. . . by the previous two winters. They were mild. And, whenever there was a threat of freezing temperatures, all the plants were just fine. It’s always warmer in my backyard than it is at the airport, ‘way out of town. So, this past December (I think it was), when low temps were forecast, I was an unbeliever. Oh, they’ll be fine I said to myself. And, the big cold front that was supposed to blow in after sundown, blew in a few hours earlier, and I went out and got a cute bougainvillea that I really liked. And I moved other stuff closer to the house, which has worked in the past. Then I came in, too chilled by the earlier-than-expected temperature drop to do much else.
And I lost most everything.
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- The Creeping Charlie (in the cone-shaped things) usually die in the winter, but last year they made it through. Not this year. The Watermelon Begonia in the hanging pot also disappeared in the freezing weather.
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- Lemongrass in the larger planter and five geraniums in the smaller one–all gone.
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- Almost everything in the fairy garden is gone.
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- There was an airplane plant in here that I’d had for YEARS! Not any more.
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- This was a Blue Daze that neighbors gave us when they moved. I loved it, and it survived life outdoors, for several winters, even some really cold ones, and it always came back. Not yet.
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- A “fuzzy” variety of Wandering Jew made it through the previous winter, and the pot was so full, I separated it and had two pots. All gone.
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- And I don’t ever remember what was in these pots. But it’s gone.
But, there’s some good news!
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- The lemongrass may have failed me, but the lemon balm, lemon thyme, lemon verbena, and lemon mint are looking good. (Lemon plants are supposed to be good at mosquito control.)
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- Everything in the herb garden made it through except the rosemary and the basil. That giant, bushy thing in the front is a bunch of chives!
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- The strawberry is already making flowers.
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- The mint always comes back, too.
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- I’ve had this sedum for fifteen years. It ALWAYS comes back! My favorite kind of plant.
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- This Coral Bells lost some leaves, but is still present.
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- Half the lavender plants made it.
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- This came from David’s Aunt Frances. It disappears at the first, merest hint of chilly weather. But it always comes back.
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- Raking out in the garden, I found, under leaves, three tiny airplane plants, that were little offshoots of larger ones I had out there. YAY!! I carefully dug them up and put them in the big bowl where airplane plants have lived before, the great, great-grandparents of these tiny guys.
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- The wood ferns are making their return.
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- And I ALWAYS forget this part of freezing weather. Turning off the water. This is a brand new timer, for the herb garden. And the entire, four-nozzle thing is new. The freezing water busted the old one right off the faucet.
The flowers are unfolding in the fields;
the birds are warming up their songs,
The cooing of the turtledove
is heard throughout the land.
Song of Solomon 2:12 (The Voice)
This photo, and I am so not making it up, is a picture that my phone took of the inside of my overalls’ bib pocket. Really. I was working outside and heard the click of a photo being taken. I looked down and saw that the smooth side of a snap, on the inside of the pocket, was right in line with the shutter button on the phone (which was facing forward but upside down). So, there you go. The machines are beginning to take over. I hope they can live peacefully with the plants and flowers.