I attempted to do some editing as it approached forty degrees and lasted about half an hour. It was too cold to concentrate.
It was thirty when I woke up and dropped to twenty eight when it should have begun warming. We have done that kind of cold before and nothing happened. This time there was some minor frost bite. The native wild flowers seemed to be the most affected.
I don't know if it was the cold, the vicious wind or the combination. Something went wrong.
And yet things I would have expected to be toast looked just fine. Even the Japanese Maples that had broken bud looked pretty good.
I expect the trilliums to survive a minor blast of cold. I have seen trilliums freeze in a long lasting low twenties cold. That is what is on tap for tonight. It is thirty three degrees at sunset. We are off to a bad start.
The wind calmed during the day. Now the wind must die. I want my inversion. The warm air must rise.
There have been plenty of times I have woken to warmer temperatures than when I went to bed. Let this be one of those nights. The minor frost bite I saw today will be magnified many times over if it lingers in the mid to low twenties for any length of time. I'd prefer that not happen.
The wind must die.
No matter what happens the garden will grow on. The chores of a spring garden will continue. It's time I found a table and chairs for the finished basement patio. I expect to be setting outside and admiring things in no time.
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6 comments:
I am so ready for this wind and cold to go away. It is rather depressing. I have had some damage to plants that popped up quick this spring. I imagine they will survive but are set-back somewhat. As they say...this too shall pass.
I hope hope hope the cold isn't too damaging! Your patio is looking great, and it should be so good to sit out there. I wonder if you would mind if I borrowed the inset swirls for my little front yard? I want to plant more native plants, but it needs to look like there is a plan somewhere. :-)
It's hard to believe, but you could be describing just what we've been experiencing in central Illinois lately. I'm ready for warmer temps, but most of all, I just want the wind to stop! Hope everything in your garden survives the frosty nips.
Lisa I have seen these late damaging freezes all to often. Set back is the proper wording. They always grow back and the set back can be mild to severe.
Jan O you may certainly borrow my swirl. I don't have a trademark or patent on it. A little bit a structure can go a long way in giving a wild garden a feeling of design and intent.
Rose my climate zone up high is pretty much the same as central Illinois and Indiana. The wind up here can get fierce when it is pushing over the mountains. It is a wonder the trees can handle it the way they do.
We've had wind in Kentucky as well. And the cold temps. Both can take a break, as far as I'm concerned. Then only good thing that's come from the wind is downed dead branches. Lots of them. And those I covet.
We've recently cleared a hillside of brambles, lonicera Japanica, etc.c and discovered a trench dug into it where a previous owner buried their garbage. My son and I excavated the garbage, but were left with a bigger trench, sometimes two feet deep.
So we've started filling it with downed branches, shredded paper and cardboard, and dug up clumps of weedy grasses that were left in the desiccating wind to ensure death (that sounds harsh), dumped in roots up. Then we use a pick ax to redistribute dirt into the trench. The fancy term is probably hugelkultur. I call it sculpting the hillside; my son calls it a lot of hard work. But there's less junk buried in my garden, and a more or less level area for plants.
I hope all survived.
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