Global What???

GLOBAL WARMING - ?????

GLOBAL COOLING - You Might Convince Me!

After 10 nights of freezing temperatures, memories of the winter of 2010 are permanently etched into the minds of Florida gardeners. The second Arctic blast that arrived on Saturday finished off the plants that had managed to squeak by to that point. And, with each passing day, some of the toughest plants gave way to the frost and temps in the upper 20's. This morning the tips of the azaleas (below) are hanging their heads, and even the liriope shows signs of frostbite.

As for the back and sideyard, where most of my tropical plants are, it is a sad state of affairs.

My heart sinks every night when I check the thermometer and see that it's already below freezing at 9pm. I know the carnage that's taking place in my garden.

And, I get a knot in my stomach when I walk around and survey the damage. We're all in the same boat though, as no yard has gone untouched.

Even the water birds (winter visitors) are trying to soak up some warmth from the sun as the thermometer reads 27 degrees.

The citrus growers have iced the orange trees for most of this week in an effort to save the trees. I'm  not sure how this process really works, but it must be helpful.

And, our local nursery is doing the same thing.

I consoled myself by heading to my local HD where I bought a rose bush and a gold-tipped ligustrum tree...neither of these plants freeze. They looked so sad because they had not been watered for a day or two, so I scooped them up for the total price of $10...took them home...watered them well...and put them inside the garage. Old Man Winter may have won this battle, but hope springs eternal in the hearts of gardeners...and our gardens will come alive with flowers come spring...or, maybe, closer to summer this year!

A Frosty Morning

These beautiful Sandhill Cranes were hanging out in the field at my daughter's school yesterday morning. They are always a site to behold, and this morning was no exception as they blended in with the frost that had settled overnight.

When I returned home, I found this little mockingbird sunning himself on my silver gazing ball. I wonder if the sun reflecting on the silver surface was doing an extra good job of warming his cold little body. He didn't seem to mind as I crept closer and closer to him. I guess he wasn't giving up his warm spot.

The Big Chill

Five days of below 32 degree weather is what the meteorologist has forecasted for us this week. FIVE DAYS...that is totally unheard of. Two, possibly three...maaaybee. But five...NEVER!

So what do we do...

We pick the remaining tangerines on our tree...

We move all the large potted plants into the garage...

And the smaller ones into the breakfast nook... the cats love this idea as they search among them for lizards that may have come indoors, too.

We wrap the staghorn ferns in old sheets and blankets...this will work if the temps don't go toooo low! They look kinda creepy at night.

We bundle up the tomato plant which does have tomatoes on it.  This is probably a futile attempt on our part, but there's always a chance. Another ghostly figure in the yard. It's a good thing it's not a full moon.

Next, we head to the front yard in the hope of saving the variegated schflerra..the only interesting foliage plant in this area. More old mattress covers do the job up here. This is the first time ever that I used ALL the old blankets, sheets and mattress covers that we store in two large boxes in the garage just for this type of weather.

And, just in case you think we've lost our marbles...the neighbors have all done the same thing. Here's neighbor #1 to the west. He's purchased large tarps to cover his Ti plants and crotons.

I couldn't resist including this photo. No that's not a giraffe all bundled up in his backyard...it's a palm tree that's growing just a little bit north of its comfort zone.

Neighbor #2 to the east is trying to protect a fiddle leaf fig and ficus trees with covers and Christmas lights.

And lastly, neighbor #3 to the south has lots of little white ghosts in their front yard.

It looks like this might possibly be one of the coldest winters for us in a very long time. The coldest morning will be Tuesday at a projected 28 degrees. It looks like my "curb appeal" project is on the backburner for now.

Would Someone Please Turn up the Heat!

Our second night of freezing temperatures (around 28 - 29) dusted our lawns with a coating of frozen ice. By 9:00 a.m. plants such as the crinum lilies, philodendrons and even the azalea buds were hanging their heads - victims of the chilly breath from Old Man Winter.

Chilly Weather Headed Our Way

It looks like winter is arriving here in Florida. We started out with unseasonally cool temps in November, followed by a warm December. But now that we are officially in our winter months (January & February), our first taste of really cold weather is headed our way. We'll have to bundle up our plants and bring our orchids indoors.

My mother came up with a great suggestion for my sister. She lives in a rural area where temperatures can be lower than in the city and she has a large number of orchids. My mom suggested that she place all of her orchids on a small trailer (used to haul 4-wheelers). She can easily bring them into the garage, and then pull them out again when it warms up.

I thought that was a great idea and it got me thinking about how I could simplify the task of hauling our 44 orchid plants in and out for the next couple of months.

Voila'! Thanks to my mom's idea I came up with a solution to my orchid conundrum. I used an outdoor table and cart (do you recognize these Jane?). I placed as many orchids as possible on these two pieces of outdoor furniture and now my husband and I can easily lift them and bring them into the house when necessary.

When it warms up, we place them right outside the back door on the patio for easy watering. I can't get all of my orchids on them, but it has significantly reduced the number of trips required to get them all indoors. My mom always comes up with good ideas!

What's That Smell?

Everytime I step outside I smell it. A pungent odor that permeates the air. It's the smell of my freeze-burned plants as they continue their slow demise. It's weird, but the damage was worse 3 to 5 days after the freeze. Black wilted leaves continue to hang from several large tropical plants and the crotons continue to shrivel up. But the odor of death hangs heavy in the air as I patiently wait, clippers in hand!

Before and After

This is the plant I was most sorry to see freeze. My poinsettias did so well this year, blooming early in December. At least I got to enjoy them through Christmas.

Calculating the Damage

Temperatures were close to 32 degrees at 10:30 last night and this morning they were a bone-chilling 30 degrees. So, as expected many tender tropicals were cooked. Fortunately, the winds kept any frost from settling on the grass so it is still green.
The angel trumpet leaves look like wilted greens.
The glorybowers are toast, but they needed a major pruning anyway.
This croton really took a beating, but it also needed a major pruning in spring.
These jewels of opar are probably one of the most cold sensitive plants in my yard. They look like this when temps get into the high 30's. Too tender for this part of Florida.
And the impatiens are hanging their sad little heads this morning. They also needed a major spring pruning. The good news is that the crinum lilies and the bromeliads look great.

All Bundled Up for the First Winter Chill

Old Man Winter is dropping by for a visit, so we've been busy brining in orchids and other tender plants, and bundling up a few others that are too big to bring indoors.


Plants are everywhere! We had to use the dining room table instead of the floor this year because of a new kitten in the house.

Even the kitchen counter is doing double duty.




These staghorns covered with blankets dangle from the trees like hugh chandeliers.

Brrrr... It's Cold Outside!

There's always one night when we feel the frosty breath of Old Man Winter, and this year was no exception. With temperatures dipping to 31 degrees on Saturday morning, a few plants were burned. The very top layers of leaves on the angel trumpet crumbled at the feel of his icy touch, and a few leaves on the Jewels of Opar turned black when the blanket covering one plant was blown off. All-in-all, we lucked out as many other tropical plants and our staghorn ferns escaped his wintery wrath!

All Bundled Up for the Cold Weather

With our first freeze of the winter projected tonight, my Jewels of Opar plants are bundled tightly beneath some old blankets. These sun-loving plants do not like cold weather. They won't freeze to the ground but their tender tips will shrivel back a few inches. As usual, we get at least one cold and frosty night each winter - just long enough (2 to 6 hours of freezing temps expected) to have a few plants hanging their heads by morning. This photo shows the contrasts of a Florida winter - plants bundled up for freezing weather, while azaleas and iris bloom in the background. Hopefully, the weatherman will be wrong and the temps will stay right above 32 degrees. One can always hope!

Freeze Warning!!!!!

It was the day before (February 14) our last projected frost date (for zone 9) when the weather forecasters began proclaiming their "freeze watch" warnings at every newscast. Some Arctic air was expected to dip low into the region during the wee hours of the morning. Along with a full moon and a sky as clear as a newly cleaned window, the news was not good for gardeners.

Like the neighbors, I began throwing blankets over freeze-prone plants for added warmth and hauling in the orchids. It never fails - at least one night every winter there is a cold night that dips down to around 32 degrees and lightly toasts our tender tropical plants in this sub-tropical region.

Our temps on the back porch stood right at 32 degrees the next morning. When I peered out the window the grass covered in white frost was an unusual and not completely welcome sight. I always envision my angel trumpet and hibiscus plants shivering right down to their roots, and I sympathize with them since I too am a sissy when it comes to cold weather.

The good news is that the temperatures soon began to rise as the sun beamed its warm glow toward earth. As I returned home from dropping my daughter off at school I had to smile at the melted frost dripping off the palm fronds. A quick trip around the yard revealed that most plants were spared from damage. The top of my angel trumpet was mushy and a few impatiens were slightly droopy. The staghorns and bromeliads were safe under the protective covering of the oak trees.