hail storm in tucson!!!

i'm glad i had not plunged the plumeria!

http://www.llvphotography.com/Garden/index.html

i read a report from a plumeria grower in texas. her entire collection was covered under snow for a couple of days. the plumeria that were rooted and planted in the ground and pots all survived. years later they are still thriving. don't try this at home! LOL

Gosh - great pictures. We're not out of the woods yet - it was 38 at 7 this morning and tonight is when the cold is supposed to peak, but so far we have missed the thunderstorms. The greenhouse closed itself up about 4pm.

I also saw the photos of the snow an the plumeria. I think there has to be more to it. I think that we are missing a very important link to it here.
Mickey

I'm glad your plumies weren't harmed by the hail, Dete. I remember those photos of plumies covered in snow a couple of winters ago. I think they were Kathy's or Paula's. I heard that snow can be insulating, but I wouldn't know much about that, and I agree that I wouldn't try it at home;-)

i only brought three in tonight. the rest will stay on the patio or in the gh (w/o heater). i'm a meanie! :-)

It's pretty chilly here too, but everything is out, and they are not going to be moved again. That last move about killed me.

this will officially be my last one, too.

I see now that you were referring to Susan's pictures, but I agree with Mickey that we are missing something here.

i agree. we're missing her experience and seeing firsthand that they survived. my friend is seeing the same thing with my coconut palm. he tells me that they can't go below a certain temp. the person that gave it to me nearly killed it leaving it outside during winter in tucson. i nursed it back to health and left it unprotected this winter. it looks horrible. once again, we stand in awe that it's still alive.

Yeah. She said that she had ones in pots that died, but the ones in the ground survived, but I can't believe that she didn't have branch dieback or damage on the ones that survived. I think this was a freak snow storm for her usually warm area maybe. I'm not sure. I think Galveston Island stays pretty warm year-round usually, or maybe these big trees in the ground were acclimated to very short periods of cold.

We are missing her info on temperature over the three-day period; otherwise, we could learn how cold it got for how long, which could tell us a lot. I know you would have recorded that had it happened to you! LOL!

i'll be getting a full report from her and will post it.

The snow acts as an insulator and never lets it fall below 32. that's why it is better to let it pile up around the plants if that ever happens. Read that in a Sunset book. Will try and find the exact quote when I have time.
Davie

that's why citrus growers used to spray trees with water during a hard freeze. then you get cold orange juice. LOL

Yeah the ice also acts the way. Are you mocking me LOL

no! LOL i was trying to be funny. ugh...it didn't work.

btw, i don't think they spray the citrus anymore. luc mentioned that they will spray water to raise the temp.

I got it, just giving you a hard time bro.

okay...

That must have confused the plants mightily.