The sunset sky
So sheer an apricot,
Blue behind it shimmers through.
Not quite tropical, thinks me.
Suddenly it turns
Electric Mango.
We've had three, or is it four?, cold fronts since I've been here. Apparently, in Florida, a cold front is anything that causes the temp to drop beneath 80. But this time they mean it. Low for my area is predicted to be in the 20's. And I've just transplanted a new bed. They're all fairly hardy and I would have no concern at all if they had just been in long enough to become established. But they haven't.
The plants I put into the bed along the porch might be OK. There are some pansies in full bloom with their sweet and delicate looking little faces. But I think they'll be fine--much tougher than they look. And the sunset colors oxalis
(relax, it's not at all invasive) with it's tiny, short stem yellow flowers also in full bloom. And, uh-oh, two glorious chartreuse coleus with deep, deep, purple, almost black, blotches at the base of each leaf. They are never going to survive a dip into the 20's without help. I got a couple of empty plastic pots and covered the coleus.
Then there are all the ones in their containers waiting for transplant: four coontie, two starburst clerodendrum, one starfruit tree, and one grapefruit tree. Not worried about the grapefruit. It's about five feet tall, too young for fruit, and perfectly capable of standing up to a drop in temp. But the wind has already blown it over. So I put it inside a large, pot-bellied, terra cotta pot. All other container plants into the garage which gets closed at night. They'll be fine.
Now to the back bed with the new transplants. Three sheets, some bamboo stakes, and clothespins make a tent for them. The north wind is blowing like mad already, so just visualize the action trying to spread sheets and then keep them where you want them. It took me four different re-visits to the tents with additional clothespins, more stakes, and additional weights for the edges before I got it to my satisfaction.
Nothing left to do but to try and protect the two newly planted elephant ear type plants inside the pool enclosure. They hate both wind and cold. One is an Alocasia, African Mask type, with small, rather thick leaves. The other is a Colcasia, a black elephant ear. Leaves are about 12" x 8", held on foot high, slightly drooping stems. The slightest breeze sets them to swaying. Now, it's pillowcase and bamboo stake time. The African Mask is easy, the pillowcase just pops right over it. The African Mask requires more finesse. I have to take each separate leaf (4 in all) and carefully sorta roll and stuff them inside the pillow case. These leaves are thin and delicate. But, I do get them all safely inside the pillowcase.
A ferocious wind blows directly out of the north. But they say this is a good thing because it will prevent frost. It will freeze but not frost and apparently frost is more damaging than freeze.
Day dawns quite cold. It's time to check the damages. Garage pots all good, but it's still very cold and very, very, windy. I leave them there. Pansies and oxalis don't seem to have noticed anything.
Both still in full bloom and no leaf burn or wilt at all. The coleus planted in the corner was shielded from the north wind by the garage and sustained a little leaf burn, but clearly, will recover. The one on the other end of the bed has been blasted. All leaves curled and crunchy, except for a couple of very small ones right at the center of the plant. Maybe it will recover.
Grapefruit tree, blown over, terra cotta pot and all. Wind still blowing, pick it up tomorrow.
The tents on the newly planted bed have been half ripped off. I go ahead and finish the job. All the blooms and buds on the white hibiscus and the pink Turk's cap have been blasted. The flame bush was also in full bloom, but has retained most of it. The poor little red salvias and white salvias really took a blast. All of the plants in this bed have burn on some leaves, blast on other leaves, but will recover, except maybe the salvia--but they're annuals, so no big deal. Everything just looks a little sad and scraggly right now.
It's still cold and the wind is so bad I decide to leave the pillowcases on the elephant ears. Later it rains. Next day I'm faced with trying to remove a soaked pillowcase without breaking the delicate leaves stuffed inside. Fortunately, thanks to the bamboo stakes at the corners of the pillowcase, it comes off easily, without any harm to the plant. The oldest of the big leaves is pretty well toasted. It was already on its way out before the storm hit. The others each have a scalloped etching of burn along their margins.
I think it's a lovely varigation. I would love it if I didn't know it's injury caused. The pillowcase on the smaller, thicker leave, African Mask comes right off without incident. It appears to be virtually unharmed.
That was over a week ago. The pansies continue to carry on as if nothing happened. The protected coleus is looking very good. The blasted coleus is struggling to survive. The plants still in pots have all been planted out except for the grapefruit (which is now standing up again) and the star fruit. They both have to wait for their beds to be constructed before they can be planted.
The plants in the newly planted bed keep showing new damages and looking very scraggy, but they are also setting new bloom. Even the salvias are rebounding and putting on lots of leaves and one of the white ones is showing a bud.
The Black Elephant Ear is about the same. The African Mask only started showing it's damage a couple of days after the event. It's extensive. All leaves are wilting and mushy and showing brown splotches. The only hope is one small, as yet unfurled, leaf. Fortunately I also have a bunch of knee-hi sweet peas in that pot that help to camouflage the ugliness. They seem to have reveled in the temp drop.
So sheer an apricot,
Blue behind it shimmers through.
Not quite tropical, thinks me.
Suddenly it turns
Electric Mango.
We've had three, or is it four?, cold fronts since I've been here. Apparently, in Florida, a cold front is anything that causes the temp to drop beneath 80. But this time they mean it. Low for my area is predicted to be in the 20's. And I've just transplanted a new bed. They're all fairly hardy and I would have no concern at all if they had just been in long enough to become established. But they haven't.
The plants I put into the bed along the porch might be OK. There are some pansies in full bloom with their sweet and delicate looking little faces. But I think they'll be fine--much tougher than they look. And the sunset colors oxalis
(relax, it's not at all invasive) with it's tiny, short stem yellow flowers also in full bloom. And, uh-oh, two glorious chartreuse coleus with deep, deep, purple, almost black, blotches at the base of each leaf. They are never going to survive a dip into the 20's without help. I got a couple of empty plastic pots and covered the coleus.Then there are all the ones in their containers waiting for transplant: four coontie, two starburst clerodendrum, one starfruit tree, and one grapefruit tree. Not worried about the grapefruit. It's about five feet tall, too young for fruit, and perfectly capable of standing up to a drop in temp. But the wind has already blown it over. So I put it inside a large, pot-bellied, terra cotta pot. All other container plants into the garage which gets closed at night. They'll be fine.
Now to the back bed with the new transplants. Three sheets, some bamboo stakes, and clothespins make a tent for them. The north wind is blowing like mad already, so just visualize the action trying to spread sheets and then keep them where you want them. It took me four different re-visits to the tents with additional clothespins, more stakes, and additional weights for the edges before I got it to my satisfaction.
Nothing left to do but to try and protect the two newly planted elephant ear type plants inside the pool enclosure. They hate both wind and cold. One is an Alocasia, African Mask type, with small, rather thick leaves. The other is a Colcasia, a black elephant ear. Leaves are about 12" x 8", held on foot high, slightly drooping stems. The slightest breeze sets them to swaying. Now, it's pillowcase and bamboo stake time. The African Mask is easy, the pillowcase just pops right over it. The African Mask requires more finesse. I have to take each separate leaf (4 in all) and carefully sorta roll and stuff them inside the pillow case. These leaves are thin and delicate. But, I do get them all safely inside the pillowcase.
A ferocious wind blows directly out of the north. But they say this is a good thing because it will prevent frost. It will freeze but not frost and apparently frost is more damaging than freeze.
Day dawns quite cold. It's time to check the damages. Garage pots all good, but it's still very cold and very, very, windy. I leave them there. Pansies and oxalis don't seem to have noticed anything.
Both still in full bloom and no leaf burn or wilt at all. The coleus planted in the corner was shielded from the north wind by the garage and sustained a little leaf burn, but clearly, will recover. The one on the other end of the bed has been blasted. All leaves curled and crunchy, except for a couple of very small ones right at the center of the plant. Maybe it will recover.Grapefruit tree, blown over, terra cotta pot and all. Wind still blowing, pick it up tomorrow.
The tents on the newly planted bed have been half ripped off. I go ahead and finish the job. All the blooms and buds on the white hibiscus and the pink Turk's cap have been blasted. The flame bush was also in full bloom, but has retained most of it. The poor little red salvias and white salvias really took a blast. All of the plants in this bed have burn on some leaves, blast on other leaves, but will recover, except maybe the salvia--but they're annuals, so no big deal. Everything just looks a little sad and scraggly right now.
It's still cold and the wind is so bad I decide to leave the pillowcases on the elephant ears. Later it rains. Next day I'm faced with trying to remove a soaked pillowcase without breaking the delicate leaves stuffed inside. Fortunately, thanks to the bamboo stakes at the corners of the pillowcase, it comes off easily, without any harm to the plant. The oldest of the big leaves is pretty well toasted. It was already on its way out before the storm hit. The others each have a scalloped etching of burn along their margins.
I think it's a lovely varigation. I would love it if I didn't know it's injury caused. The pillowcase on the smaller, thicker leave, African Mask comes right off without incident. It appears to be virtually unharmed.That was over a week ago. The pansies continue to carry on as if nothing happened. The protected coleus is looking very good. The blasted coleus is struggling to survive. The plants still in pots have all been planted out except for the grapefruit (which is now standing up again) and the star fruit. They both have to wait for their beds to be constructed before they can be planted.
The plants in the newly planted bed keep showing new damages and looking very scraggy, but they are also setting new bloom. Even the salvias are rebounding and putting on lots of leaves and one of the white ones is showing a bud.
The Black Elephant Ear is about the same. The African Mask only started showing it's damage a couple of days after the event. It's extensive. All leaves are wilting and mushy and showing brown splotches. The only hope is one small, as yet unfurled, leaf. Fortunately I also have a bunch of knee-hi sweet peas in that pot that help to camouflage the ugliness. They seem to have reveled in the temp drop.
No comments:
Post a Comment