Hey, NK!
You'll find one. If you have to, maybe your favorite nursery could have
one shipped from Four Winds Growers.

The Rangpur limes are covered in fruit...and most of it's just going to waste!
I wish I could buy citrus right now, but I don't have enough room to treat the properly.


Josh

Pug, your potted citrus is absolutely gorgeous! All the fruit! And their size..Beautiful.

Josh, wish I could drive to CA, and stop at your gh. lol. We have nothing similar in IL.

I'm still waiting Fl's ban to end. I stopped at Briteleaf's site..her trees are still prices 20-25. Wonder what'd detaining the government?? HA!! lol..Toni

Citrus is showing up at the big box stores now.

So next week I'm heading to a local nursery. 5 acres to browse!
Cant wait!

Josh, i'm going to tell hubby you made me want more tree's. ;-)

JoJo

Wow, and I thought I'd hit the jackpot when I found my Meyer & Moro. You're making me want to go back and get a variegated pink lemon too! And maybe a satsuma...

Toni: Are you kidding? Pug's trees, everyone of them are always perfect, that is until the stupid frigid weather hurts them in which I feel so bad!
You should post one of yours too.

Jojo: I thought I had an influence on you getting citrus too? I remember telling you to get some way back when I first met you..I hope you do. You should consider an Oro Blanco tree if you are looking for a durable,very big sweet flower, and juicy seedless fruit without seeds that taste's like half orange with a hint of grapefruit. Just awsome. I can't wait to see what you get.

Stropharia: Go for it. You will not be disappointed and since you have now learned all about the much more grittier mixes that these trees thrive in, you are going to have a heck of alot more fun and success!
By the way, I am glad you decide to come here:-)
Mike

Mike, two nights ago, GA got hit. Lot's of snow. I don't know how much accumulated, but GA?? What's going on?
Last night, 'watching weather again,' they showed a map of USA..All but Fl displayed white states.

Mike, it was very nice of you talkling Jojo into investing in citrus.

Jojo, didn't know you too had citrus. lol. Do you grow in the ground, containers or both?

Stropharia...I see you're in LA. The forecasters mentioned NO's abnormally cold temps. How are these freezes affecting plants? Palms, etc.
Get the variegated lemon. Foliage is beautiful, and considering your climate, leaf colors will be vivid Green, white and pink. More sun and humidity, pink deepens. Toni

Thanks Mike, I'm glad I found this place!
I think I will get the variegated lemon. But each new tree is another big thing that I have to fit inside the moving truck this fall. Ohhhh, but the ones at the nursery were budding! I'm torn, obviously...

Toni, the weather is definitely odd for us. I'm in the BR area, and tonight's the third of four-in-a-row freezes (I think it got down to 21F last night!) Even a touch of frost kills off most of the palm leaves, so I wouldn't be surprised if the whole plants were dying in this weather. I had a couple peppers that had struggled through the winter (still putting out fruit slowly!), but they've been basically finished now. Broccoli wilts overnight, perks up with the sun. Onions don't care at all.

ARGH i want a variegated lemon. grr... i have no citrus nursesries in AK... our greenhouses barely have anything, some reeds, maybe a two year old willow for 300$ and a few japanese maples for 200-400$$ horribly expensive, and nothing i want............i need to move to cali

Strophera. The weather is strange lately. Even for IL. We've had very little, but snow showers in the beginning of June.
Until 6-7 yrs ago, planting season was Apr 15th. It's changed to May 15th.
I'm afraid setting most tropicals/succulents outside in May..some would go out as early as April.

When you hear warm climate states are getting freezing and snow...it's a little frightening.

It's sad about the palms. Especially older specimens.
Well, guess if we had to depend on food gardening, onion sandwiches would do..NOT. lol. When I was pregnant w/my son, I ate raw onion on a sandwich. Something people do w/o thinking twice..The thought now turns my stomach. Fried onions are fine.

It's terrible about citrus too. When Fl has a freeze, it's announced on the news, some stores here in IL, raise the price of OJ, etc increases you wouldn't believe..the stores take advantage, hike up profit over profit.
Other stores keep juice/citrus the same cost, or a dime increase.

Wizfire, have you ever ordered online? Toni

Morning:

God..The thought just occured to me that Pug's tree must of gone through some tough times with that frigid cold they had and are still getting for days!
I hope that tree is ok along with her Mango trees, my favorite.
Nancy,our thoughts are with you.

Toni: How much snow did you get? It will be a long time before we see any earth. At least all by outdoor plants are protected from all the frigid dehydrating air.
ya, I am begining to think that Josh and I are having a bad influence on our friend and you certainly have had a bad influence on me! I am begining to think I might be outpacing you in the amount of plant department.lol

Joj: How many plants have you aquired in the past year?lol
I know that ever since you learned of a mix that is almost impossible to kill in, your confidence had increased tenfold along with the amount of plants! Now if we can just get you to increase your citrus too. lol It is fun seeing you here! Maybe this forum will be a bit more lively now.

Stropharia: You are welcome. I see your enthusiam and I love it! You remind me of myself when I finally reached the point to where I was able to keep anything alive and healthy past a year. Now I can't stop aquiring the most unusual and stubborn plants to grow, since they sometimes can be topics for conversation at my home and work. People are amazed that we can keep citrus fruiting, alive, flowering, and healthy despite our conditions.
I guess I love a challenge when I have the right tools to work with.
Now my next endeavor are FIG trees, already have two.
I am going to a nursery very soon to get more, and more, and more..lol I hope your weather gets warm soon. Toni's sentiments I share, about your weather. Horrible.

Andrew: I will keep you in mind when my nursery starts selling the variegated trees again...They had so many last spring and just the right size..

Cheers everyone

Ah, California, there's no place I'd rather be...!
From the pounding grey Pacific to the groves of ancient redwood trees.
California, to me, is that fabled land of gold, El Dorado.

The only problem with California is, well, certain Californians.
Not only are we constantly invaded by Illegals, but we are sold out by politicians
facilitating that invasion and calculating the victimization of citizens
through outrageous taxes, environmental legislature, and insane gun control.
But I digress.....

Everyone should see California before they die.
They should breathe our mountain air, and taste our endless blue sky;
feel the mist of the Pacific, and hike through the Sierra Nevada, the Range of Light.
Here is a place of painful beauty.

Josh

And walk amoung the beautiful moss landscaping at the back of your yard, which by the way I would love to see another picture of that Josh at your permission, and hit the Manderine festival to buy up some of that delicious Manderine Jam!! ummmm!

Mike:-)

yes, definitly mike...i have heard many things about this manderin festival. is it in cali??
Josh: i think we would all love to see a picture NOO PRESSURE (alright a little bit :) )
and yes, i will come to cali.... i very much want to see the redwoods... maybe get a cutting of them too, try to grow that ^.^ (wait, is that illegeal?!) (i might still do it)

Toni- all my citrus have been ordered online, though i wish i didnt have to, they usually get here partially sqaushed, though still great and green.

-andrew

Hi Everyone!
Toni~ Yes I have citrus. ;-) My yard is a little of everything. I have a large in ground garden, and many many containers.
only my plum tree is in ground , the other 8 tree's in containers.

A huge succulent collection.. Which, sorry Mike, citrus will never out do my love for cactus and succulents. ;-)

and a handful of house plants.

Mike~ I haven't gotten any more plants this past year, than the years before.
Just this past year with the help of a handful here, i've managed to keep them alive! :-)

As far as who influenced what..
Well, I always had a love for citrus, just you influenced my interest in containers, and some hope of keeping them alive. lol..

And Josh...
Well he shows all these great pics like the one here of the nursery, and makes me want to run out and shop.. so there's the influence he has.. ;-)
Plus his beautiful plants always make me want more. :-)
HI Josh!

Our lows average around 38 in the winter. But I have seen it drop as low as 19.
I don't really worry about it, I just cover everyone and hope for the best. It warms up pretty quick.
I picked up some Christmas lights on clearance this year to use next.

JoJo

just listening to all of this... i had an idea...in a little while, when it gets warmer, can i persuade any of you to give me small jade plants or cuttings??? email me at
andrewofthelemon@gmail.com if you wanna work this out

A long time friend e-mailed me last week asking for tan-tangelo budwood from my Nova and her sister F-6-9-10, both Clementine x Orlando hybrids. I let him know the Nova was in sad shape from Hurricane Ike then the worst drought since the 50's followed by extended freeze last winter in the teens and twenties. Then it got over watered by several back to back tropical storms last summer. It took me a half hour to find two sticks on Nova and one was very marginal for use in a cleft graft. I added Monreal Clementine wood for good measure. All three of these are exceedingly difficult to buy in Texas.

We agreed to meet at U. of Houston where the large organic gardening group, Urban Harvest, was holding their annual fruit tree sale this morning.

After meeting we decided to take a look at some of the offerings. We entered the sale area and came right into the pavilion of mandarin trees. Well you could have knocked me down with a feather because there in the third row of trees were about twenty Novas! Previously, I had only seen one for sale in my entire life.

I bought one and while making the excuse, "it could go in my son's garden", my friend Marc got one "for his father". So even if you have so many trees that your house has ten+ crates of fruit stacked up, and when you're a true citrus junkie, you can never stop getting one more! Hey, only $39, a deal too good to pass up. What do you mean I don't need one? I only have a half dozen varieties of Clem x Orlando. And I want a Lee worse than Meyer_mike wants a variegated
lemon.

Maybe we need a local chapter of "Citrus Anonymus"

yes, lol, and i also hunger for the variegated lemon. WHY CANT YOU BE MINE WITH YOUR TRI-COLOERED LEAVES WHY!
lol, we must make a seperate, branch forum: Citrus Anonymus

Gosh, so many posts in a couple days..:)

Mike. The streets are clear..plow-men worked over-time.
Most ppl shovel their walks or hire someone to do it, so every inch of snow that was on the sidewalks is tossed on lawns.
I'd day 7", which isn't much. When it comes to driving, people act like we got 10'. lol.
Growing up, there was three times as much snow as we get these days. We children loved playing in snow..the higher the better. Making snowmen, snowball fights...oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh, eh! lol

Andrew..one reason I can't wait until Fl's ban ends. There are a few more citrus I'd want to add. The two nurseries I order from box trees in tall, non-bulky cartons. A nail is hammered in the pot so the tree doesn't bounce around during shipping. Aside from 4-Winds, I never received a smashed tree or one w/broken limbs.

Jojo. Citrus are beautiful. Anyone who has access to an outdoor garden, patio, walk or porch, should have at the minimum, One citrus. Toni

Hello Mike. How are ya? Sorry I am not here more often. I hope things are going better for you!

Hi Toni! It has been quite a while since we have emailed. How are ya? I cannot wait for winter to end. I hear ya on the lifting of the Florida ban on citrus but honestly, by the time it happens, I wont have any room to buy more, LOL! I am getting a tree from Four Winds this spring. Email me and I will tell ya all about it!

Hi Josh, Hope you and your plants are doing well. How is the weather over there. Did you miss the floods?

Andrew

Larry, so you want a "Lee"? What the heck is that? I shall have to look that up if you want one that bad..lol

Jojo: Do you want me to name all the plants you have gotten in the past year? lololol
We won't even mention the "staghorn".lol
You are doing a fantastic job at keeping your tree healthy and ALIVE! I remember when I was loosing all of mine too.How mych money I was spending! Ho wmuch time I was wasting caring for plants that would never make it past a winter. Then all those that would survive, but just hold on, or nevr be a nice green and or flower or fruit abundantly.
Those days are past thank God and now if I could only teach someone around here how to care for them God forbid anything ever take me away from them for but a few days Jojo. This is always an underlying worry, one I try not to think about. Where will I get my back up?

I am so happy I had some influence, and not for the worst, lol. I can't even tell you how many people influenced my by name to collect varieties of plants!
Josh for Jades....Pug for Mangoe.....Jojo for a staghorn,lol coming soon. Laura and Bill for plumeria..... Mksmth for Clivia, along with Dr. Craig....Josh for Hoya, yup, Josh again....Al for just about anything that will grow in a pot....Toni for any weird, unusual houseplant that I don't have..Jodik for Roses and Amyrillis and the loist goes on..lol
Actually, it was you that influenced me to put plants in my bathroom..lol

Andrew: NO KIDDING! I only wish I was Josh and had access to all those nice places..Sheesh! I wonder how far he lives fron Four Winds? I would apply for a job there since believe it or not, I was told if I lived there, they would love to have me on board..lol

Toni:You make winter still so sound nice, fun, and pretty!
I guess I am still a kid at heart since I still make snowmen, have snow ball fights and snow board. I even wear snow shoes to get to my pop up in the back..lol
Hey come to think of it, it is even beneficial with all this snow. Natural insolation for all my bulbs and shrubs. You should of seen my plants lasy year after the frigid temps without snow covering.

Jojo: Yes>>>>! I am with Toni on that, in fact everyone here. Citrus are beautiful and especially when in bloom! You got to have more than one so there is always one blooming anytime of the year. Never a dull moment in my house..lol

Hello, everyone!
It's nice to see some good activity here!
Today, the sun is shining and the outdoors temperature is 60F.
I'm wearing a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. No snow here!

Andrew, welcome back...it's always nice when you stop in for a visit.
The floods mostly affected the southern part of the State. In my neck of the woods,
we got storm after storm, but the rain fell in such a manner that it was able to
soak into the ground before the flooding was too intense. This has been a very rainy
year. In the mountains, we've gotten hundreds of inches of snow.

Our snow is unique because of its high water content. It's much, much heavier than
the snow that falls around the country. It's actually called "Sierra Cement."

Hey, Mike! Good morning!
Four Winds Growers is 1 hour and 25 minutes from my house. They're located in
Winters, California, which is just a few minutes past UC Davis (where I went to school).
It's really close to Sacramento, a nice city (if you like to live in the city).
Click the link to see a map from Auburn to Winters:

Auburn to Winters, CA



Josh

Josh: You had to admit that right? Now you've done it. I am coming out for a visit real soon...lol

You are right! It is so nice to see Andrew pop in. I was beginning to think that his other trees were taking precedent over his citrus.........Hummmmm.

Andrew: Your citrus are not taking back seat, are they? lol
So good to see you buddy. How have your trees been anyway?
I hope the dang bugs have taken a vaca for a while.
The plant you sent me is doing great. I will e-mail you later..:-)

Josh, again you are so lucky!!! I must say that I can never forget the Moss pictures you post here. I just love your area.:-)

Mike

Mike:
Lee is a Clementine x Orlando that tastes much like a Willow Leaf mandarin a.k.a. Mediterranian mandarin. Lee is a pollinizer for many mandarin hybrids. I bought a tree that was supposed to be a Lee about seven years ago but it turned out to be my third Page! I guess that was a mixed blessing. I love Page. So do my friends and neighbors.

Josh:
I may make it out there again. My younger son wants to see the Redwoods and he has a new diesel 4x4. What other good citrus places could we visit? And when could we expect to see the decent selection? Do they have many in the summer when he and I could mix in an albacor tuna fishing trip?

I used to have grapes, alvacados and mangos but the anthracnose was so bad I gave up on them. I'm about to take out a row of peaches and plums across the back of the yard. They just feed the varmints. While others are expanding into other plants my citrus and jujubes keep me in the fruit. I have to add loquats to the favorable list too. My multi-grafted pear tree is still waiting instead of producing. Not only do my citrus get covered with hundreds of fruit but in about two months they will start sending out the most heavenly fragrance that will go into all the yards and across the the street. And those two golden grapefruit are the sweetest smelling of the lot.

Larry

For you, Mike... ;)

The view from the back deck, overlooking the yard, the "lawn," and the mulched garden.

It's been a fantastic Sunday...I pulled my citrus out into the fresh air, mixed up some grit,
pruned a Christmas Cactus and a Wandering Jew, and then re-potted two incredible Jades
that you sent. Just wait until you see the pics.

{{gwi:643580}}

Larry,
I think Four Winds should have a great selection all throughout the year.
Of course, you'd probably want to call and ask them to be on the safe side.
If you're going to be in the area, you should visit UC Davis and see all that
they have to offer. Dave Wilson nursery, too, if it isn't completely out of the way.

Josh

Hi Mike,
My citrus are not taking a back seat. Actually I harvested tons of meyer lemons and still have a few stragglers hanging on. My newer Oro Blanco has been growwing by leaps and bounds while the other has been in suspended animation. I don't get it! No leaves, no flowers, no nothing but the stems are nice and healthy green!! I have had bug problems but none recently. I will definetly be spraying with FE before they come indoors next year!! I cannot wait for my next citrus from Four Winds this spring, if spring ever GETS HERE! LMAO!! I hate this winter crap!
I am not sure what plant your talking about. You should take pics and email them to me so I can see what you still have.

Hi Josh,
I am glad to hear that you made it without those darn floods. I had a feeling you would be okay living further north but just wanted to check.

I apologize for not being here as often as I used to. I will be coming back soon on a more regular basis. I have been doing research and actually running my own trials on growing plumerias in diffrent situations. I am so proud to have had 2 cuttings that successfully rooted in water!! This time of year is also one of the toughest times to root any plumeria no matter where you live. These tropicals have always been one of the most challenging for me to grow and I have had numerous triumphs and with that I have been spending a lot of time on both plumeria forums, so I apolgize to all my friends here for not being here more often.
Thanks for making me feel like I was really missed. That means a lot to me. I have not always had that feeling with other forums here(Mike, Josh and Bo, I am sure ya all know what forum I am talking about!)
Andrew

Josh, my Goodness! Thank you so much Josh! You know, I am going to use this picture as a backround for a while. It is so sereane and peaceful. Very clean backyards too. Just beautiful, but missing a few turkeys,lol. Thanks buddy!

Andrew: Sweet! It was either your trees were not a priority anymore or they are just doing awsome and others are in need of attention..lol
Good to see you. You know, it makes no sense how one can do so different than another when both get the same exact care. Crazy.
My "Oro" is about to bust out in blooms everywhere! Yahoo.3

Please come more often, ok?

Mike..;-)

Josh, looking at your picture again reminds me of spring here!! That is exactly what it looks like around here, except for the moss of course, right about April. Oh, I can't wait buddy! No snow on the ground after months of it!

Thanks again for this awesome picture. Just soothing.
I think your citrus love your area and so will any I send your way.

Mike:-)

Thanks, Mike!

The backyard is very soothing...the ferns and moss beneath the redwood trees,
the ferns and moss beneath the birch trees...the flower and vegetable gardens,
the black bamboo grove, and the mixed Ailanthus and Liquidambar down to the creek...
it's pleasant to stroll around, indeed. The gophers make it treacherous, though.
Many a time I've sunk my foot to the ankle and had to scrub off my shoes!

As you know, I went citrusing again today - and I came home with the variegated lemon.
There were only 5 left (and only 2 of those strikingly variegated Calamondins).
People have been buying them like crazy!

At the register, one of the women started lecturing me about fertilizers, and she really
pissed me off. As soon as I mentioned Foliage Pro, she told me I was going to kill my trees.
Then she turned her back on me and stomped away, saying "Well good luck!"
and "Like I said, good luck!" as though I were a fool in need of luck. I felt like
telling her that "luck" plays no role in successful growing. And I almost
returned the tree right then and there to make a point that she'd lost a sale.

I'm not surprised, though. After all, they carry tons of Eleanor's VF-11 potion,
but no Foliage Pro - so obviously they're catering to the "old wife's tale" crowd
instead of well-versed gardeners and growers.

Kinda soured my lemon buying experience! ;)


Josh

let nothing (even hopless saleswoman) "sour" (get it, lemon pun???) your purchase of the variegated lemon (holds back not-quite-tears-of-jealousy) ((jk, lol)). Oh, i wish i lived in a place with a citrus nursery, i desparetly want a variegated lemon

Thanks, Andrew!
I figured you'd catch my lemon pun... ;)
I felt better as soon as I was out of the store.

The recent freezes had left some cold damage on the tender new growth,
but I think the tree will recover - then I can prune the dead tips in late Spring.
I certainly can't wait to get it re-potted...but that'll have to wait.

I'm looking forward to making some raspberry lemonade out of the fruit.
I bet the Blood Orange would add some great color to the mix.

I'll posts a few pics to the Winter Pics Thread.


Josh

Josh, beautiful scene. Mike said it reminded him of spring, but to me, it looks like an autumn day. Where's the corn stalks and pumpkins. :)
As night is nearing, the western sky is bright enough to light up Mother Nature's scenery. Beautiful.
A peaceful area.

Mike, soon spring will be in our parts of the world. Let's say, give or take, 13 wks. We have to be optimistic; weeks sound so much quicker than months, right? Toni

Andrew, I was wondering where you were hiding. So, you've been fooling around, rooting Plumerias..hehe Congrats, getting them to root. Mind if I ask how you accomplished this task? I've never tried rooting a Plum before..Toni

Thanks, Toni.

The drifts of leaves do lend an Autumnal look to the yard.
As the weather warms and the grass begins to grow, they'll magically disappear.

Josh

Josh: I hate them things, along with Racoons, Groundhogs, Skunks, Squirrels, and stupid Hogs, lol
I can only imagine how many like to make themselves at home in that peacful area eating up all your precious beautiful plants..lol
Something tells me you have them all beat though!

Toni: 13 weeks does sound a heck of alot better. Thanks for that. One can only pray it is only 13 weeks and not till June before the warm weather moves in for good..
Josh's area is so tranquil for sure! I wish I could visit

Josh, was the pic taken recently?

Mike, time goes by fast. What happened to Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's? lol.
It seems like a month ago I was wrapping candy for the kiddies..stores are displaying Valentine candy, 'already.'

The good news is, days are longer. Shortest day of the year was in Dec. Jan is almost over. Feb is a short month.

The last 3 years, my Gardenia was outdoors, soaking up sun, as early as March. Brought back in twice, but it spent more time outside than in.

But you're right. Some plants were set out as late as June. Depends on the plant.

Hello, Toni.
Yes, that pic was taken on Sunday, January 16th.

Hey, Mike, how are you doing? Working hard no doubt.
I'm glad you're able to see the pics!


Josh

wow josh, i feel bad, you said "I figured you'd catch my lemon pun... ;)" and honestly, i didnt :(. i was feeling so clever making that up, and then i took the credit for it. But the credit is all yours, it was your pun first :)

i agree with toni, very autumnly.
oh, but i cant wait till spring. When it gets warmer, i plant to somehow aquire a variegated lemon, through any means nessecary (besides murder...or theft...or something ^>^) oh they are nice looking.

warm weather = empty pockets 4 andrew ^^

-andrew

Andrew, no worries man, I crafted that pun just for you...!
We need to get you a Punderosa lemon, pronto! ;)
The perfect tree for you.

Ever been to Texas? I hear there's an entire festival devoted to Puns.
My Uncle is all about puns....to the point where you start to consider attacking him
just to make it stop.

Several esteemed writes have written, "He who would pun would pick a pocket." ;)


Josh

HAHAHA, i re-read this post 2ce, expecting a pun in some form or fashion, i thought that 'Pun'derosa was a typo, then i thought: Wait a minute....LOL. Anyways Josh, that was very *punny* (for those less pun-minded: think Funny, get it?)
Maybe i will get a punderosa after mine variegated. I look forward to growing the huge, mutated-almost lemons that i have seen pictures of. But first on the list is the variegated.

Thank you, I knew you'd catch it! ;)

By the way, I'll have more pics to share tomorrow, once my photobucket bandwidth resets.
I have a clearer pic of the whole tree, and a good shot of the low graft. Despite the limited
number of trees, and the cold damage on several branches, I think I got the best
of the trees that were left.


Josh

im looking forward to pics of that variegated

Toni!!!

What happened to my youthful appearence...?lol
Everytime I look in the rear view mirror, I keep wondering what happened to the guy I use to know.lol
It seems like yesterday when my parents were young and I was just a kid.:-((((
Yes days are longer, now I wish we could just match the more sun with warmer temps. I am sick of this winter. Snow again today and they are already talking another blizzard for next week. I have run out of room for more snow.
My pop up is tired of being almost popped!
This weekend will be the coldest in 60 years. -11 degrees!
I am not sure how cold it will get in that pop up with 2 space heaters.
It only goes down to teh high 40's in there when the temps are into the single numbers. Thank God for the remote thermometer that let's me see the temps from inside.

Hope you are doing well Toni and we shall chat later:-)

Andrew: Oh boy! Wait until those trees get shipped to a local nursery near you..lol

Josh, me too! I am looking forward ro many more pictures of your trees and that beautiful variegated one..
Snow again today! At least I get to work in jeans today. Yahoo...Got to look at the bright side I guess..

Mike

sigh, they probably wont ever be mike. The closest ever seen by me here was several years ago in a home depot. It was lemon basil, and although it did smell like lemons, i didnt get it

Josh:
Your back yard does look peaceful.

Mike:
I was looking at the Canadian temps today and I can see how you can be having the coldest weather in a long time. It is really cold up there. If it was that cold two weeks ago we would have lost some in the ground citrus here but it was not this bad up there then. So far we have been lucky down here this year.

I have only about 2 or 3% of my fruit left on the trees and that would be gathered in now except spring came late last year and it is not ripe yet. After last year, I can really feel for you guys in low # zones in wanting spring to arrive. Reminds me of a guy from Bay City, MI who xferred down here and told me the two best snows are the first and the last ones.

Now the good news. First spring wild flowers (vetch) have opened in my grove. On close inspection, a few of my trees seem some have blossom buds starting to swell. I need to gather more budwood ASAP. This seems strange since it has been freezing or borderline at least once a week since Dec 1st. Must be day the light getting longer. Tonight's forecasts range 25 to 34 deg F depending on source. I covered my shortest trees holding fruit but did not string out the lights. Would like to clear them out so it will help suppress alternate bearing. I like to have that done by Jan 10.

Mike, I know what you mean. Just, was it yesterday,?, a little girl of nine, 60-70lbs?? with long, medium brown hair, big, brown eyes was jumping rope, Hop-Scotch, and Hide-and-go-Seek. Today that girl still has long, brown, 'from a bottle,' hair, big brown/green eyes, 5'5, 115 lbs, sits before a computer, 'What's that, mom?,' watching big people tv shows, in a home filled with greens. That 9-yr-old wasn't allowed to keep plants in the 'spotless' house, so instead she went to the store, bought veggie seeds, dug and planted these seeds in the ground. The tomatoes were big, two watermelons, her doggie decided tasted yummy, grew, but she didnt know onions and carrots grew underground, or the corn seeds would grow into tall blades of Horse Corn. :)

Mike, I HATE winter, too. SADS. Don't want to step out the door. I'm really trying to be optimistic. It could be worse. We could live in International Falls, MN..their temp was -45..that isn't counting wind-chill.
The high here was 4F, tonight -2F. Wonder what the temp will be counting wind-chill. No snow, but it's on its way. One thing about snow..it reflects and brightens the ground, air and our plants.
Mike, do you have outdoor perrenials? If so, cut off a branch, and place in water..it'll flower!
I had a Pussy Willow..'it grew like a weed, so out it went.' Late Jan, early Feb, I'd remove a few branches, place in water and it'd flower. Magnolias do, too. I'm sure there are other plants, but those are the two I've forced. Flowers might perk you up.
Do you grow Snow Crocus? They flower, outdoors, when snow is on the ground..It's not much, but that's all I have to offer. :)
Feel better, it could be worse..Toni

Toni..You are right! Snow does reflect the sun and it is a lot brighter in my rooms and at work. I guess that can be one upside to it since we are going to get another 15 inches come Wed. I am just tired of shoveling and at 430 in the am. I would rather be with my citrus at my house in the Tropics..lol

Larry..Wow..That is something. I can't believe how cold up there and even in your area it is pretty nippy. I always thought that the deep south was just that, the deep south with rather consistent temps all winter. No lower than the 50's.
I guess it makes planting in the ground very challenging for many tropicals, or should I say sub-tropical.
It is great that the flowers are showing. Yahoo. The sun is getting stronger and higher in the sky..lol
Great info on getting a new citrus you gave to the newcomer the other day.:-)

Josh: More pictures, please?:-)

How are your new arrivals to the little colony doing? Are the mites under control? I bet they were dent off without even a farewell..lol

I shall have to check out other threads and see if you posted anything. Been kind of ill for a few days..

Mike

Mike:
I hope you're feeling better.

Josh:
Here I was thinking we dodged the worst for the winter and mother nature took offense. We had temps in the mid to upper 20's about ten days ago. A few leaves were curled a little. Two nights ago it was 23 to 25 for several hours.
My trees will loose most of their leaves. Two trees have blossom buds. It will be about the same or worse tomorrow night.

I think I lost one tree that had been damaged last year.
It sure looks bad.

I think I'll go citrus shopping after this is over.

Larry

Larry:

Thank you:-)

I am so sorry to hear about this, with your plants:-((

Nothing worst than loosing something that is valuable to you, and certain plants can mean a lot to us.
This weather is just too much for the whole country.

If that ground hog is wrong, and we still have a long winter and late spring, it won't live to see another year...

Good luck to you Larry, and please tell us how you fared, ok? Let us know how everything turned out for you.

Josh: I hope to see you stop by soon. You are missed here.

We shall chat later...

Mike

Hey, guys, sorry you're dealing with these brutal cold temps!
I went by the nursery the other day with my camera, but the trees didn't impress me.
Lots of tip damage from the recent cold, and the leaves are pale and veiny.
I'm glad I bought when I did.

I haven't seen much change in my trees. I haven't watered much, and so I haven't fertilized either.
I did put some Wandering Jew cuttings in my Blood Orange container to see how they do with the temps.
They're looking vibrant and healthy, so I must assume that the cold-frame is keeping the cold out!
I've killed Wandering Jew, exposed, as soon as temps drop below 50 degrees F for a few hours.
I figure that they'll use up some of the moisture, as well, and they'll go limp when dry...
thus, letting me know when to water.

Larry, I'll keep my fingers crossed for you....and if worse comes to worst, I hope you find
some excellent replacement plants.

Hey, Mike, it was good talking to you!

Josh

Thanks Josh for your empathy. It has been terrible! Nothing melts for days on end!

I have collected water from the storm drains into a 32 gallon bucket over two months ago, and it has not thawed to water since. Therefore, the other two I have in the cellar that were full are now dried out. It's back to faucet water again:-(

Sorry that place was such a huge disappointment for you. Man, I think it's time to go back to the other place now that your spring has sprung, unless the nursery you are talking about is the same one as above? That would be just horrible to see all those ruined.

What a great idea with the Wandering Jew.
I think your trees are about to show some buds soon, right?
At least I know that once your ponderosa starts to take, it will be blooms first that will dazzle you before any new leaves. We shall see;-)

Mike

I love wandering jew, i have quite a collection.
Sorry about me not being here often, i have stumbled upon the wonders of african violets, though i am not neglecting my one remaining citrus.
They are very fun, and i encourage anyone to grow them.

I might want to try the thing with the WJ.
I have 8in. Of snow right now, and it wont melt until sunday