Umm, no. You posted this Friday, April 9, at 12:00 So dh spent about 4 hours yesterday morning putting up wood stakes around each tree and took gigantic, thick, black contractor trash bags and placed them over the stakes so they didnt come into contact with the trees. So the trees were covered Thursday morning. The Weather Channel reports Thursday's weather in Cassadaga as: April 8 Actuals 72°F 42°F 0.42 in. It's not that I really want to make a big deal about this, but consider it a learning experience. I've spent a lot of time over the years trying to convince people that there are significant differences between roses and tomato plants. I've never before met anybody who seemed equally confused about the difference between a maple tree and a tomato plant :-) Basically, while pure water freezes at 32 °F, if you start putting stuff in the water, like salt or alcohol, the freezing point gets lower and lower. Hardy plants put various sugars in the water so they can stand below freezing temperatures. Snow isn't an issue unless it's so heavy that mechanical breakage becomes a problem. According to my car, it can snow any time the temperature is below 40°F. It can definitely snow at temperatures well above damaging cold. To put this in some perspective, I keep a bunch of roses in pots in the garage because they would not handle my winter temperatures outside. When they go out in the spring, they are usually about 2-3 weeks ahead of roses in the ground, and used to conditions considerably warmer. In other words, they are going from about zone 8 to zone 5. They handle freezing temperatures just fine, and I only bother bringing them back inside for forecast lows below about 27°F. That's to give some wiggle room in case it really goes below about 25°F. For something I expect to be fully hardy here, like a tree, I wouldn't start worrying unless it got noticably colder than that.

I'm glad you're in a 4Runner, Susan, that's my vehicle of choice, too. However, as good and as heavy as they are, ice makes anything dangerous to drive. We are more prone to ice storms around here, but my 4Runner got us home in a blizzard a few years ago that was stranding everyone else. The snow came down so fast and heavy, it was being pushed out of the way by my own frame, and you know that's pretty high, so it was impressive. I kissed my car for weeks after that, I thought we would be walking home the last 10 miles, but nope- we drove! Took forever, but we made it. I'm glad you got home safe from the party. You might consider cables (those work great if there's snow or ice on the ground, you can order them thru an auto supply store, they aren't cheap but they last a good long time) for your tires- they will make your commute a lot safer. Woody has cables for his truck and he used them all the time when he was on the FD and responding to traffic accidents as an EMT. Swears by them! You have to take them off when the roads are clear and dry, but it only takes a few minutes.

I for one think everyone has had a great comment here, and I would combine the answers into one plan! If this were my yard, I would enlarge that paved area by about three times - at least out to the ac unit and out to the line of the downspout. I think having that paved area (whether it's concrete, stones, pavers, whatever) would just help define the area, and as it stands now that walkway is too tiny and utilitarian. A bigger area will give some definition to the area as an entryway, a sitting area, etc, and look better in scale to the house. Might even be nice to have a pathway connect from that to whatever other path/walkway you have in the yard. I can't tell from the photo if there is already one there or that is just dirt. I have three rain barrels, and love them. I should note that not a one is connected to a downspout, as DH won't hear of cutting into the downspouts, so I can only dream of the abundance of water I'd have if I did! However, even without that, mine do fill up slowly but nicely, and I do use them with watering cans, either dipped in, or under the spigot, as my barrels are on cinderblocks to give just enough height to get a watering can under. These rain barrels help me cut down on my well use, and IMO are a great idea in general in terms of water conservation. I'm not quite sure WHERE you want to put a garden - along the wall where the ac unit is? To the left of the photo where that bag is? Extending it out from the bag to cover that green area? Is that where the moss is? IMO, you can have a garden almost anywhere, if you have the right plant for the spot. I've put in a bog-type garden in an area where it floods every spring, and which sometimes has standing water well into August. Again, it's the matter of the right plant. Determine just how wet this area is, and do your homework researching plants that like that moisture level and the sun levels you have. Amending the soil helps, but do it as nature would - don't try to change the soil there, but enhance it. It will take some trial and error but I'm sure it can be done. There are many plants you can use. As for moss, I too don't understand why some people dislike it so much. I had a friend who I used to help in her garden, and we live in a very wooded area. She had a quite damp yard, and lots of shade and trees, and along the edge of the lawn she had these wide swaths of moss - a good 10 to 15 feet deep from edge of lawn to woods. She tried for years to get rid of it and get grass to grow. I always told her it looked wonderful, it was soft, green, and from a distance who could tell? She was constantly worried about the resale value of not having a lawn (and it's going on a least 25 years that she's been in the house and worrying about this!). The one downfall to moss, IMO, is that it does rake up very easily when you are raking up leaves, so that is a pain. But other than that, if its green and nothing else will grow there (in terms of lawn, not garden), then that is the plant to have there! I don't know. I guess I'm just a big believer in working with nature and not against her. Good luck and keep us posted on your evolving garden! Dee

Your plants look pretty bad, but maybe some parts can be saved. I would start by removing completely dead parts. Peel away dead leaves and cut rotten stems if needed. Both species naturally grow in trees and form big clumps. They need a lot of indirect light and enough air flow. If you can't place your plants outside for summer season, at least have them by opened window or use small fan after watering to get them dry. About watering - I properly mist my plants daily over summer season, less over winter season (maybe once per 4 days). I can't recommend dunking, it's even dangerous for some species, especially bulb types. If you aren't successful with T. usneoides and recurvata, maybe try more resistant species like T. brachycaulos or velutina. They tolerate less light and more water.