It is Freezing down here in Florida At 9pm it is 31 degrees and it will be down to 18 in the morning. Last night it was below freezing for over 6 hours. I went into my plastic covered shade house it get down close to freezing in there last night but the high was 39 today. I am hoping the small heater that I have in there and the buckets filled with water and the 3 100 watt lights I just put out there will keep it warm enough . It will be back down to 31 degrees tomorrow night. This is very odd weather for Florida. Keep your fingers crossed that everything rides it out.
Sandy
Freezing in Florida
Good Luck!
Sandy,
Hope all of your plants survive this freeze!!!
Brought in the ones I could,but a lot of the ones in the ground look like mush!!! Can't cover them all, as there are too many.
Got a call from my sister down in Vero Beach last night---the freeze even reached down there (300 miles south) & she, being a novice of the gardening thing wanted my advice on how to protect her plants.
Four o'clock this after-noon----still had ice in our birdbaths---haven't seen that in a few years!!!
Have had it pretty good for about three years---winters weren't that bad. I paid a lot of attention to the trees & plants this fall & figured it would get pretty bad this year, but still we don't have it as bad as our friends up north!!!
Don't you like the way the weather forecasters can keep their jobs even though they are wrong all of the time? Last night they said tonight would be milder than last & now they say it's going to be worse!! Must be nice to be wrong & still keep your job!!!
Sandy, they will survive, praying for ya here in freezing NY!
Clemen,
Where is Nassau County, NY?
Lived in Poughkeepsie & Red Hook for about 8 years. Sure don't miss that weather!!!!!!
Camillia, I am exactly 1 hour and 40 minutes from PKsie. The weather over there is actually 5 or more degrees lower than where I am. I live in Garden City, Long Island, 30 to 40 minutes on the LIRR from NYC! Hey I do not like this weather here, coming to live near you soon!
Clemen,
Just sent you a D-Mail---thought you had moved on to something else.
As much as I loved N.Y---most beautiful state I ever lived in---sure don't miss the winters!!!
When & where in Florida do you plan to move?
Ahhhhhhhhhhh there are better places than NY and you know it, anything warmer would do for me!
Guess wev'e taken over wren's forum---sorry Sandy!!!
Was answering your mail when you were replying to my question.
Your'e right---any-thing in Florida is much warmer than where you are!!!!
No problem Just keep talking I enjoy it all. Keeps my mind of the cold and painful joints.
I have been to New York state and it is a beautiful place.
I just read in that they had frost down in south Florida.
It is 25 degrees here this morning. So here is hoping that it does not drop any lower.
Clemen we are not use to the cold down here as this amount of cold is rare. Usually it may drop down low one day and be back up to normal the next.
Camillia I only covered one plant out side, a short banana in a pot. Most of my plants should be alright , even the amaryllis should come back as long as the freeze does not last to long. Besides I have more plants than I need in the garden. Now if the cold would kill some of the weeds and bugs I would be extremely happy.
By next year I will have corrected some of the problems with the shade/green house and should be able to keep it warmer. I think we are going to put the fiberglass sheets around the base so the cold will be blocked and the creators will be kept out. I have already had squirrels in there. Also I will hang two layers of plastic and have a second small heater and maybe a small fan out there.
Sandy the epi nut
Wren, I actually watched it snow for about 5 minutes! i haven't seen snow on the beach since hurricane hugo came through 20 years ago.
Our temps, went to 12 one morning and have hovered in the 20's since then. it should be warming up now though. I may have lost some things under the plastic ( but still on the ground) only time will tell.
Linda
BRRRRRRRRRRRRRR, it looks like you guys have my weather this morning, really weird right??? Still praying for all of ya!
Thanks I went out but not into the greenhouse did not want to let in any cold. One good sign was that a sub-tropical plant that is next to the greenhouse was only damaged on the tips and the stems next to the green house where ok. The plant a few feet from it was heavily damaged. There is a lot of damage to the other plants in the yard even the weeks get slapped.
It is up to 38 out there but it will be back down to 30 to night.
Sandy
Sandy, I have seen these thermal light weight blankets for plants at Lowes and Home Depot. You might need to protect them somehow!
Thank goodness Im no longer in NY, I'd never move back to my hometown just cause the cold. Wren, I just use a space heater in my greenhouse when its cold here, and I have had no problems with it. Last week we saw single digits and the heater worked just fine, Im sure your plants will be fine. I hope so anyways.
I just went out there and the High/Low temp. says that it stayed in the mid-30's so everything looks like it will be fine in there. Can't say the same for some of my out door plants
Clemen the report for some of the local Florida DG's is that those covers where not enough last night to protect most of our local plants. It has been over 6 years sense we had a had freeze. Even then it usually did not freeze more than a hour or two. We had 2 nights of hard freeze for 6 hours each night.
Lismil I was sweating it as it is more of a shade house than an green house. It is only covered with plastic right now. But we will make some changes before next winter.
Oh Boy I just looked at me clock that has a remote temp. sensorn it says 95 degrees I think the sun is shining on it. I must of moved it when I was outside earlier. But don't we wish it was!!!!
Sandy the epi nut.
This couldn't have happened last month before I packed up all of my Christmas lights, maybe could have at least saved some of my tropicals without looking like Red-Neck City with lights up EVERY-WHERE after the new year! LOL!!!
My crotons get hit every year no matter wheather I cover them or not, but won't give up trying to get them to grow here, they are such beautiful plants!
All of my banana trees, gingers, Taros, & Pink Tyes got the worst of the cold, but at least they usually come back.
Sandy, I'm like you---at least maybe we will get some benifits from the cold---it should kill off some of the bugs & mosquitos, but don't think anything kills the weeds!!!! They seem to grow when nothing else will!!!
Well some of my weeds did get a little whacked but not enough. OH well.
Weeds are weeds, can never kill them, lol! I have a few pictures of my frozen canal house, I will post them when I download them!
I just wish the freeze would knock them back a little so I could at least half way catch up.
It was COLD here in Daytona Beach last night too and we have another freeze warning up for tonight! My Banana tree, huge Schefflera in the backyard and huge Tree Philodendron's in the side yard look mushy today. :( There was a lot of frost this morning. The lowest I saw on our thermometer during the night was 28 degrees ... it might get colder tonight! Grrrr ... Makes me want to move farther south!
I brought my orchids and hoya plants inside last week but have my unheated Florida room (porch) totally cram packed with plants. Everything else is shoved under the covered deck and covered with old blankets. My husband covered a Phoenix Robellini Palm and a couple of small Queen Palms out in the yard and I threw a blanket over my big Epiphyllum Hookeri. I sure hope everything survives. We've had hard freezes in the past and the Schefflera and Philo's have always recovered. I'm not sure about the Banana tree or my Epi. Will have to wait and see I guess.
Plantladylin my Epiphyllum Hookeri that I get cuttings from you are doing great so if you lose yours I will be glad to send you back some cuttings.
I may lose a few plants but I was surprised what was not hurt. I have a Key Lime that I do not really want any more and it was not even touched. I left 3 of my 4 pots of Epi Oxy on the carport and one was slightly touched but the other two are fine. My banana trees have damaged leaves but the trunks are fine.
Wren, you are one of the sweetest, most generous people in this garden! I am hoping my E. Hookeri will do okay. It's been out in the backyard under a tree for many years ... the pot is big and heavy and I probably should have had my husband at least move it into the shed but I'm hoping for the best since it has a blanket over it. It's supposed to begin warming up tomorrow, Thank Goodness!
They say it is not going down as cold here tonight---I hope the are right.
If it is under a tree that should help. Keeping fingers crossed.
And if that brat of a dog of mine tries to get me to go outside to play again I am going to run away. LOL
wren,
Why would you not want your Key Lime any-more? Just curious.
Have quite a few citrus trees here that I have planted over the years---none seem to be affected from the cold.
Remember when my father was alive & came up to visit---he was so surprised that we could grow citrus up here with the winters. Just a matter of knowing which ones will deal with the colder weather & which ones wont.
clemen,
would love to see the pics!
plantladylin,
Am into palms, brought a lot of different varieties here from down south when I visited down there. Not all of them survived, but guess Iv'e been pretty lucky to have only lost my Bottle Palms.
What is a Pheonix Robelin Palm? Could check it out but too busy chatting with all of you. LOL!
Have two Queens Palms that I bought about 5 years ago on one of my trips down south, were about 4ft. tall at the time, now are about 35ft. tall. Supposed to be one of the most cold hardy palms, besides the Pindo. I like them because they are the closest thing to resembling a Royal Palm that will grow up here.
wren,
As I had told you in a previous conversation---put all of my epis & hanging plants on the front patio as I haven't gotten my green house built yet. WELL---dealing with all of the kittens, they have managed to break off some of the bracs of my epis!!! Guess I'm going to have a lot of new ones come spring! Let me know if you want some!
That goes for any-one else out there watching this thread.
So better weather guys, I sure hope so! Sandy, my pink Epi is growing nice big buds, can't wait to see it bloom again, and to think that I have not even fertilized it. She is sitting on a cold 50 degree house and the blooms are coming, yay!
OK frozen canal, grrrrrrrrrrr, I have never seen the water there frozen, it is a deep deep canal, first time ever! Bad winter in NY this time.
Good luck to all tonight!
Camillia I planted the key lime because DM loved lemons and limes but she can no longer eat them and also I was going to include it in a hedge along side the house. But well dad was so sick I never get around to keeping them clipped and it has gotten a little large for the spot. I had cut it back some but it is over 4 ft high and I do not think it will take kindly to a hard pruning. I have already taken out the lemon "bush" but will keep the kumquat as it will take more kindly to a heavy pruning and DM can still eat them. If you would like to have the key lime let me know.
Cuttings---- that is a silly question!! Would love a few but only a few. I am still working on fixing up the benches. I have the pvc pipes cut, bought 4 metal closet maid shelves and the joins just arrived now if it would just warm up a few days I would be able to knock together a 8 foot bench.
Clemen Burr!!!! We even had some of our canals down here to freeze.
It is 30 degrees right now but they say it will get down to 28 tomorrow night. Enough already!!!!!!
Boy, just checking on you guys, you are still colder than us. NYC is getting a heat wave today, 36 degrees, yay! Still hoping you guys unfreeze soon!
I think we have one more night. I really need to water everything in the green house but afraid they will freeze. I think I am going to just start calling it the epi house as it is not really a green house and not really a shade house but some thing inbetween. And 95% of the plants are epi's LOL
You are too much Sandi, epi's are beautiful! Can't wait for my favorite nursery to start bringing the special ones! Maybe if you water really early they will be ok by this evening!
The weather report has improved. And no freeze tonight. I get out there and watered. Moved some plants over to other benches hope tomorrow to get busy on that new bench. I do not like water dripping on my head. LOL
Other than the other types of plants in there, who get a little to dry every thing looks great. Just hope nothing is stunted.
Now if I could just do something about the rest of the garden and my spring hay fever, every thing would be great.
Sandy the epi hut
We hit the low 20's two nights this week. I brought all the epies, cactus and cuttings in. The bigger stuff in pots went in the garage. Luckily I saved the large foxtail and baby bottle palm and some other small palms. Many in ground plants really took a hit even though they were covered! Will be glad to live further south next year!
If it helps any, this was abnormal weather for us up here. I think some one said we have not had this cold of a spell for 15-20 years. I heard that is was worse further south, but do not know for sure.
Sandy
Where is Al Gore and his global warming when you need him?
This is global warming. The ice is melting and causing the ocean currents to change their course. We are getting colder weather and over in part of Europe and parts of Alaska they are having abnormal warm weather. In other words once change there makes another change some where else.
Beside I would rather try to help the environment now, than wait in case the scientist are wrong about global warming.
Sandy the epi nut
The global warming is so confusing, isn't it?? Us have a house on a canal and worry so much about it, we would be the first ones to loose it due to floods!
I hope that tomorrow your crazy weather gets better, to of you down south. Us in NY, well this is winter and although we have been blessed with warm ones for the last couple of years, well, this one has been bad!
Sandy I must take a pic of this epi of mine that has buds all over, I am so excited. I bought it last year and well it is going to BLOOM, YAY, hopefully the buds will not drop!
that's great. Another off season bloomer. What color are the flowers?
Remember me when you have cuttings. HINT< HINT!!!!! LOL
My new one that was in bud when I get it did lose some of the buds but some stayed on it and it is putting out more.
Sandy the epi nut
Sandy those are already turning pink or orangie ones right???
Well you have seen pictures of this one, here she is last Spring, I can't hardly believe she will bloom again, boy she was EXPENSIVE, and the blooms are HUGE, yay! at least 6 inches across!
OK need to get to the regular desktop, that is where the pic is, give me a few minutes!
Ok picture time! You can get cuttings after she is done with her blooming thing!
