So, I thinned some plants out...clipped some dead stuff off...stuffed as much as I could into the composter.
As, I walk around my yard, I notice that the Fashion azaleas are back in bloom...their first round of flowers having been burned by the frost. And, the grass is greening up again...hurray! Things are already looking up.
Frozen plants are already sprouting from the base of the plants.
I learned a couple of important lessons...or should I say, remembered from previous freezes that I had long since forgotten.
#1 - Trees make a BIG difference. My bromeliads and other tender plants fared much better under the canopy of the trees where frost was unable to reach them.
#2 - Create a good structure of basic, cold-hardy green plants - good bones, if you will. That way when the less hardy plants succumb to freezing temperatures, the garden will still look good. This is especially true in the front yard.
#3 - Plant pockets of tropical plants. I'll plant my favorite tropicals as little pockets of color in areas throughout the basic green plants. That way I can add color and interest to my landscape without leaving it vulnerable to a devastating freeze. It's kinda like having your cake and eating it, too! :-)
Once again the garden is humming along with the expectancy of spring.
8 comments:
Good documentation of "lessons". I know sometimes gardeners tend to forget things :) Glad to see your garden is coming back to life. Love that Indian blanket flower, so bright! I want one! Is this something easy to start from the seeds? I did not see it sold at nursery as young plants.
Oh those lessons learned from a freeze. I think I'll print out this post and carry it with me when I go to the spring plant sales.
It looks like you are well on your way to a garden ready for spring.
I am the same way; I could not stand looking at it all brown and droopy. The beauty of plants is that they come back fast, my garden is looking much better
Very good advice... I can't wait til my trees get bigger so they can help protect my tropicals! Even my bottlebrush trees got hit in the long run. I understand completely about cleaning up the dead stuff and ended up just removing the leaves from woody shrubs... they don't look so bad then and can still sprout from the living wood.
Ami...I bought the Indian blanket flower at Lowe's. It does reseed itself which is great. It's a great 4-season plant.
Kay...Things are starting to turn around, especially since I've just about got all the brown stuff :-( cut back. It won't be long now!
Rusty...Hey, I thought you were watching the Olympics. Yes, fortunately the plants do make a quick comeback. Glad to hear your garden is on the mend.
Rainforest Gardener...I have some dead looking sticks sticking up in my garden, too. And, you're right -- they are tolerable without all those brown leaves hanging from them.
Great advise, Susan! The brown is really getting me down. I'm waiting for my young trees to become mature and help out!! And we experienced a soft frost the last 2 nights! UGH!!!
Susan,
With the canopy of trees we can rest a little easier on the nights when a light frost is predicted. We'll never give up our tropicals all together but planting them in the more protected areas is great advice.
Next week I'll cut back all my dead... already I can see budding out and green foliage coming up from the bottom of some plants. It won't take too long as the days grow longer and more sunshine is available. But I have to say, I am really enjoying working in the garden on these cooler days.
Meems
I could take it any longer - I cleaned up a bunch today too.
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