Mother nature is issuing in a gentle reminder that Yes, this is still winter. Ugh
http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=33.93994207264901&lon=-81.29470825195312&site=cae&smap=1&marine=0&unit=0
Looks like we'll barely get to 37F Friday during the day and 13F now that night. Guess we're still earning that 8a zone title, LOL. This will be the coldest we've gotten here in Columbia in over five years. Bring out the extra protection for the GH's. So much for the warm weather.
At least it's happening on a weekend - I can stay up and make sure the radiators keep going.
This message was edited Jan 12, 2009 3:14 PM
A low of 13F Friday?
I knew it was going to happen, but was hoping it wouldn't. I'm seeing varying numbers for down this way..somewhere between 18 and 24 at the end of the week. Better now than at Easter like last year, I guess.
Maybe that cold front will slow and drift juuuust a bit north and we'll catch a break.
I hope.
There is so much here budding and blooming early. Gonna be toast. :(
That's gardening!
Deb
This message was edited Jan 12, 2009 4:10 PM
Very true, and I agree about Easter too. The past two Easters have fried my early growers coming out of the ground. Let's hope the last frost this year is mid-March at the latest. For now, bundle up I guess.
I just bought this huge Ginger, she is in my garage now, but I will certainly be moving her (and most of my potted plants) inside on Thursday!
Got her at Woodleys, at 50% off - I am thrilled!
Beauty! I have one about that size and it's in my garage, too.
Ditto - I love the variegated ginger. Mine's fussy though - used to be really full like that, but then got kinda leggy. I think it wasn't getting enough sun at one point.
As soon as it warms up I will tote it out to my patio. I can adjust how much sun/shade it gets out there.
I was grieved to see my confederate rose is pushing out leaves along with the brugmansia. The roses are starting to wake up, the crinum are pushing out side shoots, the ginger is poking through the soil along with the canna. The leaf nodes on my franklin tree look like they are starting to swell. The only thing doing well outside that I'm not worried about are the sweet peas .. I never had luck with those until someone told me to plant them in the Fall. That's definitely the way to go for sweet peas in our zone.
The white tulip magnolias round Summerville are in full bloom, X, have you seen them?
I left my a. zerumbet /.variegated ginger outside last winter and it died back, but came back really well. However, it was really slow and didn't get back to it's former size til fall. So this year, I dragged it into the garage where it's continued to grow. I open the garage doors when it's above 45. I hope to coax it to bloom someday. :)
Deb
Deb, the alpina blooms on old wood so they really aren't suited to our zone. That's why I gave mine to my step-mother in Ft. Lauderdale and it bloomed for her. They get way to big to keep wintering over in the gh for flowering.
I've seen lots of flowering trees in bloom here. It looks like we are going to have a drab awful Spring.
X
Yeah, I don't really ever expect it to bloom, but I thought it might be tempted after being in the garage with some nice lights for the winter. Optimisim or denial? ;->
Regardless, I intend to keep dragging it in each winter until it's to big to do that any more, just cause I'm impatient waiting for it's foliage to fill out over the summer otherwise.
Lol, well I must confess to having a few plants that I've had for years and have never bloomed for me. Denial on both our parts I guess. If you do manage to get a bloom, let me know .. I've never seen one in person. They are probably even more stunning in 3d than in a picture.
X
AhHa, so the Alpinia blooms on old wood.....I never cut off the stalks unless they are really ratty looking and I do get flowers. Yippee, now I know why. Oh, I hope this cold snap does not fry my ginger; the flowers are lovely; it would ne nice to have them again nest summer.
K, mine does not get much sun at all but I have noticed it is a heavy feeder.
Last night I took all my winter-sown containers that had sprouted and put them in the garage. Looks like almost a full week a actual freezing ovenight temps.
Forecast gets worse by the day. Calling for 10F here now at the airport, which probably means 8-9F at the house. I can't even remember the last time it was that cold here; maybe once or twice in the 90's. Lots of x-mas lights and frost blankets in the yard come Thurs.
Edit: Previous record for the 16th was 11F. In1893!!
This message was edited Jan 14, 2009 11:39 AM
Lowest I see forecast for down here so far is 17. ...and that's low enough.
Forecast low on Friday night here is 12.
I have a bunch of dahlias in pots buried in the ground, or surrounded by mulch. Although I pretty much know the answer already, what say you? -- get them up and under the house?
Brrrr .. this is getting depressing .. when I look at the 10 day throughout the day, the temps get lower every time I look at it. I'm sure my cereus cactus isn't going to survive the next three days, but it has surprised me before.
I'm tempted to go get some kerosene and crank up the kerosene heater because I know my heat pump won't be able to handle this at all and will be on emergency heat for the next 3 days .. I dread the next heating bill.
X
Local forecast said 8F tonight for Columbia. Last time they said we hit single digits was 1988 I believe, and of the 44,000+ days on record, only 26 days in the single digits.
Ugh - it figures this happens the first year I'm trying zone 9 plants in the ground. Guess I'll be back on the lookout for some plants next year.
I remember that cold snap in Columbia and it was brutal.
Might be the first time I've seen ponds fully freeze over here in a looong time. We used to "skate" on my grandfathers pond some back in the 80's when it was really cold. It was always funny to watch the geese try and land on the frozen water - slipping, spinning, and sliding everywhere. I can only imagine the confusion, LOL.
Oh Lord ... just checked the 10 day .. they are calling for 16 on Friday. I hoping my little heating system in the gh can handle it!
X
It is so beautiful outside right now, warm and sunny. Perfect weather for hauling plants into the garage. LOL
I picked all my citrus this morning and made Meyer Lemon and Sweet Calamondin marmalades and some Meyer Lemon & Honey jelly. Anyone for toast and jam? :-)
I keep pulling up the forecast, hoping it has changed for the warmer. No luck.
Welp .. here we go! 8:20pm and 36 degrees outside my window.
Walked around the garden just before sunset and said sweet dreams and hope you wake up in a few weeks to my brugs, confederate rose, roses and everything else that was trying to wake up .. watered the heck out of my cereus cactus, put a jacket on it and wished it luck .. picked up some kerosene for tomorrow and saturday to help out my heat pump in the day time .. i have my micro plush sheets on the bed and electric blanket is set for thermonuclear explosion. Kitties are already getting more friendly.
X
Currently 32 degrees and headed downward! Hope this doesn't dash my wintersowing to smithereens.
It's not looking good here... 27F at 9pm and dropping fast. Supposed to be around 15 tonight and 9 tomorrow night. We haven't had temps that cold since January 2000 ... the difference then is we had almost 2ft of snow cover. Now it's just bare ground and cold, dry winds. I sprayed water on the bulb foliage (Ipheion, Lycoris, Sternbergia, etc.) to try to protect them somewhat with an ice coating. Don't know if it will help or not. I think I may lose a few of my more tender plants. Oh well, c'est la vie.
Still 40F here right now, but it's dropping like a rock outside. 33F for a high tomorrow now, ugh. It's almost impossible to protect when the high is the same as your normal low right about now.
Still 48 here at 10:30 but it feels like 28, it is windy and very damp.
18 here this morning and headed toward single digits tonight. Brrrr!
34 here this morning. I invested in some long johns yesterday so I could walk the dog in comfort. LOL
Just fired up the kerosene heater. The coldest it got in the greenhouse last night was 36.7 .. I decided to set the thermostat in there at 40 instead of 38 the heater would have more time to warm things up before it got to freezing. There is a coating of ice on the gh roof. It's 21 degrees right now outside.
X
26.1 at 10:30 in the AM here
Geez
Will check to see what our low was in my neighborhood - do y'all use Wunderground?
Just checked - it got down to 18 degrees last night (actually this morning at 7am)
brrr
The other cold-related thread here in the Carolina forum had some good comments about water and ice-
any of you sprayed your plants to keep them 'warm'?
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/943092/
Keo, did you try this on your Zone9ers?
I've posted this on the wintersowing thread, but should I cover the jug with the mixed gaillardia sprouts or take my chances? Isn't this the purpose of wintersowing? Oh, dear.
It's still 23F here at the house at 11am, got down to 19F last night it appears. GH seemed to do well though, remained in the low 40's. It's 76 in the GH right now with both heaters and the sun, not bad for 8mil plastic and a variation of 50 degrees between them. Garage is staying in the high 50's now, low 60's when the halides are on.
Pyro I think I got most of the zone 9 plants with a good layer of mulch - and any dampness under the paper hopefully will freeze and keep them all safe underground. I have tried to wrap, cover, and x-mas light all the bananas - but if it gets down to the single digits, I'm probably just kidding myself by doing it.
Best wishes for everyone - think warm thoughts!
It's 28 outside, 80 inside (gotta love kerosene heaters) and 69.3 in the greenhouse.
X
Hemophobic: For my wintersown containers, I have covered any that had already sprouted, just to be safe. Any that haven't yet should be ok.
Last forecast I've seen for our areas says 12F tonight.
Deb
Yeah .. I saw that too Deb. The low keeps dropping almost every time I see it. The thermometer outside my window says 30 at this moment.
X
I think some of you folks near the coast are going to get a lot colder than originally thought since the High is over more of the state than was expected . They're still calling for 10F here (which I think is the worst in the state, figures), but it's better than the 8F the local weather guy was calling for earlier. Chance for snow on Sunday night.
This message was edited Jan 16, 2009 1:57 PM