Saturday, October 13, 2012

Jack Frost Comes Calling

Last night, a hard frost brought the 2012 growing season to a screeching halt at Idyll Haven.  Usually I dodge the first few predicted frosts, but not this year.  At first I was skeptical.  We all know how network TV horribly hypes weather these days.  But when those lying weather bastards lowered the predicted overnight temps to 27 F they got my full attention.  So instead of my usual approach of tossing caution to the wind, I dashed around after work and tossed a bunch of plants into the garage for safe keeping (Deanne...please note the yellow Abutilon on the far left).




And it's a good thing I did.  Even though I know the end is inevitable, what really irritates me the most about this particular frost was that last night was an aberration.  When you look at the extended forecast, there isn't a night under 40 F in the foreseeable future.  Boo!  Hiss!  Last year we didn't get frosted until the end of October and then it was a freak snow storm that blew out my power for six days and forced me to move out of my house (don't get me started on that fiasco).  But even when considering the possible alternatives this whole end of season business is not easy for a gardener to accept.

My mom is visiting for the weekend on her way to Florida for the winter so I guess she isn't the only one heading south.  And by now you'd think I'd be used to a climate that can take this...




And in just a few short hours turn it into this...






Despite the challenges 2012 was a good season, but the time has come to clean up and move forward.



Sue~







20 comments:

  1. It's hard to see all your efforts wiped out so quickly. I'm not sure I would like to garden year round though.

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    1. Truly Michelle, we are always sad to see the season end but are glad for the winter break from gardening

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    2. As much as I enjoy the garden, year round gardening does not interest me. In fact, I don't even like taking care of house plants.

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  2. Boo hiss indeed. I lost my Red Abysinnian Banana as I just could not deal with one more thing Friday night. I hope the big brugmansias have live wood under all the mushy top growth. I don't ever remember a year where we didn't get any frost but bam, a hard freeze. It must have been down to the mid 20's to cause that much freeze damage to things. I thought the brugs and banana would be OK as they've survived a light frost OK in the past but Oh well. We'll see what we see.

    And yes, the first thing I noticed in your pic was the yellow abutilon. So very glad you saved that one. It's a winner.

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    1. You're right-usually a hard freeze follows at least a couple of light frosts. No transitional weather seemed to be the theme from summer to fall as well. If we go from a moderate fall to a snow storm I may just move...lol.

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  3. So sad to see your lovely pot (?) come to such a sudden end. Will you overwinter the ones you moved to your garage? If so, how do you do that? Do you have lights set up somewhere?

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    1. Hi Leslie-I do bring a few plants in for the winter. Usually the Agaves, a few foliage geraniums, Acalphas and Abutilons go in a sunny window or on the few shelves I have set up with lights. I also store a few things dormant in the basement like Colocasias and Brugmansias as well as canna and dahlia tubers.

      For a plant to survive the winter in my house it must prefer very little water or care :).

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  4. Too early, too soon! My wonder nasturtiums which delighted me all season and were still giant mounds of fresh foliage and bright flowers in October, got all mushed. The whole area smelled like peppery nasturtium leaves, quite strong! This frost was a one-off, but it certainly brought things to a halt fast.

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    1. It brught things to a screaming halt. Tonight I went out to take some Bloom Day pictures but didn't find much. Oh well...maybe with an early start I'll be able to get all the fall clkeanup done this year before Thanksgiving.

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  5. Comment left from Danger Garden (the reason I should not moderate blog comments from my phone):

    "The first frost is never welcome around here, and news hype even less so. I swear some of them even enjoy delivering bad news cranked up to the nth degree.

    Glad you had time to pull a few of your favs into a protected area."

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    1. Haha, I've accidentally deleted a few comments via phone moderation!

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    2. Once the finger slips off "publish" and hits "delete" you're done. No second chances here.

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  6. I can't believe it's over already! We were back in the 90s today...What a great summer it was!

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    1. Above average temps predicted here for the upcoming week makes this frost an even more bitter pill to swallow. Oh well, time to thankful it wasn't snow, build a bridge and get over it.

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  7. Soon your garden will look beautiful all covered with white & you can sit in front of the fireplace drinking hot cocoa and perusing new plant catalogs. Sorry that your freeze was so sudden though.

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  8. Another reason I don't live in Edmonton nearer DD. They've had snow that didn't melt already. Glad THEY love it!

    This week we have nothing but rain again, so cleanup of annuals has been impossibgle so far. The tree leaves all fell in one single day. What a mushy mess to clear....

    Frankly I look forward to different activities at this stage.

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  9. Mother Nature brought the curtain down early and hard this year, didn't she? I lost much less than you, of course.

    So, your mother is on her way to Florida. Smart mother. That is a good idea.

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  10. Call me crazy, Sue, but I can't wait for the next shift in the garden, when all those tender plants get frosted; that's when the conifers and other evergreens take center stage. Yes, I'm a crazy 365 gardening man. Outdoors, indoors, garage. Wahoo! Cheers on you.

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    Replies
    1. The beauty of gardening is there is something for everyone, Lee :).

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