. If they all survive I may tempt fate and leave my torch and beehive ginger in the ground next year. I have the feeling my digging them up yearly isn't going to help the blooming process any. What all types did you get recently X?
I'm not really worried about the gingers .. they are tough. The ones I traded for are all hedychiums. Elizabeth, Red Butterfly, Daniel Weeks and Hawaiian Pink. I already have the White Butterfly and Peach Delight.
I've no experience with crinums so I don't know how tough they are. I managed to trade for Milk and Wine Lily, 'Ellen Bosanquet', Royal White and Walter Flory.
I just got tired of fighting the canna leaf rollers, (I did keep some Chocolate Cherry and Bengal Tiger). I advertised the whole bed for free on Craigs list .. you dig and the bed was cleared out in 2 hours the next day. I received over 20 hits in less than an hour for them .. once the canna was gone, I cleaned out all the weeds and stuff and dumped 150 dollars worth of top soil and peat in it and planted the gingers and crinum. I thought I had a month to get everything in the ground but that early hard freeze drastically changed my schedule. I probably should have left the crinum in pots in the greenhouse, but I had just plain run out of room.
X
I really don't think you will have to worry about the crinums; they are tough. Although the air was cold and the foliage was damaged, the ground did not freeze so you are probably OK.
X: I bet that bed will be gorgeous by summer!
I even have some Colocasia Illustris that are still green and happy and putting up new shoots. They're in a very protected spot, but they've never been up at this time of year before.
Even with the two cold nights they're predicting now, I don't see how the ground can get cold enough to kill anything. Too many days of warm sunshine in between the freezes. Hope that's the case, anyway.
Deb
Thanks for the reassurance. I can't wait to see it all in bloom! One side of the bed is all gingers .. they make up the 3rd wall of the brugmansia room. The other side is crinum.
X
X: I think your crinums will be fine. I have one in Asheville and here and it made it through the winter in Asheville just great, bloomed beautifully and had increased amazingly in the one year it had been in the ground. That's when I divided it and brought some down to Kannapolis. Even had enough to give some to a neighbor here.
Please post photos in the spring!
Strangest winter I can recall...
Take a look at my Colocasiabed.
:-$
Deb
Poor baby .. it's got a week before it looks like the freezing temps will be back. My greenhouse has turned into a flower shop. One of my passifloras broke into flower! It's gorgeous .. another but looks like it will open tomorrow on it.
X
Passion flowers in December! Wonderful. :)
Can hardly believe how warm it is today!
I agree about the crinums, X. Especially the Ellen Bosanquet...tough as nails here. The foliage dies down and gets mushy, but it doesn't seem to bother it at all.
My winter daphne was blooming on Christmas Eve and the fragrance was wonderful:
Oh, I can almost smell it now. Having never been able to get one to live for very long, I am green with envy. Congratulations. :-)
This is really getting ridiculous! I'm wondering if I should even bother trying to winter sow. If everything comes up early I'd be in trouble since the greenhouse is bursting at the seams.
A few of the Crinums are actually putting out new side shoots so I'm feeling less anxious about them. More brugmansia are greening up and some of my roses are putting on new growth.
Every time I walk into the greenhouse, something else has started to bloom. I got my electric bill a few days ago .. usually it's about $150 dollars .. it was only $105. So that was really nice.
X
Great shot of a pretty passi; I love the curling tendrils in the background
Oh but wow! Look at that passiflora! Beeuutiful. I did my wintersowing on the 21st. Fingers crossed. :)
Deb I'm gonna plant my containers this weekend .. just hoping it doesn't get warm again. My kalanchoe burst into bloom today .. didn't realize it had buds til I saw orange. It was tucked back behind some brugs.
X
Yep, I think it's just put the containers out and hope for the best. It's not going to get any colder, that's for sure. We'll probably get the usual January warm snap, just hope there are enough cooler days wrapped around. :)
I discovered some impatiens and callibrachoa blooming in my improv greenhouse this week. Amazing because there's no heat in that sucker! LOL.
I brought a Kalanchoe indoors this fall and I was glad I did because it's been providing some great bright color on my windowsill.
What did you sow? Here is my list:
Asarina purpusii
Rhodochiton atrosanguineum - Bell Vine
Viola cornuta
Lisianthus grandiflorum
Petunia x hybrida - double cascade & opera supreme
Papaver paeoniflorum - Peony Poppy
Primula acaulis - Primrose - Windsor Series
X
I hope your Lisianthus does well. I had good luck with "Echo Yellow" by winter-sowing it last year.
I'm trying some new things that I've never grown before. I did:
Calendula
Salvia farinacea (Blue Bedder)
Dahlia ( Unwin's Dwarf)
Asclepius tuberosA
Arum italicum
..also an unknown daisy mum that came in a florist arrangement. I saved the seeds. No idea if they'll germinate.
I also sowed:
Aquilegia cerulea (gift seeds - I've never had luck with aquilegia before)
Osteospermum
Nasturtium (Jewel Mix)
Coreopsis (Red Shift)
Pardancanda norissii
Astilbe x arendsii
Blue and White platycodon
Angelonia (Serena purple)
Rudbeckia (Goldstrum)
Holly Hock (Indian Spring)
I think that's it. And this is the year I cut back on my winter-sowing! LOL.
Good job on cutting down, Deb. LOL! I sowed calendula last year. It came up easily and did well during cold snaps. As for columbine...I had good luck with some last year, but it took forever! I gave up on it several times, but just couldn't toss it. Right when it was going for its third strike, it redeemed itself and gave me great germination. Good luck on yours:-)
Jeeze Deb, I've not been that ambitious since the first time I winter sowed not knowing how successful it is and the whole neighborhood ended up with marigolds, asters and shasta daisies.
Chrysanthemums in my experience don't have a good germination rate. About 60%.
I'm not going to be doing my ws any time soon since those dratted kids set my back yard on fire and burned the half of the shed which had most of the containers I was planning to use. I've lost most of my pots .. they are all melted.
My brother is coming from Columbia on Saturday to help me put up a new one.
X
Oh no! How'd that happen??
It happened yesterday Deb .. check out my "Well I Had A Fright!" thread. Backyard really stinks.
X
X, do you need some pots for WS? If your brother wants to come get some I have some 1 gallon pots that you can have.
I live in Whitehall in Columbia
Thanks for the offer pyro. 1 gallons I have, it was the really big ones I lost and little 4 inch for transplanting seedlings. A large fibreglass planter was turned into cobwebs. I'm really gonna miss that one. Been bagging up melted pots since yesterday. Being single I usually have just 1 bag of garbage for a huge curb can. Today it was overflowing and the garbage guys actually knocked on my door to tell me someone else might be using my can!
X
X: I had not seen your thread about the fire. That must've been a scare for sure. So glad it was just the shed and pots and such and not your house!
Me too .. just got finished cleaning up everything and the concrete slab ready for the new shed. If I had seen the fire 5 minutes later than I did, then everything in my shed would have been a total loss.
I'm just hoping that the area where the table and chairs melted hasn't been poisoned forever.
X
Oh, X, how terrible for you! Really sorry to hear about the mischief makers. Some time ago, we started leaving the front porch light on at night as well as the back porch light.
When temperatures seesaw the way they've been doing this winter, I always wonder if my winter sowing will be hurt. I'm usually going strong at this time, but this year haven't even begun yet. Still, it sure is cheaper to start plants from seeds, isn't it?
Tender annuals have not been easy for me to get started, but this year I'm thinking about ordering one of those seed starter sets from Gardeners Supply so I can get a head start. Anyone tried those?