We're sitting at 2.53" now where our house is. At work though, we've barely gotten any in comparison. The closest gauge to work has us at 0.50". I'm so glad my house isn't getting shafted like work!
Weather Late Summer
The sun is a sight for sore eyes!
Saturday and Sunday nights expected to be below 50 so it's about time I take my supposed-to-be indoor plants more seriously.
I brought in my Coumadin Orange a few weeks ago when we had near-freezing weather and never took it back out. The only other one I have to bring in is a pot of Lisianthus.
I used to have a large cat palm that was an indoor/outdoor plant, but my cat kept eating it (as in, actually eating half of each frond) so I gave it away. I don't have enough sunny places inside anyway.
Well, may be on damage assessment later. I woke to Intellicast saying 32 degrees in my location...at 7 am
We were at 36 this morning at our house. I had to scrape off the car and did a quick inventory and I think I'm good. The dahlias were still fine so I think we have more time left. It was partially dark though so I'll do a better check tonight.
I'm so glad we only hit 37 this morning. I did a quick check outside this morning and it seems there's no frost damage.
I won't be able to get the tropicals indoors for another week!
Dropped down into the high 30's last night didn't even crisp the Portadora leaves. I still have the cannas and Portadoras to dig out, figured it wouldn't hurt the bulbs if the we got a light frost just the leaves. I also have 2 ferns, a Boston and asparagus that I haven't decided to bring them in or not. They are still looking good so I guess I still have some time to figure out if there is space for them.
No frost here either, that 32 might have been spurious
NOAA winter forecast is out in case you all haven't seen it yet:
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2014/20141016_winteroutlook.html
Looks like a slightly wetter winter for us with equal chances for cold/warm temps.
Thanks....I think! 33% more precipitation than normal means 33% more snow than normal. Yuk!
could just be more miserable chilly rain...yuk!!!
I love when it's cold and rainy! I also love the snow!! Works for me :-)
The wind has died, it's about 60 on my deck. I put my jacket back on and am communing with the crickets. Even katydids!
I wouldn't mind snow if I didn't have to shovel it and rescue shrubs from crushing loads.
Looking like I am still safe from frost for another ten days..
I don't know about frost but I know I'm safe from freezing until next Wednesday. At least that is the forecast now. I was astonished that Atlanta GA was colder this morning than we were. Definitely an odd fall.
I will say, with the exception of the ~8 week drought late summer, this has been a nearly perfect growing season (at least at my house).
We had no drought that I recall, and my feeling is it WAS a perfect growing season, here.. I barely watered anything beyond an occasional bucket or two for pots and spot watering of new plants. Heaven!
I agree, it was a perfect growing season; I only had to water new plants and some older ones that get baked by the sun.
Though okay for plants, the nighttime temps are just cold enough that I have to focus on the needs of my foster fish. This will be the 1st winter that I've had fish in my pond. Pond heaters that I've bought in the past in an attempt to keep pond plants alive have only lasted 1 season, if that, so I spent a long time last night reading reviews on other heaters.
I'm going to have to take the temperature of the water every day to see if it's warm enough to feed them...aarghh!!!
I can see a remote forecasting thermometer in your future...
I'd like that! In the meantime, I shouldn't complain because I can take the water's temperature while I feed the birds, squirrels and chipmunks.
Things I never wanted to know but had to learn anyway: Pond fish need a special food when the water is cool, but not too cold, and I can't feed them at all when the water's too cold.
Like after a phase change - when it's solid?
You'd need some penguins then...
Ha ha! Penguins....that's all I need. I'd go broke feeding them.
No, when the water temperature is 50 degrees at 18" deep...so I guess I should attach that thermometer to a stick. I've drenched myself reaching into that pond often enough!
I need to put snow stakes around it this winter so I don't fall into it when it's covered with snow like I did last year.
Oh Susan!!! haha
That was a real shocker, I'll tell you. I felt so stupid too because I had completely forgotten that I even had a pond in that area!
sure feels like it'll be frost tonight here
I'm hoping we have a freeze that kills everything off....It doesn't matter anyway as I'm cutting everything down this weekend anyway.
Yikes! I didn't realize it was going to get that cold tonight. I just stuck the pond heater in the pond so my little fishies won't be too cold.
Yup, frost. I can hear all the plants that are using little 'wicked witch' voices and saying "I'm melting!!!"
Ha ha!! My Cosmos seems to have capitulated. I am slowly putting plant supports away and cutting down plants as soon as they finished setting seeds.
I'm going to layer the plant remains on top of sticks in an out-of-the-way part of my back yard so that any overwintering insects don't get composted and the little critters have more shelter.
" I'm going to layer the plant remains on top of sticks in an out-of-the-way part of my back yard so that any overwintering insects don't get composted and the little critters have more shelter." good idea.
Actually, wasn't total frost here. Some things still OK.
What a beautiful fall day!
The Zinnias I had stuck in pots "melted" last night, which was fine because I needed the soil they were in.
I went to Meadows Farms to get soil and mulch and managed to leave without a single plant. I was intrigued by half-price Chionanthus virginicus (Fringe Trees) I saw there, but I'm not sure where I would put them. They are dioecious, so I would have to get 2 to have berries.
It went down to 29 last night but much of everything is still kickin so to speak. Even the dahlias are still alive, albeit looking pretty bad.
Muddy the fringetree flowering is beautiful. My neighbor added two last year. And redbud. I have got to meet.him. Seems interested in natives.
Based on my research of fringe trees so far, I'm glad I didn't succumb to an impulse buy. They're beautiful, but from now on I want to be more thoughtful about which shrubs and trees I add to my yard, especially because multiples are required of so many of the berry producers.
How nice that you have a neighbor interested in natives! I met a young couple living down the street from me by introducing myself after I noticed their natives-full yard. It's such a pleasure to chat with them, see their toddler and baby, and swap plants and seeds with them.
And there you go, Muddy1 - you don't have to do it all in your own yard. A neighborhood full of great plants offers those cross-pollination opportunities to make everyone's landscape a joy.
It is short-sighted to think that if it all doesn't fit on one plot, than it can't/shouldn't be done. It deprives humans of the joy and experience of these diverse plants, and it deprives wildlife of part of their reproductive or dietary cycles. And from whence comes more of these plants for others to enjoy when the seeds are, ah, donated to landscapes managed or wild.
Get thee a Fringe Tree - I'll hear not otherwise.
From the State Arboretum of Virginia this past May...
ICK, Went from warm warm swimming weather in Mexico to 35* today. Yesterday was pretty nice outside. Mostly pretty cool but sunny and not bad to do a little fall clean up. Mostly picked up all the garden art and pack it away, dumped some pots into the compost pile.
Yeah, ICK!
Looks like serious frost is coming.
I'll third that ICK....lows of 28 degrees coming this week. Good thing I got my pond mostly winter-ready.
I don't know, VV...I have to leave some room in my deer-free zone for Viburnums...V. nudum 'Winterthur' and 'Brandywine' are still on my list. I have lots of places for "deer spinach", but precious little for "deer dessert".
I took advantage of the stellar weather yesterday to transplant this 6" pine from my yard to the forest. The earth is very rocky - those rocks came from the hole it's in - but I figure it has better chances than it would on my compost pile.
Good on ya, Muddy, for saving that Juniperus virginianus Let me know anytime you want more baby trees.
Oh is that what it is? I just assumed it was a Pinus strobus because it was growing near my White Pine.
Hmm...I'd like a Juniperus virginianus; I'll keep the next one I find.
Sure, I'll take little baby trees, probably in the spring at this point. I'm limited in what I can haul to the woods and plant there; a one-gallon container would be the maximum.