It's not nice to fool mother nature!!!

And if you do...you'll pay !!!!!
I'm a weather watcher,always getting the 1o day forcast,I know things change,but I watched the weather forcast up until I started planting things in the ground.
Seems like I go thru this every year,trying to get the head start,but 4 to 5 months of warm weather just isn't hardly enough time to grow tropicals and get them to flourish and bloom profusive all summer long,so you got to warm the soil up, plant early, fight off the strong winds and thunder storms,and yes the late cold spell snap and late frost,which will be with me the next 3 days.
My naters and peppers been in the ground now for 3 weeks and they just started blooming too!
Oh well,theres always tomorrow!

yeah i planted my daylilies from iowa daylily patch and now im going to dig them up and pot them!!! I hope i didnt kill em!


Its easter and its snowing! oh bother

Awww Tropicman I'm feeling for you. I drug many of my tropicals out of the garage the other day. The one day I forget to check the weather it drops down in the LOW 30's at night. GRRRRRR. Not too much damage- but enough to keep me checking daily. Heck hourly. LOL...

Notmartha- I'd leave them in the ground. They are tough little suckers. Hope it warms up your way.

It is so true for those of us in the north and midwest. We work awfully hard for those four months of bloom. I've been getting out in the garden every warm ( 45*-57* LOL!) day we have had. Yesterday I was determined to move the rest of the stellas, and I bundled up in long johns, two pair of sox, and a sweatshirt ! I hope the stellas make it. Some days I'm not sure I will - and then I wonder why I am compelled to fight mother nature !

We had a heavy frost this morning,windshields were solid ice,but the plants seems to have not been affected as far as I can tell,here's a pic of lavender lady passiflora vine were a portion of the plant did not get covered.

And here's a pic of incense,looking pretty good as well.
Still have a couple more cold nights to come,might have wet snow tonite the weather channel said.

We had a heavy frost too this a.m. I forgot to turn on the heater in the greenhouse. OOps, almost lost all my tender annuals, sweet potatoe vines, orange noah's, Ruby Moon Hyacinth Bean Vines. They seem to be okay now. The heater is on tonight.

I wasn't as lucky as you,I uncovered a few more things to find the leaves burnt black from the freeze,my plumerias,brugs and bananas were hit pretty hard,I think It was only the foliage that was hurt and not the whloe plant,time will tell.

I hope they make a comeback for you. This darn weather, i am quite ready for nights to stay over the freezing point.

Well Debby there forcasting another freeze again tointe,but this should be the last one this spring,a real warm up is on the way!!!
Hopefully there right this time!!

our last frost date here in zone 6 in massachusetss is may 31st. and only 3 years ago, we had 90 degree weather in march and 29 degree weather may 30th pm of course. we have a saying here in new england. just wait a minute and the weather will change. ;)

Debi ,do you live more inland,or closer to the ocean,seems May 31st is quite late for zone 6,mine here is first week of April.But this week proved them wrong!!!

Tropicman--how do you get a frost-free of early April? I just checked KSU Extensions site and everything for KS is in May except a couple of 4/29's.

http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/wdl/freeze2.asp

Langbr,
The weather channel showed a color chart of the last frost dates, with a map of the USA,and the color curves up over the Wichita area,for April first as the average last freeze date.
But I gamble this way every year,plants are a lot hardier than most people think,mine to fine in the high 30's and low 40's,and if gets colder a sheet or blanket protects them from frost damage if it stays in the low 30's, but if it drops in the 20's for very long the leaves will be damaged.

Here'e a link showing the averages temps for April 1st thru the 31st,also includes record highs and lows and the dates there occur.
http://www.weather.com/outlook/health/allergies/climatology/daily/67217?climoMonth=4

Cool link!! Thanks for sharing it. That's what I need to use from now on. I knew we were warmer than that silly old Last Frost date I see in the zone charts. I'm just behind you by a few degrees for the month of April it looks like. I'm gonna start pushing it earlier next year!

Tropicman, I wish I'd done as you did! The cannas I planted from the rhizomes (indoors first, then transferred) are doing just fine in our new cold weather, but the ones I'd planted from seed, and got too eager and planted look a little yellow around the leaves. They are still alive, but not sure what will happen. Do you have any advice for them? From now on, going to use plastic bags around them like that. May look funny, but I sure don't like losing plants, especially ones I've grown from seed!

tripicman, it does give an average over 32 F for april and of course may. i guess it is the never knowing here. last year at this time we still had snow covering the ground. it was on its way out tyg but for me it is more about when i can get out into the gardens. my health demands 60F and above. yesterday it was 70F, for a bit but i had my winter cat in the hat, purple and black striped, hat on because the wind put a real nip in the air. yes i am quite the site. ;) picture this. bright coral t-shirt with las vegas in red across the chest, navy capris, white socks, navy garden clogs and my wooly hat. yep...........i'm a garden goddess! :)
i haven't started my seeds, but next year i think i'll start to push that envelope a bit. this year finds me away in may, and i would hate to plant annuals and find them all gone on my return. so for now i'll get to moving and cutting back the perennials. thanks for the info. once again i've learned something new from dave's gardeners. :)
oh yes, i live in western massachusetts, inland, and in the connecticut river valley. actually our little area is zone 6a and i'm surrounded outside by zone 5a & b.

debi_z- I'd pay to see that outfit. LOL I was out in my undies last night finishing up one small patch of weeding. Thank goodness it was almost dark. I'd scare someone to death.
Tropicman I push the limits as well. Most of the time it works, sometimes it doesn't. When it doesn't I vow I'll never put anything out early again. Of course come the next year I'm right back at it. One of these days I'm going to a frost free climate and NEVER leaving. LOL...

Tropicman--went a lookin' for that Last Freeze map you mentioned above and finally found it. By golly, looks like a little finger comes up over Kansas City and my last frost average may well be April 1st!!! Woo Hoo!!!! Thanks for the good links again!! B.

Debi_Z, Like Datdog,only I'd pay to see both of you out in your gardens dressed like that!!!LOL!
Karrie20X,my advice is to give them a little shade from the direct sun for a few days,and be careful not to give them more water than they can use,hopefully they'll bounce back in a couple weeks.
Langbr,I watch the weather channel about every hour or so begining late march,checking those 10 days forcast,and plant a few things at a time,so I'll be able to handle any cold weather that may pop up.Lets face it when the weather turns bad ,strong winds heavy rain and lots of hailstorms make just as much or more damage,so actually we are gambling with our plants all the time there outside,besides that I get itchy to get outside and work in the garden,from a long cold winter,and I'd go nuts not doing something!!!

Everyone seems to want to get an early start. We love it!
Plants sales for us are very good when there is warm weather early, then she gets back to normal. Some people plant the same thing 2 or 3 times!
In our area average last frost is May 15. We have learned to not plant out tomatoes, peppers, melons until last week of May. Squash & pumpkins are seed planted then also.
Not only do you beat the frost, you also beat the people who went early. Year after year we have ripe tomatoes same time OR EARLIER! than the early planted ones.
Cucumber beetles aren't as bad on the cucubrits, because the plants are growing very fast!
Bernie

No kidding! I DO go nuts wanting to get out there and play. The weather is starting to get back in the right track again, after a week of icky cold and rain. As far as those cannas go, they are already planted in direct sun, and not sure how I can shade them. They are just a little dis-colored is all - but they are alive, and I think they will be ok. These were the ones I grew from seed, so they are babies. The ones I grew from Rhizomes that are in the backyard didn't even get phased by this weather - they are extremely healthy and growing taller by the day. I'm enjoying learning about these tropicals, as I have never in my life grown anything tropical. Which reminds me............ I have 5 brugs upstairs that are outgrowing their little cells and need bigger pots. What on EARTH am I doing in here! lol! TC!

Karrie they make a row cover,very light weight,reminds me of the white frilly lace curtains,which would work also,but it sounds like there doing ok anyhows!!!
I left some cannas in the ground there up a foot almost,cold weather didn't hurt them either.
Bernie,sounds like your got things in good hand and know what works for you,where my son lives outside Lakesville Mn.
and he's still trying to plant like he's still home in Kansas,it may take him a time or two,but he'll learn!

Thanks Tropi! Just transplanted TWO of my Brugs - the other 3 are still quite small, not ready. Wish I knew what these "suave" or "svauve" look like when they bloom. Shirley sent me the seeds, and not sure of the spelling. I tried to find them on the plants database and didn't see it. I am excited about them - know now what that Brug fever is all about - when they actually germinate you just about jump out of your skin! :)