Weather not fit for man nor beast. Let's stay by the fire!

Oh cool, Charlene! I'd totally forgotten! Thank you for remembering! Now....where will I put it???

You said you were putting in some new garden beds...maybe a trellis to shade them from the really hot afternoon sun.

Good idea, Sheila! I was planning on using my okra and beans for shade, but this will work, too, plus add color and bee activity.

Yep, they have to be pollenated to grow.

I'm going to start a small garden with my grandson this week. We have lots of seeds. Just have to get my motor going. I'm ripping out some large hibiscus that have probably frozen. I was poking around in the dirt yesterday, and the soil is fairly "fluffy" in that raised bed. Probably the best dirt in my whole backyard. It's raining today and tomorrow so can't get outside. Going to surf around and figure out what to plant when. Took 17th squirrel to the farm yesterday......

Wow..........The squirrels probably appreciate the relo service to the suburbs!

:-)

More than two inches of rain and I haven't even checked the rain gauge this morning. At least they don't think there's any more damage to that San Antonio area retaining wall landslide. Doesn't help with the houses already damaged beyond repair, but maybe the rest will be okay.

Somehow I got bumped off of this thread? Hopefully it was by accident ^_^

Back to the Gardenia topic, I have loved gardenias forever but... in the past they always die shortly after planting. Haven't tried in years, but was told by several successful gardenia growers that they need to be planted on the north side of the house.

Raining here too 41° and more rain predicted.

But like Podster said, if you don't like the weather wait a minute because even the "Weather Forecast" keeps changing every time I look at it!

I've been reading the chatter about the buyout of DG.

What attracted me to become a member of DG was the wealth of information I could find here and all the knowledgeable gardeners giving their advise and instructions; much of which is still sitting in the archives for leisurely viewing. The bonus is meeting a bunch wonderful people of like-minds who enjoy gardening and nature just as much. And chatting about your current activities, just like right here on this thread.

I hope that doesn't change!

I don't think it will change, it is up to us to keep it going as usual, although with the cold and rainy weather it is hard to be cheery.
Josephine.

BIG STORM HEADING FOR FLORIDA!!!

For 1/2 a second there, I thought there really was a storm.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! This was cute!

Made me look! Made me look! Made me buy a penny book!

^^_^^

HOT AIR...sounds good these days! But during that extreme heat last summer, I was looking forward to fall and winter.

Freak storm???!!! Naw. We've been waiting for this perfect storm for 43 years!!

I think Payton's gonna be torn about claiming the Championship ring. Archie worked a lotta years and wore a lotta pantyhose... I think it's just about our time!

So,

"Who 'dat say they gonna beat 'dem Saints?" "WHO DAT??" "WHO DAT???!!"

Sheesh, I'm really out of it. I had no idea what this "Who Dat" thing was about when I got the Dmail. Guess I need to get out a little more often, and to someplace other than a hospital or doctor's office waiting room.

All right, it's cold & windy enough that I am throwin' another log on this fire.

I have potatoes needing to go in the ground. I'm going to plant them in oak leaves again. I have bareroot blueberries and the ground is way too wet to work it. Anyone know if I can heel them in? I prepared the containers for wintersowing and am waiting for the greenhouse to get warmer than 50° (my plants don't mind that temp ~ I do!) before I go out and tinker. At least the sun is shining today.

HOW DIS???!!

whatcha got bloomin' there?

Pod, I'm right there with you! I have potatoes that need to go in their containers and onions to get in, too.

WillisTX isn't that pretty... it is Lachenalia. Definitely a bright spot at this time of year.

StephanieTx ~ don't we wish for some of this moisture during the drier times of the growing season. Is a gardener never happy?

There is one brave Daffodil soul starting to open... a hint of things to come!

Another log on the fire, guys! Gonna be a cold one tonight...forecasted 28° here. I know some of you have had a BUNCH of snow, but we hadn't. Today we were in San Antonio and all it was doing it a bit of rain...then it started sleeting for a while. Then a really puny, short snow flurry. Later on another puny one on our way home.

We had snow! Big ole wet flakes. Was beautiful. Will be gone by morning, I bet. Going to freeze tonight, so will be silppery for morning commutes.

We had sleet, rain and snow — great big fluffy flakes. Some stuck around for a short while in places. In others it melted. I really didn't expect it to stick as the temperature was 35.5ºF. I'm sure glad I don't have to go anywhere until Thursday night.

Are you coming into Austin Thurs Nite? I've been asked to give a presentation at Zilker for the Garden Club of Austin. It's supposed to be "Wild and Wacky Plants" in my backyard, but more and more it has evolved into talking about the plants I've gotten thru DG trades, co-ops and RUs. If you're in the area, I'd love for you come.

Snowing right now and 34°. It began around 5 p.m. with big fluffy flakes here too. The roofs and cars are covered but the ground was too warm and wet. A friend in his 40's said he has seen more snow this year than all the rest of his life in east Tx.

Keeping logs on both the fireplace and in the greenhouse. I have cucumbers sprouting, blooms on the Meyer improved lemon, Mexican thornless lime, Miho satsuma and I believe I spotted flower buds on the olive tree. Springtime has to be around the corner... 8 ))

We had about a 1/2 of snow and it was gone by late afternoon. Only wet spots are frozen this morning, like the decks. I am so ready for warm weather. But I will be in 80 degree temps off and on this next month. I will be at the FW Botanic Garden Conservatory watching butterflies! It is hot and humid in there, nice change.

podster--love your daffodil shot. Are all those fruit trees in your greenhouse? In pots?

We have most of those, but only the satsuma is in a pot.

We had three inches of snow. It has not started melting yet. It is really pretty. How rare to have so much snow in one season. It is supposed to get into the 40's today, so it may start melting.

DH stuck a ruler into the ground and it was three inches deep. That was a lot of snow and still is a lot of snow!

Sandi,
As a matter of fact, I am. I have to go pick up my DH at the airport. Where in Zilker will the speech take place and at what time? I can google my way to Zilker.:-)

Charlene, what a gorgeous picture!

That's great! It's in the main building. Just turn in to the main gate of Zilker off Barton Springs Rd. The parking lot is right there in front of the bldg., can't miss it. There will probably be a sign on the door saying "closed," but come on in. That's just because our mtg. is going on. 'Starts at 7 PM with a little food. Talk should start about 7:30. Look forward to seeing you!

Morganc ~ thank you and yes and yes... lol Are yours doing all right in ground? Do you move the Satsuma in? I understood it to be the least sensitive of these to cold.

Sheila_FW, I just love the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens. A very good friend of mine, Scott Fikes, built the Japanese Garden there. When he took over as the curator of the Botanical Gardens, there was a place where others before him would dump their old oil cans, which is what they shipped trees in, in the old days. You would have to cut the trees out of the cans. He asked some of the workers why they dumped the cans back there and they told him they didn't know what else to do with them. He asked, why didn't you just haul them to the dump. He got a backhoe and dump trucks and cleaned it out. When he was finished, there was a big hole in the ground. Scott said, this would make a great Koi pond and that is how the Japanese Garden got started. I worked with Scott for two years and I sucked as much information about the plant world out of him as I could get. Such a great guy.

Podster---when the temps got to the twenties earlier this winter we covered the Satsuma, but the citrus are in ground. Planted on the south side close to the house. They have lost their leaves, and have some tip damage, but we feel they will be fine come spring. We tried to cover them as best we could when the temps plunged....but they are big trees. The lime tree is 10 to 12 feet high. The Meyer is only about 5 feet high, but just as wide almost. The other citrus is a dwarf. We think all will be well.

I am still so ready for spring.

Morning Podster...how's the gh holding up to the cold? I hate to see our electric bill this month. Guess I'm trying to rush spring, but I sure thought the worst of this stuff would be over by now. Our front yard looks like it melted! Stay warm.

After our last snow, we had snow on the ground in some places for a week! Never was so glad to see the white stuff leave! LOL

MorganC ~ I am glad to hear that info on your citrus. When they are larger, I plan to either leave them outdoors in large pots or plant in the ground.

Bubbles ~ the GH is doing far better than I could have hoped. No electricity to it yet but the wood heater is doing fine. On normal frosty nights, I build a large fire and it will maintain a tolerable temperature all night. On the nights we dropped into the teens I did go out once between 3 & 4 am to add wood to the fire. I have thermometers on both ends of the GH and have been rearranging the plants that can withstand the temperature on the cooler end. Some are performing beyond my wildest imagination. With two exceptions, all the rest of the Hoyas love it and have been putting on new growth most of the winter. The succulents are doing well too, particularily with the brighter light. I have 3 large NOID Brugs and although I haven't tried to force blooms they have stayed green. One of them is loaded with seed pods and I need to figure out what to do with them. The angelwing begonia and Angelonia have bloomed all winter, the hibiscus has bloomed sporadically. I collect African bulbs and have had blooms on one type and the other will soon be blooming. Sorry for being long winded can you tell I am in love with the greenhouse. Lots of spring growth beginning on many of the plants....

How is your squirrel relocation program going these days?

Thankfully this last snow didn't deposit as much or stay as long as the first one did. What is next in this crazy weather?