All year, I've been saying to myself, April 15th, don't plant anything before April 15th. However, as I pulled in my driveway this afternoon, I made plans with my kids to plant some seeds tomorrow. I figured, it's April 10th and it's 80 plus degrees, we must be safe.

I guess I'll wait until next weekend!! Yikes the weather can be crazy sometimes.

Deirdre, seeds should be fine, unless they will sprout by the next weekend. If they will sprout in less than 9 days, then maybe you are wise to wait....

The forecast here in northwestern Spartanburg County calls for 33F on Sun. night - since I am usually 2-5 degrees colder than the forecast calls for, I expect to get at least some frost. Mon. seems to call for the same...... I expect I will be out, covering all the newly sprouted hostas, etc., and hoping the hydrangeas and other shrubs won't lose all their leaves. Last year, all over again, I only hope not so bad!

All I can say is PLEASE NOT AGAIN! Last year was unbearable :(

I'm sorry guys, it's my fault. I looked at the extended forecast and didn't see anything threatening, so I put all my tender potted plants outside. That evening was the first mention of possible frost next week.

I am totally freaking out at this point. I have several hydrangeas that were just leafing out when the LAST frost we had back in March hit them and did some damage. They were just starting to look like they might pull through, now this...

I'm planning on putting terra cotta pots over as many of my hydrangeas as I can and covering my hostas with pine needles. All my tender things are in pots and can come in. I'm worried about some of my other shrubs that are just now starting to leaf out and went through this last year, but don't know what else I can do.

I'm going to make sure I water my yard well over the weekend.

Dana, I'm afraid I have to share culpability with you. I started unloading the garage garden last week. I can't see how I'm going to wrestle/jigsaw puzzle that stuff back in there. We may have to move that last car out.

When I read the title to this post my first thought was "No, don't say that..." Maybe it'll just be low 30's and nothing will get hurt. At least it's not the 20 degrees we got last year.

Well, we know these weather forecasters are merely guessing, but I am still concerned (translate: freaking out). My blueberries, which lost all buds to last year's freeze, are blooming! AGH! I can't bear to lose them again. . .I'll try to wrap them or cover them somehow.
Of course I planned to take two "garden days" on Monday and Tuesday, thinking surely it would be late enough. . .Looks like I will have to share in the blame with hollyclyff and karen_w. :)

They are forecasting light snow for us Sunday night in the mountains. Thank goodness the only things that are trying to grow up here are the daffodils and I don't think this will hurt them. I planted some impatien seeds that haven't sprouted. Think this will hurt them? It is supposed to rain Sunday during the day so I think that could provide a little insulating layer of ice to my ground. Since nothing has really sprouted I should be OK...right?

Our crepe myrtles just started leafing out today. Last year, they were zapped and looked horrible. :-(

I sure hope we don't get frost. I'm not going to take any heroic measures this year like last year. I'm not sure all that covering and uncovering really did a lot of good overall. If this is going to be our weather pattern, then my plants are just going to have to tough it out! Survival of the fittest! :-)

I haven't purchased any plants this spring. I have been dividing and rearranging the garden already, but those are "free" so to speak. Old reliables like nepeta, oregano, perennial heliotrope, monarda and helianthus. If the transplants don't make it, I can divide more next year.

Cameron

This weekend is the one year anniversary of the "Big Freeze" of last year.
At a nursery yesterday, every purchase was followed with- we expect 32 degrees on Sunday night- keep it in the garage and plant it next week.

I lost my blueberries and azaleas (flowers and fruit) last year.
I wonder how well I have to protect them for our forecast of 32F low? (hopefully it will just be a few hours)

I have lightweight row cover (remay) but I am only able to get it over the top of the shrubs - it's not like I can totally wrap them the way I have it set up now. Should I figure out how to wrap them better?

seahorse

We're putting the potted stuff and trays back into the gh or other outbuilding, but things in the ground can fend for itself. I don't think it helped much last year to cover it all, but that was a much colder temp. If we get anything it'll be a very minor light frost. So annuals and tender perrenials/tropicals need to go in, the rest should do well enough.

Rosebush, I'm freaking out too!!!

Carla

Wow, they're really guessing on this one...the Weather Channel has Gibsonville at lows of 38/37F for Monday/Tuesday; Accuweather.com claims 30/37F; and my local newspaper "predicts" 32/33F! Meteorologists...what a scam!! ;)

Right now (WRAL) is showing Tuesday night as 34, but the following nights will be in the 40s-50s. So if it goes lower, I'm hoping that one frost won't do the damage of night-after-night like last spring.

What a beautiful day! We took a long hike on the nature trails at the Botanical Gardens (Chapel Hill). Our greyhound is exhausted, but happy! :-)

Cameron

So far, this doesn't look anything like last year's disaster. This is predicted to be just a possible frost. Last year was a hard freeze that lasted hours over a couple of nights. I'll cover a few things (fig and hydrangeas mainly) and bring the potted things back in, but other than that, I'm not too concerned. I did talk DH into not cleaning up the pool yard this weekend, in order to preserve the covering of leaves for frost protection.

Yep, my clean up procrastination this spring may actually come in handy!

Tonight may be the worst of the nights. Doesn't look too bad though. Thank Goodness!

Got to 33 at my house on the border of Columbia & Irmo...

Just took the sheets off my plants. Looks like everything did o.k.

Covered up the blueberries again last night, and must go back out there on my lunch hour to uncover everything. . .Had patchy frost here in town this morning.
BTW, I got lots of work done out at the garden on my "play days" off, but still more to do. . .as always. :)