Catscankim
Well-Known Member
I know you are thinking "poor babies, it's one day" LOL. But it is going to go below freezing tonight. My facebook garden group is buzzing with all sorts of things to save your babies. Garden centers are out of plant blankets since early in the week.
Over the past few years, I have spent a lot of money on my plants. If I lose everything I'm just going to throw rocks in my garden beds and call it a day.
I just planted a bird of paradise, crossandras, gardenias, pentas, and monkey grass in my front garden. I have a small royal poincianna that has been struggling since the day I planted it last year...I'm afraid that it isn't going to survive this no matter what. Oh my gosh, banana trees, a lime tree, orange tree, mango tree. My iris finally gave me flowers yesterday (the little bugger). It's in a huge pot that I have no clue how I'm going to get into the house, then drag it somewhere the cat doesn't get it cause it is grassy-like. Three pineapples that are also in big pots that I don't know how I'm going to get in the house....one of those buggers just started sprouting a pineapple after three years of waiting. They are really sharp too, so I guess I'm going to suffer some battle wounds. I have so much aloe that I can't budge the pots. Two bougainvilleas that reach the roof of the house that I'm not even going to attempt to cover with their two inch thorns lol. Everybody say you can't kill these things. I hope not. My plumeria is probably going to be a goner.
IN the house...two desert rose, plumeria cuttings, all of my orchids, vanilla orchid, succulents, joseph's coat rose, elephant ears, mandellas, lantana, seed trays, ferns, turmeric. Luckily I haven't gotten around to planting any of those in the ground yet. Procrastination paid off LOL.
Another big challenge is my white bird of paradise plant/monster. I keep it in the porch in a HUGE pot. It's about 6' tall. I am losing the battle of keeping it small lol. When I got it, it was a small end-table size plant. I thought it was going to be as big as a regular bird of paradise...if you live in Florida, don't make this mistake. It gets HUGE. I researched it and it is supposed to grow to 30'. Like, where am I going to put a 30' plant (and be able to maintain it)...I thought that it would stay smaller on the porch...it has a different agenda. It just keeps growing. We have a few at work that I just realized what they were...they reach the 3rd floor of the hospital. I'd put a heater out there, but I have to work tonight overnight, so I don't want to leave a space heater unattended.
Oh and my two hibiscus that I keep by the shed in big pots. I have had them like that for three years, just last week I was thinking that I should put them in the ground. Glad I didn't lol. I managed to drag one of them into the shed yesterday. Gotta figure out how to get the other one in there. Maybe I was just too tired since I had been working out there all day. So I will give it a go again today.
And only in Florida can you just switch the thermostat from AC to heat without stopping at the off setting LOL. I went to bed last night with the air on (I'm a hot sleeper)...woke up and turned on the heat lol. Honestly, I wasn't even sure it worked because I don't think I have ever needed it.
I'm beginning to think that big storms are easier (as far as your plants go). You just get your smaller stuff in so they don't blow over, and the big plants usually survive especially if it is a tropical plant. This freeze is going to kill everything.
Just remembered my baby coconut palm that I grew from a coconut (yes, you can just grab a coconut off the roadside and put it in the ground lol). It's only about knee-high, just getting established. I guess that one is gonna be a goner too.
I'm in zone 10a. We aren't supposed to have these problems. You can plant year-round. Most of everything is in a spare bedroom, but other things were too heavy for me to get in there without damaging the floor. So the cat keeps keeping an eye on everything waiting for me to leave "and now we feast" LOL.
Over the past few years, I have spent a lot of money on my plants. If I lose everything I'm just going to throw rocks in my garden beds and call it a day.
I just planted a bird of paradise, crossandras, gardenias, pentas, and monkey grass in my front garden. I have a small royal poincianna that has been struggling since the day I planted it last year...I'm afraid that it isn't going to survive this no matter what. Oh my gosh, banana trees, a lime tree, orange tree, mango tree. My iris finally gave me flowers yesterday (the little bugger). It's in a huge pot that I have no clue how I'm going to get into the house, then drag it somewhere the cat doesn't get it cause it is grassy-like. Three pineapples that are also in big pots that I don't know how I'm going to get in the house....one of those buggers just started sprouting a pineapple after three years of waiting. They are really sharp too, so I guess I'm going to suffer some battle wounds. I have so much aloe that I can't budge the pots. Two bougainvilleas that reach the roof of the house that I'm not even going to attempt to cover with their two inch thorns lol. Everybody say you can't kill these things. I hope not. My plumeria is probably going to be a goner.
IN the house...two desert rose, plumeria cuttings, all of my orchids, vanilla orchid, succulents, joseph's coat rose, elephant ears, mandellas, lantana, seed trays, ferns, turmeric. Luckily I haven't gotten around to planting any of those in the ground yet. Procrastination paid off LOL.
Another big challenge is my white bird of paradise plant/monster. I keep it in the porch in a HUGE pot. It's about 6' tall. I am losing the battle of keeping it small lol. When I got it, it was a small end-table size plant. I thought it was going to be as big as a regular bird of paradise...if you live in Florida, don't make this mistake. It gets HUGE. I researched it and it is supposed to grow to 30'. Like, where am I going to put a 30' plant (and be able to maintain it)...I thought that it would stay smaller on the porch...it has a different agenda. It just keeps growing. We have a few at work that I just realized what they were...they reach the 3rd floor of the hospital. I'd put a heater out there, but I have to work tonight overnight, so I don't want to leave a space heater unattended.
Oh and my two hibiscus that I keep by the shed in big pots. I have had them like that for three years, just last week I was thinking that I should put them in the ground. Glad I didn't lol. I managed to drag one of them into the shed yesterday. Gotta figure out how to get the other one in there. Maybe I was just too tired since I had been working out there all day. So I will give it a go again today.
And only in Florida can you just switch the thermostat from AC to heat without stopping at the off setting LOL. I went to bed last night with the air on (I'm a hot sleeper)...woke up and turned on the heat lol. Honestly, I wasn't even sure it worked because I don't think I have ever needed it.
I'm beginning to think that big storms are easier (as far as your plants go). You just get your smaller stuff in so they don't blow over, and the big plants usually survive especially if it is a tropical plant. This freeze is going to kill everything.
Just remembered my baby coconut palm that I grew from a coconut (yes, you can just grab a coconut off the roadside and put it in the ground lol). It's only about knee-high, just getting established. I guess that one is gonna be a goner too.
I'm in zone 10a. We aren't supposed to have these problems. You can plant year-round. Most of everything is in a spare bedroom, but other things were too heavy for me to get in there without damaging the floor. So the cat keeps keeping an eye on everything waiting for me to leave "and now we feast" LOL.
. I took a few cuttings off of it the day before just in case I needed to start from scratch. Now I have a lot of plumeria lol.
