Gardening with Texas Native Plants & Wildflowers, part 13.

It's currently 35 F in our area and falling...looks like that storm is finally encroaching....not lookin' forward to the ice but I've got all my plants covered....I had built a structure to drape a shade cloth over to somewhat protect my plants from the extreme sunlight/heat during the summer. This year,...I finally enclosed it and brought all my plants inside
for this upcoming freeze. The walls are doubled with 6 mil greenhouse-design plastic sheeting for outside wall - 4 mil plastic sheet for inside wall then, a layer of black geo-textile fabric for additional insulation -
(on the west & north facing walls the fabric blanket is on the outside and then covered with additional 4 mil plastic sheet) 8 - 9 degrees warmer inside. It's 44 F inside with just a little thermostat-controlled heater with a fan in front to move the warmer air through the "house" ( a small fan
is also circulating air from the top down) everything looks good so far!

Here's a "before" enclosure pic


This message was edited Jan 15, 2007 10:52 AM

This is after covering...pls excuse the mess

Good to hear you are still on DG Mary!! You did drop off the radar for a while there. Look forward to seeing you in the Spring if you make some of the gatherings.
Willis TX, What a setup, makes a lot of us envious I am sure. Maybe after retirement I can put in a little one.

here's a view inside - (It's 40' long x 20' wide x 11' tall to peak)

My Goodness Lee!! you have a regular commercial size greenhouse there!!! What are the dimensions?
And what a collection of plants you have!!! I am amazed!!! I am sure that will take care of it.
Congratulations on your greenhouse and your good fortune.
Josephine.

Well, you answered my question while I was typing, that is fantastic!!!

Several things bloomin' still,...salvias, lantanas, butterfly weeds, Chlerodendron Blue Butterfly Bush, Eupatorium havanense - White Mist, Sweet Olive...even a Walking Iris with a bloom about to open.

Thanks Josephine.....actually,..I could probably leave a third of its contents outside...and everything would be OK.....but I want to help as much possible...get an early jump on Spring planting

You know, I just got some of the White Mist Flower, Eupatorium havanense this year and I love it, it smells so good, and the butterflies are crazy about it.
You are so lucky to still have things blooming, oh what a difference a few miles make!.

Yes,....a few miles does make a difference!

I was fortunate to receive a White Mist rooted cutting from LindaTx8 (thanks again, Linda....it's doin' great - in fact,...I started two cuttings off of it) at the Swap held a Nada's house last year.
This one, (pic'd in above post) I couldn't pass up at Hummingbird Gardens in Conroe....on sale (yea!)...so now I have 4 of them...a good thing! :~)
I was pleased to watch it start blooming again...about a week after I brought it in for the upcoming winter weather.

Hi Sheila! Yeah, I'm still kickin', and determined to make at least one of the gatherings this Spring. I miss everyone so much! It's good for me - and for the kids - for me to get away once in a while.

Wow, Lee, what a wonderful refuge for your plants! We get this kind of weather so infrequently, but all your hard work to protect your plants from the extreme summer will really pay off for this extreme winter weather.

I dread going out in that cold, wet weather, but the plants must really hate it even worse! The garage is out of the question, it's just bursting due to storing Adam's little family's stuff while they're here with me. A lot of plants are already pulled up next to the back of the house (south facing, and near the dryer vent). I'll see what else I can move and then use some short poles and tomato cages to help keep draped sheets, etc from laying too heavily on the plants. As long as we have electricity, I'll make a point of keeping the laundry going (three adults and a baby - especially the baby - produce a lot of laundry!) Other than that, I'm trying to be philosophical about it. Before we all came around building houses and taking care of the plants, the plants took care of themselves.

(I've taken up knitting and crocheting, maybe I should knit up some cozies for the plants, lol.)

That would be very cute Mary, I can just see it, those plants wearing those colorful bonnets.

Thanks Mary,....I got tired of haulin' all my plants in & out of the shop/garage each winter..covering others, like you're describing..finally got around to converting it to a "greenhouse"....I consider myself blessed in many ways!

Indeed you are Lee.

Josephine~ Here's a little tid-bit.. Our Native Drarf Cleome Polanisia dodecandra is a caterpillar host for White Checkered Butterflies. This page has some other host info, (you may already have). lol. It is for the lower Rio Grande Valley, so I have to double check the distribution to see if the butterfly in question comes this far north.
http://www.naba.org/chapters/nabast/plants_info.pdf

Here is the bna site page on White Checkered:
http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=1391

Deb

Too funny Josephine! We've missed you Mary! I hope we see you at one of our swaps!

What kind of things are you knitting and crocheting? Cute little baby girl things? :) I was just telling a friend that I want to take some free knitting classes at the library. My grandmother taught me a how to crochet when I was about 8, but all I can do is one long chain. lol I think that we gardeners must have something to do our hands at all times!

Thank you Deb, those are very nice links, there is so much to learn, isn't there?
Josephine.

How true Josephine!
I posted some of the winter visitors in the new BW forum if any of you are interrested here is the link to it:

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/684262/

((all)) :-S

Deb, I read your thread and those are terrific pictures of the birds, I can see that you are in love with them too, the way you talk about them, you are a real sweetheart. Keep up the good work and have a lot of fun.
Love;
Josephine.

Welcome back Maggiemoo, missed ya at the last RU. Now I know why you weren't able to return the call about spotting a Butterfly Moth hanging around my Hydrangeas this past summer. Your's was the only phone number that I had of someone that I knew would appreciate it.

BTW, Amelia had the arterie in her left leg replaced last Thursday. She got home Sunday and is doing GREAT !!! The Dr. said the right leg looks fine.

TTFN

Wow Lee...that is some kind of impressive lookin' greenhouse ya have there. And everything looks so healthy. I can only imagine the work that you and Dee must have handled in getting everything inside! Stay Warm....

Melanie

Thanks Melanie....yep,...we both worked hard....it's still a work in progress.....still need to go "vertical" with shelves or racks to allow to get a lot up off the floor for better access & care.

Dee had to take care of all the plants while I was workin' in New Orleans the 1st six months of last year....she got her feet wet & thumbs green....for the first time! She did great!

The plants are still showing signs of wind damage....happened during the 1st cold front that came thru Texas ...I think it was the middle of November....but I have so many seedlings emerging....they are getting a lot of my attention....the wind damaged plants are slowly being maincured and will look fine when spring gets here! Lee

BTW - can we start a #14 thread for those of us on dial-up? Sure would be nice!
Thanks to whom ever may do so....or explains how it's done...and I'll be glad to do so!

edited for grammar
This message was edited Jan 16, 2007 9:49 AM

This message was edited Jan 16, 2007 10:17 AM

O.K. Lee, I will start another thread later today, so we can keep the continuity. In the meantime, post away on this one if you so desire.
Josephine

:~) Oh,...I will! Thanks Josephine

Dear friends, a new thread is now started let us have some more fun.
Here is the link; http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/684677/
Josephine.