Ready for the freeze.....before and after

Every year we say never again...and then race around covering plants....the before.....

...and after....

before....gathering pots...

and after......

What a gorgeous garden!!!! I love how private it all looks. I tried plants that weren't for my zone and decided I just don't have the knack to keep trying to keep them alive....

ginger pot......gets it's own house..

Stuffed fern...!

Thanks Tir...it's always sad to cover the plants, but it's only till mid Feb. here...

Not as sad to cover as it is to get up in the morning and find that Red has uncovered.

WOW Bubbles! Your setup is very impressive. All I have to say is you have one very endearing DH to help you do all of that. He must really respect and enjoy the beautiful environment you have designed. It looks like it was a lot of work, but definitely looks like it will pay off. I know you will have blooms out there in January and February! Post back here when you do, that will be cool to see.

Very good job of covering Bigbubbles, we just bring the plants into the garage, of course it would be just about impossible for you to do that, with all those big beautiful plants.

Yikes, the wind! Keep going outside to try to find where the wind's getting under the big gh. Hopes it holds together till the front moves across.

Pod...I can't believe that sweet innocent-looking pup would uncover your plants! Our front yard has a huge bed covered with row cloth. Looks like snow banks....

Merae...it was a lot of work! DH is quite a guy to put up with my plant addiction. I think we'll just let the pond area go next year. I believe using Messenger has a down side.....everything grew so much....the palms were difficult to cover. Think we'll just let them go/grow next winter. Our hibiscus (that were in the photo in the TX Gardening mag) grew to nearly 10ft over the summer....and it had to be the Messenger. I had to saw them down to 3ft so we could cover/hoop them again. The ones in pots are covered in blooms....just in time for freeze....

Frostweed.... plumerias and a few palms are in the garage already!

I had to cut down a huge brugmansia at the last minute....and I just couldn't toss the cuttings. I stripped the leaves, cut 'em into sections, and put them into buckets of water. They're in unheated gh , but I think they'll be fine. If anyone wants cuttings, there's plenty and I'd love to share. I'd offer to mail them, but I still haven't braved the post ofc. to send Xmas gifts. ('Neighbor came home with horror story of long line....) Maybe after the Holidays when things quiet down...and by then, they may have roots... I just don't know if I'd do a good job of pkg. to mail. So if you're in the area, come get some.

I hope your beautiful plants will be o.k.. I am afraid you have had to battle the wind all day. Hope things are all right for you... pod

Pod....Thanks for your concern. The wind whipped all the row cover off the front beds.....and I decided not to replace it. I'm just going to see it as a landscaping opportunity in a few months!
Did you have lots of wind there also? That's such a beautiful part of Texas. A few years ago, I drove with a friend to Marshall for pots, and Tyler for roses. We drove back to Austin through winding roads, pine trees, and hills. Just gorgeous scenery.

I am sorry to hear of your battle with the wind. Yes the wind is blowing quite hard here. I am protected as we are surrounded by trees and the winds usually blow around the tree tops. It also stays cooler in summer and more sheltered from frosts in winter. Maybe you will have a landscaping opportunity ahead but how depressing for the time in between... So sorry. pod

No, not depressing at all. I'll have a couple of months to plot how I'd like to re-do the yard. Right now, it's just a mish-mash of plants I've brought home and not had any idea where to plant them. I'll drag all my garden magazines out, and do a better job this time.
Hope you have Red inside on a warm rug tonight!
Sandi

Morning ~ How cold did it get? It was 27 here but not sure how long it will stay below freezing. Red and his buddies have cushions on a enclosed back porch (with tender plants). It stays around 60 when really cold. Now, if I can get him leave his cushion on the porch. He likes to drag it outside and sleep under the stars. Gardening with dogs can be an experience!
I understand the mish-mash of plants. I do that. Bring home something I love with no regard to where it will fit. I just stuff it. I do enjoy reading gardening books and magazines this time of year. It makes the days pass quickly... Best wishes on your gardening. pod

DH said it looks like it got down to 30 last night. All the plants in ghs survived. I haven't been out front yet. Don't know if I want to see melted plant life....(a mish-mash for sure) Enclosed porch sounds great! I'd love to have a permanent enclosure out back.
I have yrs of back issues of Garden Design ....I love to thumb thru during the winter. Going to start getting Fine Gardening....even tho I said "no more mags." I stopped all but Sou Living and Gar. Design, because I wasn't reading them for months.
Hope you have sunshine today. It's beautiful here. Going to have grandbaby (14 mo) here for a couple hours while his mom goes to lunch! We'll both need an afternoon nap! Sandi

Your plants may have been nipped but will be o.k. at that temp. Beware tho an enclosed porch won't be large enough! : )) Go for a GH. Still fishing for one here.
I used to get So Lvg but a friend loaned me a book they put out. It is a compilation of the gardening articles from their magazines for that year. I have bought their SL garden annuals from 1990 thru 2004 (most on ebay). Don't know if they have now quit publishing the annuals. It freed up lots of space where I stored my favorite magazines! The only gardening one I now subscribe to is Texas Gardener. I do read others as friends share...
Hope you enjoyed the day with your grandson and hope tonite stays temperate for you... pod

I've not seen Sou Liv book on garden annuals. Would save me a lot of time ripping out articles I want to keep. I get the recipe books. Will have to inquire about garden ones......thanks for tip.
Don't have room for permanent GH. I'm going to push for a rain water harvesting system next.
Had great time with grandson. He ran me ragged!
Not supposed to be as cold tonite, but still will freeze. Most of our plants are fine. Tomorrow we have to crawl around the attic and get Christmas decorations out! And I haven't planted bulbs I bought a few weeks ago. We still want to squeeze in a trip to the new IKEA store too!

Zone 8b, Deep East TX
Big Bubbles, I was viewing your perfect pics in TX Gardening Forum. Awsome!
What is name of your varigated ginger? I want one. What is your average lowest temperature during winter month. I'm amazed that your plants are ok under plastic. I have to give mine a little heat.

Thank you for sharing!

Sudie....the ginger is Alpinia zerumbet...I bought it for $5. at HD a few years ago. They have them every spring. It really needs to be repotted, or planted in ground. Here's a pic of it blooming this summer. I also have some growing in ground.
I'd have to guess at average lowest temp....probably in the low 40s...with a few frosts thrown in. The hoop GHs have Xmas lights (C7s) strung inside of them for warmth on chilly nights. The large GH behind the pond additionally has a small heater. We don't use it unless it's going to freeze. In the big hoop along the fence, we use halogen work lights if it's going to be below 32. We have remote thermometers to monitor temps. (I believe this is the only "gardening" my DH is fond of....he continually, obsessively checks temps!!)

Thanks for kind words. Sandi

When I was looking for the ginger photo, I saw one of the "secret garden" path behind the pond and thought I'd include it.....( I should be getting Xmas stuff out of attic )...this is where all the large pots go under plastic.

Last one....in middle of photo is a large mirror on the fence....we're terrible about sending guests down there to peek at the neighbors' pool just to see their reaction when they see themselves!

Bubbles, I am so sorry I missed to opportunity to see your garden in person. I especially love your secret garden area. Oh yeah, and that ginger is gorgeous!

bigbubbles, how far down did you cut off your brugs? I have 3 that are inground that sustained freeze damge to their leaves (look like wilted spinach) because they were too large for me to cover. The trunks look fine. In the brug forum, someone was going to use pipe insulation (the kind with which you protect your faucet pipe) to protect her brug trunks. This is the first year that I have my brugs in the ground and I am not sure how to cut them back. The 3 in the flowerbed in front of my house which are not covered have received no damge even though it was 28 a couple of nights and a tad below freezing the past 2 nights. They are still blooming. When you cut yours back, how long does it take for them to bloom the following year?

htop....the one in the photo was in a pot. I had to chop it so I could drag the pot to the backyard. The big one that I have in-ground (3 yrs) got a blanket around the trunk, covered with plastic, about 4' up. The top 4' froze. It came back just fine....from the top and the sides of the trunk....and bloomed like crazy in the late spring. This year, I cut it to the ground and just mulched over the trunk (about 3-4" across). I have about four or more that were cuttings that I stuck in the ground a couple of yrs ago. They froze last year, but came back from the roots. This particular brug is more like a weed. It seems to thrive no matter what.
I've rec'd quite a few brug cuttings lately from generous DGers that I hope to enjoy this spring. Looking foward to some "brug variety!" I'll probably keep them in pots till I figure out which ones are fussy....or buggy. I'm nearly out of room for anything else in-ground.
I saw the posting about the pipe insulation and picked some up at HD yesterday! Less than $3. for 4(?). Thought I'd try 'em on one little 4' brug that has multiple trunks. I think the bottom of the insulation would need to be cut into a "flare" to sort of protect the trunk...and then covered with mulch. I think it's a great idea she came up with! If you can protect the trunk, the leaves will come back as soon as it gets warm.

Here's a pic of a brug cutting from the original that I stuck in a huge pot out front this spring to replace a palm that had frozen. The courtyard wall is 5' tall and the house roof line is visible behind brug. It grew quickly. I cut this one to the roots because I'm going to remove the pot and re-do the front bed this spring. And because it looked kind of ragged by the end of summer!
P.S. Thanks for the info about the pineapple guava. I had already planted it in the backyard after first response. Just planting it made the leaf color darken. It seems to be very happy now. Looking forward to blooms in the spring.
Sandi

bigbubbles, thanks for the information and the photo. Your brug is just beautful. I am glad that I could provide some information about the pineapple guava. Its blooms are so unusual and beautiful.

I'm getting a box of brug cuttings ready to send to Mitch this afternoon. I've rec'd, but never sent any plants thru the mail. 'Was apprehensive about them drying out. Since it's in-state and the weather is fair, I figure I'll try it. Planned to wait till after Holidays, as things are hectic here, but I have to mail gifts anyway. Going to try the "do it yourself" system in the lobby of PO.
Keeping my fingers crossed that the guava tree survives this winter since I planted it so late (Nov).
Let me know how the insulation works for you too.

BigBubbles,
I love your system for protecting the plants. Please tell me about the system where you enclosed the potted plants and made room with the side of the house and the patio. We have most of our plants on an eastfacing patio outside the den and could enclose it on 3 sides like you did. Please tell me what you used and how it's constructed. I could get most all of our container plants onto the patio and enclose them in a plastic room, and save them from the freezing weather!

Thanks!

Gymgirl....ours is also outside our east facing den. It's 3/4" pvc pipe that's fastened with "Ts" into the faschia board about 3' apart. We learned from the first winter' s near disaster, and ran a row of 2' wide chicken wire across the top to reinforce the plastic at the roof line and keep the rain off the roof from collapsing the plastic. The pipe curves down to the end of the patio and slides onto pieces of rebar tha's been pounded into the ground. We use clamps to hold the plastic down. On balmy days, I can push the plastic up, clamp it, and let the air in. The door was added last year....and I really like having it so I can pull the hose in without opening the side. All of this gets taken apart in spring and stored, even the door comes apart. I bought the plastic thru a co-op from a garden supply....it's greenhouse grade and has lasted three years. Any rips or holes get repaired with a glue gun and small pieces of plastic.
I'll find the photos I took this year and post them. Will probably be clearer than my explanation!
Sandi

THANKS, BUBBLES! I look for the pics.

Here's one that shows the "bones" of it..... You can see the chicken wire across the top....

This one shows the door frame on the side, and plastic/clamps. A thin board goes up along the faschia to keep the plastic attached. Where the door frame meets the fireplace (on the left) we stuffed foam to make it windproof. Along the ground, the length of the gh, we have border stones that keep the cold out.

To try to give you an idea of how much you can 'stuff' into the space....here's looking in the door...sorry the sun is so bright.... We have some outdoor patio lights strung along the roof line for a little warmth, and a halogen worklight for heat. The heat from the house usually keeps the gh in the mid 40s....

This is looking toward the door from the porch step.....

Shelves along the outer wall.....

Last one...from the step looking to the left. At bottom of pic is the little halogen light we use as a heater for really cold nights.
Hope this helps. Once the pipes are cut to size and you have all the fittings, it really goes up quickly....especially the following years. It's not the purdiest greenhouse, but I sure appreciate it when the weatherman says ''sleet!''

Bubbles,
I think it's the most beautiful contraption I've seen in awhile. Such love! and So Neat! Thanks for all the specs! I was just ready to turn my plants over to old man winter. NOT!