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rouge21_gw

Who has had that killing frost?

We have had a few frosts here but not that one that makes mush of all annuals and (most?) perennials. What about you?

Comments (119)

  • flowergirl70ks
    9 years ago

    Tex, I know what you are saying about the fallen leaves being green. My bing cherry and one birch have freeze dried leaves. I lost a cherry tree in the last storm like this. If this one dies I won't have much time to grow another one as I just turned 81. This tree produced about 250 lbs this year.
    They have moved Black Friday up to the week before Thanksgiving this year. I guess they're afraid they won't make enough money if they miss a week. Greed rules!

  • Tim
    9 years ago

    The color of my Wine & Roses Weigela shrubs never looks the way it does in gardening magazine photos until this time of year. The foliage on my Wine & Roses Weigelas is always green with dark purple edges and tips throughout the spring and summer. But when the frosts come the foliage turns a really dark purple color just like in the gardening magazine photos. The foliage stays that way for a week or two then turns brown and enters dormancy. ItâÂÂs just interesting that in my area of South-central Kansas, the color that Wine & Roses Weigela shrubs are supposed to be throughout the growing season is the color they are just in the fall. I think that is what is known as a paradox.

  • violetwest
    9 years ago

    this morning, per the USNWS, first frost, 29 degrees:

    "1138am Growing season ends this mrng for El Paso and Santa Teresa; both end with 274 days . Normal for S. Teresa is 230 days."

  • TexasRanger10
    9 years ago

    flowergirl, I don't know what part of Kansas are you in, I'm in central Oklahoma but this air mass is so big it hardly makes a difference, the Texas panhandle further south is even colder than us right now. One year we lost many of the crepe myrtles, others made it back from the roots, but in Kansas they lost them all completely. That was from that sudden severe front which came through in December one year in the 1980's when nothing was hardened off, you might remember it but it was much colder than this one. Maybe your tree will be OK or just suffer a bit of tip damage, I'm hoping for the best. The worst is how long this crud is sticking around. Seems like we jumped from summer to winter and skipped fall altogether.

  • Tim
    9 years ago

    Flower Girl and TX Ranger, yes it is supposed to be a very cold winter with lots of snow, which may be a blessing, because the snow will insulate the ground from the cold. Anyway, my Chinese Pistache tree entered dormancy normally this year. My Froebelii Spireas are sort of like your Cherry tree Flowergirl. They have dying green leaves but are also entering dormancy with many dark maroon colored leaves. Spireas are hard to kill, so I'm not really worried about them.
    What I'm truly interested in are my Sonset Lantanas planted on the south side of my house. Its been said that Sonset Lantanas are as hardy as Miss Huff Lantanas. I was wanting a really cold winter to test that claim. I guess I am getting what I wanted. If these Sonset Lantanas resprout from the roots I will be thrilled. I guess I will find out next May.

  • Campanula UK Z8
    9 years ago

    Pfft, I was looking forward to a few extremes...but it is (grey, grim) business as usual here in the UK - wet, gloomy, dull. Waiting on my new yarn to arrive when I intend to idle on the sofa until Xmas, knitting scarves (mindless) and hats( quick).

  • rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Violet West wrote: Growing season ends this mrng for El Paso and Santa Teresa; both end with 274 days . Normal for S. Teresa is 230 days.

    Incredible...it is like being on different planets. I checked and the "growing season" in my neck of the woods is almost half of what it is for El Paso.

  • davidrt28 (zone 7)
    9 years ago

    Although, from my perspective, given how far south El Paso is, it's amazing to me the growing season is that _short_. Of course a big part of the problem is the elevation...winter days are warm, but the nights cool off dramatically. Still, the sun is so strong down there even in winter. I noticed that when I was driving around in early Feb, even though the car themometer was only showing temps in the low 60s outside, I had to open a window. It was getting hot in the car.

  • Tim
    9 years ago

    Campanula, maybe you need to knight something a bit more challenging, like shawls and sweaters. Below is a link to a photo of a pinwheel sweater that may use up a few of your winter days. :-)

    Here is a link that might be useful: Pinwheel Pullover Sweater

  • wantonamara Z8 CenTex
    9 years ago

    El Paso is z8a mostly. Things change very quickly in these half zones down here. I know that the growing season does not end in the Austin area when it comes to vegetable gardens. It is more evident in San Antonio than here. One just has to look at the species being grown. The freeze does change things. We grow cool season vegetables and get out our floating row covers for the few cold freezing nights. They freeze slows things down, and the covers mitigate that. I like to say that we have three 3 day winters. This one was 2 near freezes and a freeze of 28 ( weather station, my thermometer said 25 but I am unsure of its accuracy). I am not sure I am going to count this as one of the multiple winters of the year. We have many flowers still blooming in the west-of-astin area. Salvia, nierembergia, blackfoot daisy, 4 nerve daisy, snake broom, Eupatorium, Giant Mexican turkscapâ¦.. we are 10 degrees warmer than OKC and Lubbock, 15 than Amarillo. I see frost as something that I can get through , not a preverbal wall that is an definitive ending till the spring comes. It is definitely a change of perception from the northern perception. I garden all year. I find the heat of summer to be more of a stumbling block. Everyone here drags out their old towels and sheets and (mouse eaten) frost covers, bubble wrap, garbage bags, styrofoam cup, cardboard boxes and wraps and covers things. It looks really messy.

    My main stumbling block now is that my texas wimpy body is shutting down from the cold. Our houses are not always built cold hardy with good heating systems and pipes freezing pipes are a drag.. I really need to work on my habit of not closing my exterior doors.

    All this said, I think we are in for a colder than normal winter,â¦.and I need to throw out a bunch of my row covers and get some new ones.

  • Campanula UK Z8
    9 years ago

    Bloody Hell, Plantingman...that is emphatically not the sort of thing I was considering. I should have underlined 'mindless' as I am planning on semi-dormancy. Miles of peaceful stocking stitch (rather than that stress-inducing intarsia colourwork is just the ticket for dormouse mode..

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    9 years ago

    Finally had the big freeze here on Puget Sound. Got brushed with side end of the arctic front that hit the rest of the country so not too bad but bad enough :-( Had to thaw out the hummingbirds feeders the last couple of mornings.....they get very belligerent if their nectar is not available!! And a couple of my hardy fuchsias that were in full flower are looking a little peaked but there really wasn't anything else left out that couldn't take a few nights below freezing.

    I did bring my leopard plant (Farfugium) in.......it was looking very limp one morning and I lost one previously over winter, even though it is "supposed" to be hardy here. So this winter it'll be a temporary houseplant.

    My cold weather is nothing like the cold experienced by those in the Midwest and east coast (and no snow either - yahoo!!) so I am not complaining. It might be pretty chilly here but otherwise the weather is drop dead gorgeous and I feel very lucky to live where I do.

  • Tim
    9 years ago

    gardengal, you make me jealous with your nice mild weather... :-)
    I've always wanted to visit the Puget Sound. I hear it is beautiful there. Are you on the San Juan Islands?

  • rusty_blackhaw
    9 years ago

    I used to be enamored of the idea of living in the coastal PNW.

    But the constant refrain of dreary clouds and drizzle/rain in fall/winter, lack of summer warmth and summer dryness/drought in that area convince me that I'm better off in the lower Midwest.

  • rosiew
    9 years ago

    eric_oh,

    I'm enamored with the idea of having six or seven places I could call home. I'd visit each when they're experiencing the very best weather of the year. Unfortunately, this is a total pipe dream.

  • floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
    9 years ago

    Still no frost here. I was admiring the municipal bedding on Saturday - Begonias and Cannas looking very tropical three days after the Christmas Lights were switched on in town. However, we are having a lot of rain. Very grey and soggy today.

  • rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    -9 C (15 F) last night with snow on the ground. That is it for my garden for 2014.

  • floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
    9 years ago

    Mild weather continues here. Fuchsia on my way to work 18th November. Sorry about the fuzzy photo - Santa has been prompted about a new camera.

  • Campanula UK Z8
    9 years ago

    yep, nowt here (frost) either. Salvias and mimulus still blooming away, while the solanum looks positively gleaming. Have not checked dahlias (at colder allotment) today but my sweet peas (October sown) are flailing about all over the greenhouse, despite several pinchings.

  • floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
    9 years ago

    For me and Campanula the whole concept of a clear and definite 'end' to the growing season is rather weird. Our temperatures don't just drop like a stone and stay down all winter. They gradually get lower and lower on average but bump along rising and falling over a fairly narrow range. Our hardier weeds will grow all winter in mild spells. Today it's pouring with rain but the temperature is around 55f and nothing has got frosted yet.

  • rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a)
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    the whole concept of a clear and definite 'end' to the growing season is rather weird

    So cool how there is such variety in our world.

    As much as I complain about the cold and snow it does make me so appreciate spring when it arrives.

  • Tim
    9 years ago

    This thread is getting longer and longer...let's see if we can keep it going all winter long. Who's in?
    Our winters are down in the 20's and 30's with dry, cold winds, ice and snow. But then right in the middle of these cold days we will have a day in the 50's. Kansas weather: it's always an adventure.

  • sunnyborders
    9 years ago

    Re "an 'end' to the growing season" and "Who's in?".

    We live pretty close to Rouge in southern Ontario and my sister and I, as kids, used to help our mother garden in southern England.

    I now feel pretty acclimatized to the situation here.

    We usually count on seeing our very first snowdrop by St Patrick's Day (March 17), though it was a bit later this year.

    March 31, 2014

  • sunnyborders
    9 years ago

    Our typical response.
    Same date.

  • TNflowerlover Zone 7a
    9 years ago

    I had a killing frost/freeze....sort of. Despite many nights below 30 and some below 25, I still have many things that are green. I really need to get the leaf mulch down.....but, it is hard to know what to do when you still see stuff that is green.

  • sunnyborders
    9 years ago

    Things looking up by April.

    April 14, 2014.

  • wantonamara Z8 CenTex
    9 years ago

    Sitting here barefoot in shorts digging up a storm. Storms moving in from the south .75 today. The sprinkle today felt and smelled like spring. It went back to that crystal clear glorious sun with hints of orange in the trees.. Planting scuttelaria, callirhoes , salvia and all sorts of perennials. OOOOh I hear thunder.

  • whaas_5a
    9 years ago

    Killig frost? Ground is frozen solid with 10 consecutive days with a high below freezing it was 2 degrees this morning. it's the dead of winter right nowanybody got that hot poker ready to poke me in the eye?

  • southerngardening24
    9 years ago

    carolinaflowerlover: Same here. Still alot of green and some things are still blooming but ran into a lady from town today who told me she had a truckload of leaves to be hauled off. I asked for them and she brought them to my house. So I have been cutting things back today and will hopefully finish tomorrow and cover with leaves. It is hard to cut things back for me when they are still looking good but it's just time for me to get it done.

    Not sure if I will run the lawnmover over them to make mulch or just use the leaves the way they are. Any suggestions? Does it matter?

  • TNflowerlover Zone 7a
    9 years ago

    Mulching them will be better. If they are in smaller pieces, they are less likely to bind together and smother them. I think the occasional rain will hit the soil better that way, too. They will also break down better in the spring, too, which I like. :)

    I have a leaf blower that is also a vacuum/muncher. I LOVE it. ðÂÂÂ

    That is awesome about the load of leaves!

    I am going to cover today, too. I am pretty sure I am usually done by now....I just keep reading about not covering until everything is dormant. That is wise, but here in NC....I would wait forever for everything to go dormant. Lol

  • TNflowerlover Zone 7a
    9 years ago

    Floral, that fuchsia is beautiful!

    This post was edited by carolinaflowerlover on Sat, Nov 22, 14 at 11:36

  • southerngardening24
    9 years ago

    carolinaflowerlover: That makes perfect sense. Thank you.

    I need one of those leaf blowers. Same here, not everything goes completely dormant. Will have to finish up tomorrow.

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    9 years ago

    Back after a computer-enforced hiatus......dang things never work as they are supposed to!!

    Arctic blast only lasted about 4 days here - not enough to cause problems but long enough to assure us all that fall is pretty much over. Back to normal temps and typical Nov weather - mild, blustery, some drizzle, some sun.

    plantingman, the Puget Sound area is indeed stunning....snowcapped mountains, forests and beach front views available all over. I am not as far north as San Juans. I live just north of Bainbridge Island almost directly across the Sound from Seattle (my previous home)........just a short ferry ride from the big city but light years away in terms of hustle and bustle! And horrible traffic.

    We PNW'ers tend to be protective of our area and many will encourage the idea of a lot of bad weather. But it's not exactly true :-) We have no hurricanes, no tornados, no dust storms or Santa Ana winds, few brush fires and a summer drought that really isn't much of a big deal. Really the only natural disaster we worry about is the potential of a big earthquake but not much use worrying about something over which you have no control.......and certainly not a seasonal thing to worry about every year like other weather issues the rest of you face. And other a some slugs and snails, not even many insect pests to be concerned about

    We are mild in both summer and winter but with enough hot or cold weather to properly define the seasons. And our rainfall is greatly overstated :-) Even family that recently relocated here from coastal SoCal is entranced with both the setting and the weather.

    We can comfortably garden year round and our zone allows for perhaps the widest range of plant selection available to temperate area gardeners. And the scenery is unbeatable compared to anywhere else in the country I've visited.

    What's not to like??

  • moistbutwelldrained
    9 years ago

    gardengal, My brother lives in NE Seattle. When I visited this summer, I was amazed that he does not have any mosquitoes at all. Best kept secret of the PNW.
    MBWD

  • Tim
    9 years ago

    Gardengal, what is the climate like in the Seattle area for people who suffer from seasonal allergies? I have allergies and allergic asthma, which mean when my allergies start flaring up then I get asthma too. Is the Seattle area not a good place to be for people who have allergies or do seasonal allergy sufferers find relief from the Seattle climate?

  • sunnyborders
    9 years ago

    We know the North Shore of Vancouver pretty well, since my spouse's brother's family live in West Vancouver.

    His house has a balcony looking out over to the entrance to Howe Sound. All very scenic. But I'm really not one for heights.

    He's an architect who sank multiple piles into solid rock so that the extension he put onto his house will be ready for the Big One.

    It's true, there's incongruously no mosquitoes. But it's frequently overcast. Reminds me of the climate in my childhood in southern England. So frequently overcast.

    We live and garden in southern Ontario.

    And if you can keep away from the trees, it's usually sun, lots of sun and a wonderful place to mixed perennial garden.

    OK, there is the matter of winter. But that's what Florida's for.

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    9 years ago

    pantingman, I doubt you would see much relief from allergies here. At least in spring. Tree pollen is a biggie and the season seems to last a long time. Then comes weeds and grasses.....I'd guess the same as anywhere.

    Too dry here in summer for much issue with mosquitos ;-) They're here but not in volumes you see (or the size) in places like Minnesota - gosh, they were scary there!!

    Depends on where you are here as to how overcast it may be. Geographical issues create strange microclimates and I happen to live in a sunbelt kind of location. Where I lived in north Seattle was just the opposite.....tail end of the "convergence zone" and much wetter and grayer than where I am now.

    Hard to worry much about the Big One. When it comes, most of my area will wind up under water one way or another. Unless it hits CA instead :-) Not wishing any bad fortune on my southern neighbors, tho.

  • rusty_blackhaw
    9 years ago

    I'm just having trouble visualizing this as a "sunbelt" forecast. Or doing much winter gardening in such conditions.

    Some PNWers do seem to be hardy sorts. I remember a guy on another forum who said he enjoyed having a glass of wine on his patio in the dead of winter. I suppose that with some kind of roof over your head, a heavy sweater and a powerful space heater going full blast you could imagine you were living on the Riviera. ;)

  • zzackey
    9 years ago

    plantingman, I had no allergies until I moved to Georgia 8 years ago. I'm so tired of blowing my nose. We lived in Indian River county, Florida. I think the salt air breeze helped me to breathe better.

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    9 years ago

    One picks and chooses the days to garden in winter around here. By no means are all of them accommodating to such activity but we often go for extended stretches of clear, mild weather. I once planted an entire landscape the week before Christmas and yesterday morning I was out on my deck repotting some houseplants.......it was 55F and perfectly comfortable. Today, it is raining buckets ;-) Some days, it works, other days you stay inside!

    Since I garden professionally, winter slows my gardening activity but doesn't stop it for months on end. In addition to puttering about my own small garden, I am currently overseeing the installation of three designs I've completed.

    PNW'ers tend to be a bit nonchalant about weather here. My neighbor still bikes to the ferry every morning for the workday commute into town, rain or shine, as do dozens of other hardy souls.. And few natives ever bother with umbrellas. It's only the occasional odd snowfall that slows things down significantly. And those are few and far between.

  • sunnyborders
    9 years ago

    One implication for seasonally stopping work on gardens for months is that landscaping companies frequently hire new staff each spring.

    This is a reason why the quality of the work a company does may vary year-to-year (as noted by David Tomlinson).

  • catkin
    9 years ago

    The first frost while back it didn't kill much, though. Still have lots of stuff hanging on. The weather's been mild.

  • floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
    9 years ago

    Gardengal48 - your climate does sound a lot like ours. People walk and cycle all year round. I walk to work every day and hike year round too. We garden when we can throughout the winter and are as likely to be put off by rain as by cold. The phrase 'weather permitting' is a key item in our lexicon because it is just so variable. The ground doesn't freeze and bare root tree, shrub and perennial planting season is any time in Autumn, Winter or early Spring. So, winter is a key season for major works in the garden. This November is heading for being very warm with an average temperature of 54 degrees f.

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    9 years ago

    Yes, floral.......that's what they say :-) The PNW is closer to a UK climate than anywhere else in the continental US. It's that maritime, modified Mediterranean thing going on!

    Yesterday's downpour has gone due to a cold front moving in from the Bering Sea and so woke up to a light dusting of snow and clear blue skies this morning. Very festive and Christmas-y out there at the moment. And that's a good thing if several weeks early as I shall be in Mexico for the holidays and enjoying beaches and palm trees for Christmas!! A well deserved break from winter gardening :-)

  • floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
    9 years ago

    Well the Nasturtiums have finally bitten the dust. It must have got below freezing one night this week. But I have just had to mow the paths at the allotment again. I thought that was over for the year but the grass is still growing happily.

  • rusty_blackhaw
    9 years ago

    Weird climate evangelism is not confined to any one region of the country, of course. I was watching an episode of "Cops" this week based in Fort Worth, and the officer was going on about it being an ideal place to live while boasting of the "great weather".

    Um, even as a former Texan I don't quite see it as a fabulous climate, given the number of extreme events including scorching late spring/summer temps with numerous 100+ days, followed by winters alternating between mild days and blue norther-inspired temperature plunges into the 20s and lower accompanied by ice and snow. Some DFWians probably also believe they garden year-round, based on extended winter survival of things like pansies and ornamental cabbage.

    Maybe I should claim the same thing since I'm still harvesting brussels sprouts plus lettuce from the cold frame, and it's entirely possible the hellebores will once again manage a couple flowers during a winter thaw. But I'm actually getting a relaxing vacation from everyday garden and yard maintenance while enjoying the indoor light garden.

  • rosiew
    9 years ago

    eric_oh, I'm another former native Texan. People were looking at my cousin's home in Dallas, in August, with the predictable heat. Prospective buyer was fanning himself, said they were used to a Mediterranean climate. "Where are you from?" I asked.

    His reply: "Amarillo". Yeah, right, sure, whatever you say, dude. Still laugh every time I think of it.

    Rosie, Sugar Hill, GA

  • wantonamara Z8 CenTex
    9 years ago

    Mediterranean , EH. There are some damn hot areas in the Mediterranean. My sister was doing a story on these oyster farming women in Tunisia. It was 115,â¦.everyday she was there. That wind comes across the Saharra and it is not exactly Californian. LOLâ¦..As a Texan, I much prefer taking a swim on a 110 degree day than shoveling snow in 0F. I have done both. We are planting brussels sprouts here. Just planted some sugarsnaps and green manure. Working in my cactus garden, planting several small seedling trees and seedling perennials today. Amarillo does get some cooler nights in the summer than Dallas. I think we all get acclimatized to where we are at and it feels like home. I do think that weather grumbling and gloating are ALL due. I appreciate knowing that someone in northern Michigan has a nice moist cool green patch and no sweat rings under their pits when I am in the dog days of summer. It keeps me going when I am b*tching about the extreme heat has shriveled the grass and gives me hope for the cool beautiful fall. Like todayâ¦75F and sunny. Perfect Mediterranean weather. OOPS, a weather gloat. I hope it gives hope to those struggling with the intemperate woes of winter.

  • Campanula UK Z8
    9 years ago

    Mine too, Flora - total slime...but hey, got 34 willows, 14 roses, 30+ ash seedlings (in wild optimism), 24 garlic cloves and 3 astrantias in the ground today. Got back from Norfolk and now exhausted...but will have to drag myself round to clients to discuss some welcome work tomorrow (bloody landscaping though).

  • Tim
    9 years ago

    Almost everything is dormant now here in SC Kansas. My Diablo Ninebark and Summer Wine Ninebarks are turning a dark shade of red and will probably stay that way until the end of December. It's supposed to be 34 degrees Monday and then 57 next Friday. In January and February we will finally get down to the teens, but then back up into the 50's by March. That's KS for you.

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