Yeah, it's scary wondering what the damage might be. Yeah cover the Hydrangeas with an old blanket or something. Cover anything you can that seems to be normally marginal. I'm going to try to cover a Euphorbia. Covered an Arum this AM.
Some Fritillarias are really advanced, may try to cover them.
Good luck to all -- enjoy the magnolias today.
Charlie

I'm using sheer curtains to cover my hydrangeas. I'll clip them on the branches with clothespins & hope for the best. Not sure what else to cover but I might use one over my euphorbia too. Lupines should be frost hardy along with baptisia but I'm not sure about my one hosta that's up almost six inches. That may get a couple sheers draped over it and anchored with rocks.

The magnolia is blooming weeks ahead of schedule but I can't cover each individual flower so that's on its own along with a lot of others that are up way early.

I heard frost again tomorrow night where I am.

I normally would not be too concerned, since I have not put anything out yet, and if we had a frost, I would be expecting a 'light' frost, just below freezing, but they are talking about temps as low as 24 tonight and it is SO windy on top of it, and a second night of frost tomorrow night. I can't see how we are going to get away with no damage. I have rose bushes that are entirely leafed out. Leaves out on Hydrangea, Viburnum carlesii with fat buds just about to bloom, Lilac has leaves, Clematis has leafed out. I'm going to try to cover as much as I can, and keep our fingers crossed, not much else to be done.

For the record, I hear it is going to be too dry & windy for a frost. The temperature will still be cold, especially with the wind, but it does not frost if there is wind.

With so many buds fully formed and everything leafing out, I feel the most
we can do is just step back and let Mother Nature do her thing. . .
there will be some damage, for sure, but not much will be killed outright.
One exception: I'm putting a 30-gallon barrel and a blanket over the one
peony in the warmest location - believe it or not, the stalks are a foot above ground with buds fully formed! - and I don't think I could bear a season
without my 25-year-old "Festiva Maxima" blooming. . .

Carl

Good luck with your 'Festiva Maxima' Carl. Mine isn't up yet for which I should probably give thanks. Other peonies are up quite a bit however.

A few minutes ago I received a frost warning for the next three nights from a reputable local nursery. They included a photo of them covering everything--trees, shrubs, perennials except field-grown pansies.

While I prefer Rubby's forecast to what the nursery forecast, I covered what I could and will just have to hope the experts are wrong.

Good luck everyone.

The last time this happened, it was much later in spring, and the temperatures were much lower. The sum total of the damage in my yard was that the hybrid tea roses got frosted, but that was it. Since they are now gone, I'm expecting the sum total of damage to be zero.

We have a smallish magnolia, maybe 6 years old. Never flowered but looks for sure like it has flower buds this year (of course). We just went out and put a big tarp around it, using clothesline to link the grommits. It'll keep it warm, I'm just worried about that wind with the tarp damaging the tree. Haven't found a good answer on when the wind will die down; hate to damage the tree to save some flower buds!

One of my rose bushes is fully leafed out, so I did cover her. And I have 13 small heptacodiums in my pot ghetto that are also fully leafed out, and I would hate to lose them so they are covered up. Everything else has to fend for itself!

Teresa

I knew I had saved a bunch of old ratty towels for a reason! They are now covering the clematis, a daphne, and one young hydrangea. Gol dang it! Why o why do we live here! Besides family. I am sorely tried.

I guess we were all waiting for the other shoe to drop, after all those early summer temps. I didn't think it was going to be this bad. We just came in from covering as much as we had covers for. All our pots of every size, the recycle containers upside down over a few small shrubs. Sheets over four roses that are fully leafed out. The Buddleias are covered. Tried to put a big piece of plastic over one of our Viburnum carlesii that has leaves and flower buds, but wasn't big enough and no amount of bricks and even a cement block would keep it over it with that wind. So we gave up on that one. Didn't have enough to cover the hydrangeas. Good thing they all bloom on new wood. They're on their own. And I didn't try to cover the daffs, which were looking wonderful.

I think the fact that they are forecasting low temps all this week and not much warming in sight for the next 10 days, is what worries me. Oh well, what will be will be.

I am most worried about my seedlings in my unheated greenhouse. Did some extra covering and we'll see what happens.

My apricot is in full bloom and i expect there will be no fruit this year. I don't think the neighbors would appreciate if i tried a smudge fire... i have some old tires hanging around. *grin*

No frost was expected here along the CT coast so I left everything 'as is.' Later I'll look to see if the the cold caused any dieback to my clematis or roses.

I'm actually more concerned about the effects of the dryness, no snow and no rain, and wonder what will happen when summer actually arrives.

I didn't expect the frost lastnight, but I still covered my one Bleeding Heart with a small little bucket. lol. Other than that, everything is fine. Now, for tonight...........

Some aspargus took a hit and some broccoli i set out just to see what would happen. All frozen. Broccoli/aspargus popsicles anyone?