We're supposed to get down to single digits tonight, predicted to be 5 or 6 degrees. Fortunately, we don't get many of these and some years we don't get any. Makes us get a bit complacent and grow things that are marginal! We've had lows in the teens for a number of nights now and will continue for a bit. The good side to that is the bugs and weeds that will be gone and hopefully the new scourge of my life, i.e., daylily rust.
Anyway, I'm pretty much counting as gone my lantana. I've enjoyed it for three summers (so it has overwintered twice for those that are wondering), but I would think these constant low temps have done it in...and tonight for sure. I was going to add extra mulch to it (as it sits on a bit of a slope and tends to lose its mulch) and the cannas (a clump of Cleopatra that I've had for four or five years), but the bags of mulch were frozen...so, that's a no go. Cannas around here have always been iffy (typically zone 8 and we're zone 7) but we get spoiled with having them for a few years and then a night like tonight arrives. I did mean to give them a good mulching like the lantana, but oh well. They are sited on the south side of my house but the lack of a good mulch has me worried. We shall see!
On the positive side, I covered both my gardenias, my pride and joy tea olive, the camellias, the loropetalum, the clematis armandii, my banana shrub and neighboring butterfly ginger. I also brought into the garage most of the pot ghetto and covered the daylilies in pots that still remain outside. My Butterfly Japanese Maple resides in a pot and I thought I would take it in, too...but it has rooted and so I wrapped it up as well. The banana shrub and butterfly ginger are really iffy, but they are both sited facing west against the white wall of my home...probably the best microclime that I have and they were mulched well. The banana shrub is in its third winter, so my fingers are crossed. This is only the second winter here for the butterfly ginger. I actually had a variegated confederate jasmine overwinter here (which I later lost, doggone it), so I know the spot is considerably warmer. The last worrisome plant is my fig...but, it is on its own, too (has overwintered twice).
For someone who considers herself a no fuss gardener, I seem to have taken some pains with a few spoiled plants! Well, we all have our weaknesses! The rest of the gardens are on their own. I saw in the backyard that some of the garlic has been disturbed (critters...probably cats or squirrels or cats going after critters), so we'll see just how tough that is (I know garlic is pretty tough...but I'm sure even it would appreciate the mulch that has been lost.).
Okay, I've done what I could...we'll see the results in spring.
