The New Year is upon us and as always I am looking upon it with great expectations. In many ways, this has been a trying year and I am not regretting its passing.
The severe weather that we just experienced in Central Alabama has caused visible damage and to our plants untold damage yet unseen. Here in the American South, there is still some color to show but also a glimmer of the damage done.
It was a flash freeze that we experienced here with the temps dropping 40 degrees F in just a few hours to temperatures we rarely record.
Here are my pics for today.
First, here is some of the color before the freeze. The Majestic pansy and the kerria were so bright and cheerful.
Second, here were some other window box items that were doing so well. The red sorrel and the curly parsley are now history. The succulent may survive.
Third, here is the ageratum which had been surviving through several mild frost days. It will have to wait until spring weather to see if it survives. I am optimistic.
Fourth, here is a sasanqua camellia. It shows some leaf damage from the freeze that I have never seen before but there is enough green and a bud to hold out promise.
Fifth, I show you a Rudbeckia ‘Indian Summer’ which I protected in my little vinyl greenhouse. It is a survivor.
Finally, there are a pair of other tender plants which I shelterd in the greenhouse and they will survive to bloom another day.
There is a geranium (Pelargonium) here and a shrimp plant.
There has been a lot of damage to water pipes in our area. Many buildings do not have the insulation for the pipes to survive the severity of cold we had and so much of the distribution systems are aged and frail. These problems will take time to fix and may result in more stringent building codes.
Happy New Year and Happy Gardening!
Thank you to Jim Stephens for hosting Six on Saturday Come visit our merry band and enjoy the thoughts and labors of gardeners around our planet.
