The preparations are pretty simple. With most of the container plants already stored in the garage we pull out old sheets purchased super cheap at the end of an estate sale. You can see why they didn't sell early on. The winds that blew in ahead of the cold front have died down so the sheets stay put. When the wind is blowing we have plenty of rocks available. Sheets bring up the temperature just a few degrees but it's enough for most of our usually light freezes.
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The Bismarck Palms lost all their fronds in last winter's exceptional cold and the much smaller plants are easier to cover this year. We fold the fronds up, wrap a sheet around and then slip a coffee sack over to secure. With all this early cold the palms might wish to be transported to the tropics instead.
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The Agave ovatifolia is quite hardy so it doesn't get covered unless much colder weather is predicted.
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While I was outside in the cold with the camera, I turned around and noticed the Gulf Muhly backlit at sunset.
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For the hardy artichoke I just put an empty pot over top. Did it freeze? No, it didn't actually freeze last night with the low only 32.5 at 7 am. The record for this date is 22F so it's early but not unheard of to get this cold.
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The lemon yellow sheet goes over the Meyer Lemon. The Dyckia on the right didn't need covering but a tarp was handy.
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It's important in our climate to remove the covers early so the plants don't get too hot. This morning the sunshine is warming things up quickly. No frozen lemon concentrate on the menu.
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These lemons should be happy to stay outside and continue turning over the next few weeks.
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It's not pretty but it works and a drive through the neighborhood on a freezing day you will see more scenes just like this. It's supposed to be near 80F later in the week so covering the plants can mean extending the season another 10 days or maybe even longer.
We use sheets here in Tucson, too. They seem to do the trick.
ReplyDeleteThere are specialty fabrics for the job but these seem to work most of the time.
DeleteWe use sheets here too--some plants get Muppet covers some Star Wars or little cars--all left overs from when our son was young--quite colorful and fills a need!
ReplyDeleteIt's a fun way to do it, we see all kinds of patterns used in the neighborhood.
DeleteThe backlit Gulf Muhly looks great! All of us have to do what needs to be done to protect plants when freezes are predicted, even if the results aren't pretty but at least they are just temporary nuisance and the efforts are so worth it. Btw, using coffee sack I think looks quite decorative :)
ReplyDeleteThe coffee sack does add interest and I might do a post on the Muhly since it looks so good right now.
DeleteBetter safe than sorry. We usually err on the other end of the spectrum and are seriously considering letting those things go which need a lot of coddling.
ReplyDeleteWe lost a number of plants last year because it was just too cold to keep them all warm. It was a relief in a way and I have tried not to add more tropicals this year.
DeleteIt's the dance of the sheets at this time of year. You're right that our normal winters make these efforts worthwhile since we often go weeks without a freeze. But I do get tired of it by winter's end, and this year it's starting early. Readers should remember that native plants don't need covering or coddling, only the tender exotics (and even they will usually survive at the root).
ReplyDeleteNatives don't need covering which is a good reason to plant more natives. I still enjoy a few interesting favorites like bougainvillea which add a lot of color in the late summer.
DeleteOh, that muhly. Gorgeous. I covered a few things last week (no freeze) and last night (no freeze). I didn't cover anything Sunday night and I woke up to ice in all the bird baths yesterday morning. The only thing dinged was the basil--as expected.
ReplyDeleteI'm drooling over your lemons.
Now that the freezes have passed for a few days I need to decide on whether or not to bring the container plants back out. Some of my neighbors have built special racks or greenhouses for them.
DeleteThose lemons should be ready for lemon curd soon. I heard a new cold hardy "Lemon Frost" tree might be available soon which will be nice.
Don't you love it when you turn around and there's that Muhly, all backlit and beautiful.
ReplyDeleteAs I read your post, I thought, "Why didn't I cover my Cycads with old sheets?" and then I thought about starting to cover things in NOVEMBER. I'm all for survival of the fittest. Cycads generally will come back from the roots just like everything else. Trees have not lost all their leaves, so there may be a little cover, too.
I wish I'd bought the Meyer Lemon I saw last year or the year before, one of many things I passed up and then regretted..
Cycads can take a short freeze, I did cover them a few years ago when we went really low into the low teens followed by snow and they recovered faster than those nearby which were not covered. Meyer Lemon stays small so it can be moved and it provides yummy fruit.
DeleteOh, that's always such a challenge, isn't it? I don't usually cover things in the fall, but of course my climate is such that it's pretty much time to say goodbye to the growing season by mid-October. But in the springtime I do the cover and uncover dance often. ;-) Glad to hear your plants are OK. Your Muhly Grass is gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteIt is a difference and possible we might not see another freeze the entire winter. We have gone for several years without one at all.
DeleteGosh this looks eerily familiar to my garden last year! Sheets, towels, burlap, over turned pots...everything is fair game. Glad you didn't get hit hard.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping we don't have too many of these days. January and February are still ahead.
DeleteThat Gulf Muhly is awesome in that light. Hopefully things establish to where you don't need to cover them much.
ReplyDeleteI only covered for mid-winter records on a few plants, or hard freezes a month early when all flowering, but glad I did. Some natives even died in the open with 2011's near cold...wind ade it fun to hold down blankets!
It was more about keeping the garden going for another few weeks since the forecast called for a quick warm up. By January I'll probably just leave it to die back.
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