What is the temp going to be? That's of more concern than the snow. The snow will actually act as insulation. We have a chance of snow here in Indy and definitely are going to have freezing temps. I'm covering things tonight!!!

what's the best way to cover plants? what do you use? I'm on my way to Home Depot (for other things) but I'm wondering if I should buy something there to cover my plants with... or should i just use an old tarp?

Okay, I read on the internet that you can use newspaper or sheets to cover plants. I think you can put an upside down glass jar over a plant or perhaps a pail. I'm just hoping peonies and other perennials are used to crazy weather and will bounce back!

30 degrees sounds pretty bad. I would definitely bring my old sheets out and try to cover the beds (loosely).

Good luck to all of us!!!!!!!! Keep writing!!!!!!!

It's so blasted windy here, I'm going to have a hard time keeping anything on there! grrrrrr

Emily, just make sure that you don't use plastic unless it is definitely NOT touching the plants. The plastic acts as a conduit so if it touches the plants, they're frosted.

Blasted Mother Nature! I came here for this very topic. I'm fretting over all my stuff, too. I got too taken away by all the warm weather of the last few weeks and planted my annuals! But I'm more worried about my perennials and wondering what will happen to them. It's supposed to be around 28* tonight.

Will Bleeding Hearts survive to bloom some more (I have both old fashioned and longer-lived/blooming types)? Will salvia (just starting to produce flower buds) be okay?

Is EVERYTHING in danger of having to start over with a "new" springtime? :-) I'm pretty new to gardening, if you can't tell.

If my husband weren't rolling his eyes at me, I'd take his halogen work lamps out and shine them down on my garden beds tonight, but I'm always worried about what the neighbors will think about the "crazy lady". LOL.

I've already mourned for my wisteria and lilac blooms. This is the prettiest my patio has ever been, and the first time my wisteria has gone bloom-crazy (just underway), and now to lose it without getting to enjoy the aroma. Bummer.

I truly don't know what to do.....I even jokingly mentioned firing up the big smoker/grill and piling on the charcoal so it'll burn all night and let it give off heat to the patio area.

Good luck to everyone!

Tracey

Tracey, you may loose some greenery on your every-blooming type bleeding heart, but they should be ok. I have a lot of those, and we've had this type of weather before and they came thru just fine.
For once I'm getting some good blooms on my daffs. Lots of buds. But with this wind and cold, I'm afraid I'm going to lose a lot of them. I'm not going to put anything over my plants though. With the wind, I know I'd have old bed sheets flying around the neighborhood!
Good luck to you all!!

Kat

Going to Home Depot right now to buy edging stakes. We figure that should hold down whatever we put over the plants if there is wind. Doing some buckets over individual tiny butterfly bushes, have mounded my climbing rose completely with mulch and then another bucket. And we're going to build a tent with a tarp and stakes over the Hostas. All containers are now in the garage.

Everything else? Sigh, I'll just have to cross my fingers and pray for some cloud cover. :(

This is REALLY irritating. I completely understand about having so many things starting to bloom. Just noticed today that my azalea is JUST starting to open buds. But I can't protect everything.

And I'm sorry re the wisteria. I had one in our old home that we lived in for years. Every year I looked forward to the one show that it put on.

It's Marlene again - I just went outside (it's about 7:45 pm) and checked a 2-year old clematis in my front yard... It looked frozen to me!!! I covered it with a pillow case. If it makes it I will be surprised.

This sucks...

Marlene

I just came home and one of my viridis japanese maples had lost its bedsheet (it's leaves were this year). I could cry! I know, it's not like losing an arm but boy, it's irritating! lol

Marlene, you voiced it perfectly. THIS SUCKS.

Third vote for it sucking. EVERYTHING that can bloom has started it's thing over here. There are plants coming up from the previous owner with buds on them, don't even know what they are. I'm just picturing yards filled with slime and I'm a very unhappy camper. :p

DH and I are getting up at o'dark-30 to turn on the sprinklers and cycle them front and back.

Thanks, Kat, for info on the bleeding hearts....at least I'll have something left for the patio! I did cover one, my favorite. Also covered some coral bells that had just sent up bloom-shoots, but due to the weight of the thermal blanket (lightweight), they're all droopy....hope they'll straighten up. I covered some other stuff (but couldn't figure out how to protect my many clematis) and my petunia bed--hope it was enough. Luckily, I didn't have any "dirty laundry" floating around the neighborhood this morning--all towels, sheets, light blankets stayed put.

If it weren't so blasted cold and windy still, we'd go out today on the patio and have a memorial service for the lovely wisteria blooms that are awfully droopy. I took tons of pics in the days leading up to this frost--just too bad they don't have scratch-n-sniff pics yet, though (smell-a-vision).

I guess it'll be a while before the damage is known? How did everyone fare? Hope all efforts paid off!

Tracey

We just returned from a week in sunny, warm FL and I am amazed by the turn in weather (also amazed by how much everything grew while gone)! It only got down to 30 deg. last night and all is well. I didn't protect anything but was a bit worried about a Sango Kaku JM that is fully leafed and in an exposed location. It looks wonderful today though thank goodness! Hopefully spring will be back SOON!

juicylucy, my Sango Kaku looks fabulous today too! YAY! Don't you just LOOOOVE that tree?

I covered EVERYTHING that was under 6 feet tall last night. It was nuts. LOL smom40, you are the trooper of all troopers to even water - smart!

This morning, everything I covered had frost on the blankets but stuff made it through really well from what I can tell.

Only "iffy" ones are my 2 Viridis JMs and my Crimson Queen JM. They were covered but the leaves are all kind of semi-curled under. I don't know if they're just "hunched up" or if they're damaged.

Warmer weather will tell! I hope they're ok because they're absolutely perfect this year. *sigh*

ademink: What are Viridis JMs and my Crimson Queen JM? Forgive my stupidity.

Marlene in Michigan

p.s. Despite all this crappy weather, my backyard still looks beautiful and peaceful. We need the moisture. Let's all start thinking s-u-n!

Sorry Marlene! JM = Japanese Maple :)

Where are you in Michigan that's zone 6? I lived in Kalamazoo for 8 years!

andrea

Hey, I'm not smart, I got advice from the Hosta board re my azaleas out front! LOL (I know that makes no obvious sense but I mentioned them while talking hosta.)