how bad for the plants is the bouncy ball weather?

I just put in dormant trees, and after a couple of freezing nights, it's balmy again! Will they "wake up" in this week of mild weather? And if they do, and it freezes again in a month or so, will it mess them up for the year? Forever? Not at all? Should I take any precautions? Or just forget they're even there and trust to Nature?

I put in a redbud, two pears, two forsythias, two clementines, and a weeping willow (most from the arbor day folks).

Wow! that is a lot of trees, how big are they?

I wouldn't be worried that the weather would affect your new trees. this is the time to plant, after all and if they are well watered they should be fine. If you got them from a reputable nursery they should guarantee them for at least a year. The weather is always like this in our part of TX - cold one day, hot the next, rain, no rain. etc etc etc.

frostweed, they're big sticks at this point -- rooted cuttings from the Nation Arbor Day Foundation. So, plantlady, I don't expect TOO much as they're a charitable organization. But they seemed like they were in very good shape. And don't be terribly impressed by the amount of tree involved -- NOTHING was planted at my house when I bought it but SA grass (gggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....)

I realized as I drove by it this morning that I need to put a couple of sticks up and tie the willow so it will grow straight. The rest of them look very perpendicular, but I'll keep an eye on that. I've mulched them as well as watered them, and we finally got some rain a couple of nights ago. I just never have planted TREES before, you know? It probably feels more major than it is.

Thanks, y'all!

They should be okay.

A few years ago I bought 10 Dogwood trees from them and they were little 10" sticks. So, I planted them right on my property line, the perfect spot. A few days later I went to check on them and the neighbors lawn guys had weed-eatered ( I hope that is a word) every one of them :(

Oh, bummer. Hopefully that was accidental. I don't have any on land that anyone else has any business being on, but just in case my DS comes over to do yard work I think I'll maybe tie some "crime scene" tape onto them! Those forsythias could be taken for very big weed stems, I guess.

Yes, it is always a good thing to mark their place when they are little. You will have to be patient, but patience pays off, I have two lovely Pecan trees that were little volunteer sprouts and they are beautiful big trees now.
Josephine.

I got 2 free Cypress trees from National Arbor Foundation for free a few years back--they are doing great and growing like weeds. I just love them. I love the shade of green they are in early spring.

I also feel that when I order from them I'm doing the world AND my garden some good. Not that I mind nurseries making a profit, of course. It just feels more like a community thing from them.

The pear trees have little swellings on them since it turned warm. I trust they'll be fine if it freezes again.

Don't all the plantings get mixed up and think it is spring when the weather warms up and decide to put on some growth? Your plants should be be ok. If this winter is like most of them I'm familiar with we may have seen our coldest weather until we get lulled into thinking spring and planting season is just around the corner and then in late March or early April -BAM- here comes another norther. Can't tell you how many times we had to replant tomatoes.


Ann

This thread reminds me of my very large Live Oak tree planted at my parent's home that came to me in a styrofoam cup from Burger King in 1993 for Earth Day. :)

Melanie

Yes, and you know, those little trees become the most special ones, because they are your babies and you helped them grow.
Josephine.

Amen, plantladyhou -- I've been here since 1952 and the only constant thing about winter here is that it's always changing.

Talking about "bouncing ball weather" I was going to plant my tulip bulbs but now I'm thinking I should wait. I took the temperature of my soil it's 64 degrees (that's six inches down)! It's usually much cooler by now.

Siggy, I went ahead and planted about a gallon of daffodil bulbs. I hope this warm weather doesn't mess them up. I have more, but I think I'll wait until Feb. or so to put them out. You just never know! So I'm trying to save about half of whatever seeds I plant, so I can have a backup!

The trees seem fine so far. I'm afraid, though, that when you ask for Patience, what you're given is the opportunity to develop patience! I HATE THAT. ;p

I am going to plant my bulbs too. It looks like cool weather is coming.

It's pretty gray here this morning and we're supposed to get rain and relative cold. And I got five crepe myrtles (an Arbor Day bonus) that I have to put out this evening! I'll put them all in the ground, and if Nature wants them there, GREAT. If not... well... compost is good, too!

It has begun to rain here tonight. Weatherman says rain for most of tomorrow and supposed to start cooling down some by late Thursday. It's been very cloudy, warm, and muggy here for several days.

I'm glad I haven't planted my bulbs yet. I'll wait till late Jan or Feb to plant them.



Lin

Has anyone tried filbert trees on the Gulf Coast/Houston area? The National Arbor Day Foundation is sending 3. Someone thinks they may not make many nuts down here. Can they take our summer sun?

Whew! Where do you get that energy?

I don't know if they'll do well or not, but they're sending me three bushes, too. It would be great if they grow down here, but I suspect they need more cold than we can give them. We'll see.

My other Arbor Day trees are doing fine. The redbuds are still dormant, but the crape myrtles, willow, and pears are all sticking little bitty leaves out. And of course we're supposed to get a hard freeze next week.

sigh.

Do you NOT have grandkids and wish you did? I have a couple out of the 10 that I will sell cheap or give away. Just kidding BUT there are times. If it's not the weather, it's something else. At the CSRU I was given several starts of various onions in several little pots complete w/potting soil and tags so we would know which onion was which. The Dave gave me a crepe myrtle he had started from seed and warned me that it was very fragile "so be careful w/it" and I was sssssssoooooooo careful. Enter the grandkids ages 3 and 5 and they went to play out in the back yard in the grass. They were so nice and quiet and you know what that means..... Well, their Daddy went out to see if they were ok in the fenced yard. Oh yes and happy as can be. Seems they found these cute little pots w/green things coming out of them and lots of nice dirt. most of the dirt was on them, the onions were scattered, the tags were all nicely torn up and mixed w/the rest of the dirt. Well, their Daddy put the dirt in w/some bulbs that I had in another bigger pot and stuck the onions and a twig in there. Big mess on tiny patio. I wanted to cry or scream or something but decided to do nothing. Just thanked my son for getting things back together again. Forgot about the pot of mixed onions/bulbs. Went out a couple of weeks later and onions (have no idea what the names are) were thriving and the Crepe Myrtle that I had been so careful with had leaves!! The leaves are still there and the onions are still going strong. Looks like the crepe myrtle will make it (crossing fingers).
Maybe Dave will remind me of the name of the crepe myrtle if I ask him.








Ann