Hello there, my fellow frozen flower freaks from Texas! I hope everyone’s power is still going strong and water pipes are not frozen. All’s fine here, so far, in Carthage. It was 22 this morning at 8:30, but the sun is shining and the temps are rising quickly to about 50. Yesterday was cloudy with a high a 30, so I’m happy for today’s weather.
I planted three dormant, bareroot rose bushes in my garden about two weeks ago. The varieties are Double Delight, Love, and Just Joey. I’ll write more about them in a separate post. Anyway. Because of the warmer weather since I planted them, they have already started showing new leaf buds popping out. Yay!! Well, yay until this way too cold cold front decided to roll through. lol I very rarely cold protect my roses since most of what I grow are Old Garden Roses or older varieties that have proven themselves to be hardy through almost any weather. But. I knew those new little leaf buds would be very susceptible to cold damage, so I scrounged around for something to cover them with, and decided on 5-gallon buckets and an empty barrel container. The barrel container doesn’t have holes drilled in it yet, so I didn’t have to worry about taping over them.
Excuse the messy beds. I don’t want to get rid of the grass until I have pine straw on hand for mulch. Finally found a garden center that has some in stock, so that chore gets added to my to-do list soon.
Tonight is back down to 23, so I’ll put the covers back on them about 5:00 this afternoon. That’ll give them time to trap the heat in before the cold evening begins.
Almost anything can be used to cover our plants during cold weather: frost cloth, burlap, sheets, blankets, buckets, etc. Plastic should be used as an absolute last resort because of two things: 1. It can conduct cold to the areas where it is actually touching the plant, and 2. If left on when the sun is up, it heats up way too much for the plant it’s covering. Think of those times you’ve walked into a covered greenhouse in the summer; that’s what it feels like to your plant it’s covering. If you do have to use plastic, try to drape it over something to keep it from touching the plant, and remove it asap once the sun comes out. Also remember if it’s just a light frost, then laying a covering over top of the plant should be sufficient warmth. If a hard freeze is expected, like last night and tonight, then be sure the covering goes to the ground and is weighted down to trap heat in. Tying the bottom of the covering to the trunk of the plant does no good.
I know I’m ready for winter to be over. I’m not a cold weather person at all. Spring will be here next month, and that makes me very happy!
Happy digging in the dirt.
Jeanni and Ziva
Beautiful Gardens Begin Here
