Freeze warning issued for Bay area. 12/18/2006

Thanks, Joyce. We never held it against Lodi per se, but thanks for adding your sympathy.

I thought I was so smart, building on a solarium as a winter refuge for my tender plants, but the sun doesn't shine enough in the daytime to store warmth for the night, and the poor things are suffering even though they're inside.

Joyce, we all feel the loss with you. What did you lose do you think?
Zuzu - your garden room sounds so beautiful. I'm in shock that it didn't help your plants.

This message was edited Jan 15, 2007 6:51 PM

I'm surprised too that the solarium didn't help, even if it doesn't get that much sun I figured it would keep things from freezing. Can you open a door or window between the house and the solarium so that some of the heat from the house gets out there? Maybe not the most energy efficient arrangement, but it could help save some of your plants!

No, darn it, I can't heat it that way, because the rooms that are adjacent to the solarium (laundry room and sunporch) aren't heated either, so the heat would have to travel through more than one room before it got there. They aren't dead, however -- just suffering. It's all of my plumerias, orchids, clivias, bomarea, clerodendrums, and hibiscus plants. I think they'll revive nicely after a couple of months of normal weather. Next week we're supposed to have more sun in the daytime, and the days are getting longer, so I think they'll be okay.

It's a good thing I have lots of roses. Everything else that stayed outside looks stone-cold dead.

Doss, I must have the wrong cane begonias!

Joyce, yours really got fried. So sad!! So much love and effort goes towards them to have them freeze.

Zuzu can you run a line out there from the house and put one of those cheapie oil contained heaters out there? I have one in my hoophouse and it really does well out there. I run it on 30 minutes off 30 minutes or something like that. Maybe on 1 hour off 30 minutes. .

Funny, my roses never went dormant this year. I even had rose blooms, not many but a few. I was going to prune them last week. I am glad I didn't yet. But I think I will next week.

Do you guys think when this is over we will be home free for the year?

I don't have any heaters, Kell, and I won't be going anywhere in a car until next Monday. I went out today and should have bought one then, but I didn't think of it. Next year I'll either prepare better for the cold weather or I'll be living in Mexico. I googled Lake Chapala weather and the highs and lows every day this week are 81 and 46.

Last year we had a really bad frost here on February 16th. It demolished the tulip magnolia blossoms. I only know the date because I ran a search for "frost" in my d-mails. DG comes in so handy at times....

Yep, that frost last year killed a red passion flower vine that I had. I've replaced it with a frost-proof white one. My deciduous magnolia bloomed OK though.

Living in Mexico vs. buying a heater. LOL from the sublime to the mundane.

I am in a state of mourning.
I think I will lift off the frost blankets and cover my windows so I can't look out over 'the garden of frosty doom'.

The only other remaining choice is whether to put on Beethovens' requiem for the dead or Elton John's dirge/ death march.... and to pour myself a tall glass of tequila, .. hold the ice.

snivel.

I lost my red passion flower vine last year too, Doss. It broke my heart. I'd had it for such a long time that it covered the garage. My other passifloras look okay, even today.

DD, are you holding the ice because of the cold or because that leaves more room in the glass for tequila? I'm having hot toddies these days. Trackinsand sent me a big box with all of the ingredients for her hot toddy recipe to help me get through the winter. She's in Florida and doesn't need them.

A Mexico move is a bit drastic for me. How is their medical care? Not that ours is that good anymore. Today I was looking at real estate in the southern Texas area, Zuzu. Great houses for incredible prices and lots of water. I couldn't believe it. Lots of land too. But............ I think it may be too humid there for me. My first hint was it was at 99% today. LOL

Doss, I had a beautiful red passion flower a couple of years ago, died fast in the winter. I bet it was the same one for they sell it all over. When I looked it up it had no ability to withstand winter here.

We just had 1 frost last year, early in November. I was mad for it took everything down so early! Then not another all winter.

I lost 2 Iochromas, indigo & alba, a 12 year old angel wing begonia, some ferns, even my jacobina is hurting.. most of the other stuff is fairly common, my biggest losses were my dear brugs. My first double seedling is mushy almost all the way to the ground, and Creamsickle, which there is still hope for, since I wrapped the trunk and each branch with a sandbag! The 14 others in the ground are mushy and they are bleeding. 5 seedlings from last year that didn't bloom yet are gone to about 6" from the ground..

Whoda thunkit?

I'll wear black, but I'll have to pass on the tequila... it makes me get on the roof and sing... we just don't need that right now. LOL

The humidity around Lake Chapala is about 30% -- same as here. The main thing for me, though, is that it's never windy. The wind is always blowing 0 mph.

As for their medical care, health insurance is a few hundred dollars a year, in contrast to the $515 I now pay each month. Furthermore, Kaiser just informed me that my premium will go up to $975 per month in 2008 when I turn 65, even though I have only been there once in the last 6 years, and that was for an eye exam for new glasses. In Mexico you can get a full medical examination, with all of the lab tests and other bells and whistles, for under $50, so no one even bothers to buy health insurance. You can actually afford to get sick there.

My red Passiflora breezed through the frosts for years without any trouble until last year. We get more frost up here than you do, Kell.

Stay off that roof, ZZ. It's too cold and the frost will make the roof too slippery.

What luck you had a hardy red variety, Zuzu. I wish I had!

I am not so worried about whether it is affordable to get sick, but rather if you can get well there. If you end up dying, cheap may not be so great. At 65, I am dumping Kaiser. I want to be able to pick where I go.

Won't medicare pick up the bulk of that premium, Zuzu? I bet all insurance yanks up the premiums at 65 for they probably figure that is the beginning of all the fun.

You really got hit, Joyce. I am so sorry. I better go in the backyard soon and see what I am out. The hoophouse is so closed up, it will take me an hour to break in. LOL

Well, Kell, it wasn't hardy enough to survive last year's frosts, but I think it would have survived until this year at your house.

I suppose Medicare would have to pick up the bulk, but that's annoying anyway. Why should they bilk Medicare? I've belonged to Kaiser for more than 40 years and aside from the visits connected with one pregnancy, they've only seen me about a dozen times in all those years. I doubt that I'm suddenly going to start going more often just because I'm 65. I've always hung on to the insurance in case I break a leg or something, but I think my monthly premiums are getting large enough to cover the treatment for that broken leg that never happens. I'm just a disgustingly healthy person and that's that.

Boy, just when ya think things are looking up. We hit 19 this morning and yesterday we were easily 23 warming to 27 by 7:30 am.
I thought we were supposed to be getting warmer.

I am sorry for all of you that lost so much! I didn't lose all that much - luckily I have a large greenhouse, and my real boo hooing will begin when I get my PG&E bill for my greenhouse heating. I have a bad case of zone denial so almost all of my potted plants go in there. I haven't been brave enough to look under the blankets in the back yard at my older potted brugs and citrus.

I'm kind of liking the Tequila on the roof idea. Might have to do that myself only I'll have a lemon drop in one hand and my PG&E bill in the other and just for giggles I'll throw on my screamin' purple garden crocs.

Perhaps when things warm up we'll do a mini NorCal roundup and plant swap to help to replace plants that others have lost or to just commiserate on our mushy beloved plants. And yes, I promise to bring the fixin's for Lemon Drops and of course we can set up a Tequila station if you prefer.

And Zuzie, when you go to Mexico, I'm coming too!

Well, I've decided I'm not going to look at my garden anymore for the rest of the week, it's too depressing! Actually I leave for work when it's just barely getting light out and don't usually get home until after dark, so even if I wanted to look at it I couldn't! The outside thermometer on my greenhouse was reading 19 again this morning, not sure how accurate it is but at the very least it tells me that last night wasn't any warmer than the night before. I give up! This whole moving to Mexico thing sounds pretty good...I may join you there!

The weather reports say that the lowest temp we got was 33 but I'm doubting the accuracy of that. We have a heavy, heavy frost this morning and lots of high cloud, so not even a chance of the sun warming things up a bit.

I'm planning a holiday in Fiji.

This message was edited Jan 16, 2007 8:09 AM

Spoiled was meant to be cute, but you took it the wrong way. The Bay Area does get spoiled because rarely do you see such a frost, not nearly as often as we do. People start to think a frost can't happen, but unless you live right on the coast, it does, despite what the Sunset book and USDA hardiness zone says. The zones are based on AVERAGE temperatures, not absolutes. Just go to the weather channel and check all time lows for your area. They are way below what you would think. That's why the "bones" of my garden are zone 8b or hardier plants. Lodi is really not a zone 9a as indicated, but an 8a or 8b.

If you don't want to be surprised by frost and plant death, then don't plant things that can die if the temperature drops an additional 5 or 10 degrees, that's all I'm saying. And you all know I'm right, so if you're going to spend good $$ on plants, there are plenty you can buy that are hardier and just as attractive. If not, we all will have to move to either Miami or Honolulu.

Mary - get off it already. Do you like negative attention or what??? We know what you think.

There is frost all over this morning but my thermometer says that it only went down to 28 this morning - of course that's only in one microclimate in my garden. Even my daylilies are looking wilted this morning because they have frost all over them. Let's hope that this is the last night.

It's supposed to be 36 tonight here. I'm not taking the covers off until tomorrow though. I don't trust it.

This message was edited Jan 16, 2007 9:11 AM

Doss, I'm with you... I'm not even peeking under those frost sheets until it's at least 60 degrees! That ought to be around late March here!
It is 17 this AM as it has been for the last 3-4 mornings. Luckily we are turning balmy in the afternoons, it gets to maybe 36!
I usually dig up most of the tender stuff but I forgot 2 of my favs. It is so sad to look out there & see mush where the plant was. I finally had to scrape up a bunch of oak leaves & toss over it like a grave.
At least I don't have to look at them right now! What the frost has not killed the deer have eaten, they are also suffering. I thought about buying a bale of hay & tossing it over the fence for them. Then, I'm sure I would have a whole herd here instead of a few!
Here's a pic of two favorite plants that I lost. I'm not even sure what kind of plants they were, My neighbor had given them both to me.I just dug them up every fall & kept them in until after the last frost & put them back in my garden. This would have been their 4th year.
Sorry ,for some reason the "crop" was not working on my photo prog, so I couldn't get rid of the other two pics.
Heck! Mexico does sound good! I have some friends that go down there for all their medical & dental stuff! Let's just get a huge villa & everyone can come down! LOL! Bj

Beautiful plants bJ - Perhaps your neighbor will give you cuttings if she remembered to take hers in.
Sorry about that.

I decided to make lemonade out of the lemons. Took some photos of the frosty plants in my yard.

BJ's, the one on the left is a Persian Shield http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/516/index.html Should be able to replace that as it has grown in popularity. I will have to replace mine too now.
I have the one on the right too but the name escapes me right now. Mine is still alive in a large pot but looking pretty ratty, will have to prune back later.

Wow, Lali, that is some frost!!

It was sure chilly here. The weeds and grass were very 'crunchy' as i walked out to take these shots. Brrrr. http://flickr.com/photos/begonias-photos/

Oh LOOK at what I just got at Walmart for $13 bucks to cheer me up! It's working too.. I love it. Red Sister Cordyline

Now there the right attitude! And Kell will love seeing that too, she loves those and anything PINK.

Went out in the garden today. The only thing I think I really lost was about 8 Australian Tree Ferns. We'll hold on and see how it goes. I'm feeling lucky after reading some of the other threads about Brugs and cactus/succulents. Wow!

Beautiful pink plant. I can sure see why you bought it.

A Nor Cal plant swap sounds good..... that is if we will have anything left to swap ( whine )
I volunteer to man the Tequila Table. If there is one culinary type of chore that I can successfully do, that is using the blender to make margaritas.

There have been some surprises, some good and some not so.
The Cussonia paniculata tree ( cabbage tree ) has weathered extremely well.
The foliage on my formally lovely stand of Bamboo Vittata ( intense bright green stripes on thick yellow culms ) has been severely frost damaged as well as the the huge stand of Tiger grass (Thysanolaena) is fried.

I'm thinking of taking out an obituary ad in my local paper for the garden.
I will be having a traditional Irish wake.
Bottoms up.

I went to the Garden today, and found that almost everything survived. That was especially wonderful since I also learned that our weather station was reporting temps as being 4-5 degrees warmer than they really were. The thinking at this time is that since the station's antenna is 20 ft tall it was picking up the temps of the warm layer of air that's up that high. In any case, it's much more likely that we got down to at least 25F. I think we really bit the bullet on this one. Hopefully tonight will be the last of it until next winter. I'm leaving the recently moved plants in the greenhouse until it REALLY warms up.

I'm SOOOOO sorry to hear of everyone's losses. I can only imagine how I'd feel if it were my plants or my Garden plants. My heart goes out to you.

Marilyn

Marilyn, I'm so glad to hear that, it is really wonderful that most of your plants made it! It's so nice to hear one piece of good news in among all the bad stuff that's happening!

With clothes all black, with a low voice, I tell you; Citrus burnt a lot. ALL Brugmansias mushy, all the way to the ground. Keep the ropes away from me...:-(

LOL Sue, I was going to say that PINK would sure cheer me up too Joyce! Oh Marilyn, great news!

Well, there is hope. I went to Sacramento today aand on my way on 80, I passed a huge magnolia in full glorious bloom. Also there is aobut a mile or 2 of hardenbergia along the freeway on a fence and it was all in flower, solid purple. I also saw a beautiful peach gum tree too in flower. So what is with San Pablo? No winter, just spring??? We all live in the wrong town.

Hardenbergia will be much happier this year as it is frost tolerant and a spider-mite magnet. LOL

Glad that things at the garden are good Marilyn. The talk over on the cactus and succulents forum was pretty scary.

Yes, it is great news, but I feel guilty even posting it with so many of you having such bad times right now. Y'all hang in there now, y'hear? LOL

Kell - my reference to minimal damage was to the Garden, not to home. I'm reserving judgment re home for a week or so. However, I think I only saw one morning when it was below 30F here, and most of my C&S are in the greenhouse.

Marilyn

More horrible surprises.
This one was not even expected.

The low fire / glazed containers in my garden are spalling.
chips, cracks and fragments of glaze and clay are flaked off and sitting sadly on the ground next to the pots.
Some of the pots have small hair line to large gaping cracks in them.

All the high fire containers faired well but the brightly glazed low fire containers are hist.

I'm going to go on a binge.

Oh man Michelle, that is a sad shame!! I didn't even think of the pots, I mean who even does in CA?

I checked my plants two days ago and was surprised at what was still semi OK looking and then took another stroll through this afternoon and was shocked to see those all black and limp. It's gonna take a lot of clean-up when this is over.

**

So sorry to hear about the pots! That's something I wouldn't have even thought would get damaged in this weather, I mean I used to live in the midwest so I know clay pots can crack if they freeze, but I thought it had to be continuously below freezing for longer before that would happen. I guess for once I'm glad all I have is the cheap crappy ugly plastic pots. That is really awful to see what happened to those beautiful pots!

I'm so sorry about your pots Michelle. What a shame... well worse than a shame.

I read on line that the Australian Tree Ferns can take a little freezing and then lose their fronds but come back.

If your citrus only burnt then it should be fine. My orange tree has gone through many freezes and come back beautiful. I think that it depends on the cultivar though because I lost a huge lemon tree in a freeze past. I do believe that the Cloud Cover works. I didn't really believe it ahead of time.