So on Wednesday afternoon, more than a week after our cold and wind first arrived, things finally felt less fierce outside (meaning my skin no longer hurt as soon as I stepped out the door), So to celebrate I suited Lila up for the long haul and we went for a decent walk. This scene is just up the street at the corner...
Perhaps a fairy house? Fairies furnish with mushrooms right?
Another alternative dwelling further along our walk, this one for humans and up above my head. I've glimpsed it in the summertime and it looks so darn welcoming then. Now? Not so much, unless there's a space heater and warm sleeping bags.
The first time I noticed this tree it was was bare, but not this year. It had been so warm that most of the trees hadn't even realized it was autumn. Then all of a sudden it was winter. Leaves frozen in place.
Appears to be a good year for persimmons though.
This same house has one of my early loquat crushes...
It's grown quite a bit!
Just up the street is this. I like the somewhat unconventional street-side privacy hedge...
This is just one of the results of our windstorm. There were trees and branches down all over the neighborhood and this fence just sort of imploded on its own.
Long time readers will recognize this, the origin of many of my opuntia pads, and it's multiplying madly! All those leaves, that's not going to be fun.
I've planted so many blue fescue over the years, mine look like crap a year or two in. Brown bits overtaking the blue. These are in a garden that nobody has tended to for years, and yet they have that fabulous blue/green coloring I love. It's not fair!
We're back home now. The tetrapanax is sad, not quite done for the season, but not really up for much living.
The blooms I had such hope for have gone limp.
The foliage on the yellow-blooming edgeworthia is freeze-dried in place. At least the blooms look good, in fact there are more than ever before.
The orange-blooming edgeworthia looks even worse, it will be interesting to see how long it takes to let those leaves go.
The Salvia discolor has turned to the brown and white coloration which I love so much. Since the lowest temperature recorded in the garden thus far is only 27F I'm kind of surprised they've given up so quickly.
Thankfully the Echium candicans 'Star of Madeira' isn't giving up quite so easily. If an abnormally warm winter were to follow who knows, maybe this one might make it!
My test Echeveria secunda still looks good after our quick freeze. I've got 3 more plants to plant out next spring, hopefully this test subject will demonstrate that's a smart idea.
This poor Opuntia polyacantha decided to flop over, perhaps in an attempt to protect that tiny agave pup?
The Euphorbia 'Blackbird' is looking quite lovely and dark...
Unlike the Pennisetum purpureum Vertigo®, which has lost most all of its color...
What used to be almost black is white or silver. It seemed to be the cold winds which sucked all the life out of the plant.
Not this one!
Grevillea x 'Neil Bell' is a cold weather work horse.
The stock tank pond has had a frozen top for a week now. The ice can be moved, the sides aren't frozen but the top layer is thick.
Thankfully my small Grevillea x gaudichaudii was unscathed by the chill.
The same can be said for the leaves an buds on the Stachyurus salicifolius.
This just might be the biggest surprise. Some parts of the Melianthus major 'Antonow's Blue' were frost-bit but for the most part not a sign of any damage. Crazy!
These are just a few of the Echium wildpretii from the rescue. There are others in containers elsewhere (that I forgot to photograph) but these 5 seem to be doing okay. The two in front were taken inside for the coldest spell, those on the back row stayed out for the entire event.
These two were planted out in September, They look bad but I think they'll snap back, as long as worse temps don't knock them down.
The one on the top left came from Cistus last sping and had all summer to grow strong. The others (there's a small one behind) are looking a little fried but alive. That's all I ask at this point...
All material © 2009-2014 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.
