Frost warning tonight

9 days ago

Anyone else have a frost warning for tonight? Here in MKE we are predicted to have 28 F. I spent the last hour digging out every plastic pot I have and covering as many of the hostas as possible. Some are just barely breaking the ground so I’m not worried about those, but rather the ones that are pipped up several inches or more. Liberty was the first to be covered as it is up maybe 6 inches. Forgot how much work and worry a frost warning creates, but I am glad that I told every vendor to ship in 2nd week of May. Anyone else doing the same?

debra

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sandyslopes z6 n. UT

7 days ago

lindalana, your "after" pics are a little bit painful. I hope things were able to perk up without much permanent damage.

Laurie, good thing your hostas haven't unfurled yet. Spring is always a joy when it gets here but so unpredictable.

Sherry, yours in the pots are all looking good!

We're having rain and thunder storms, but not too cold. Hail is a worry, though.

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lindalana 5b Chicago
9 days ago
last modified: 9 days ago

Montana is up and few others. We supposed to get down to 34. My hoop house getting a heater and frost blankets buckets where I can. Bummer. But looks like we in the clear after.

LS Midnight Miss

Seedlings heuchera

Seedlings last year
sandyslopes z6 n. UT
9 days ago
That was smart to tell vendors to ship during May. Spring lulls us into feeling like winter is over, and then here come those darn frost warnings! I'm glad you prioritized your Liberty and hope all of them come through all right.
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lindalana 5b Chicago
8 days ago
Debra, how low did it get for you? It promised to be 34 but we went at least 30.

On a positive note heater held in hoophouse so tomatoes are still there.
nicholsworth Z6 Indianapolis
8 days ago
last modified: 8 days ago
spring frosts are a drag 😟..haven’t heard the official low..at the moment it’s 39..my potted hostas are in the garage..
took a pic of the Little Wonders by the front sidewalk yesterday..
I didn’t cover any plants..there’s just too many..

sorry to everyone with cold damage..even before last night I had some damage..in Indianapolis cold spring temperatures seem to be an annual tradition 🙁..

my pathetic Praying Hands..

grab a magnifying glass..😜
peren.all Zone 5a Ontario Canada
8 days ago
Yes very smart for your delivery date Debra.

lindalana sorry it went lower than forecast when you have so much that is up.

Ann you should be okay but fingers crossed for you anyway.

A couple of nights ago it was -5C = 23F and tonight -3C = 26.6F. My pips are still tight and there is too much to cover so I will just have to hope for the best. The coming week is much warmer but I am not out of the woods yet...sigh.
nicholsworth Z6 Indianapolis
8 days ago
Laurie..not much we can do but wait..I’m waiting for Mother’s day (old wives tale) to get my overwintering pots OUT of the house!!!..
djacob Z6a SE WI
Original Author
8 days ago
Lindalana, your poor plants took a hit! That’s too bad. Here they said it was going to go to 28 degrees F. I am sure it did as when I went out at 9 a.m. there was still ice on the top of the water in the water bowl.
But everything in my yard looks good, even the ones I couldn’t cover. My back yard tends to be warmer overall because of the fence surrounding 3/4 of the yard. Out front all the plants seem fine. Looking at the weather now it would appear that we will not have any other frost. Yay!! 🥳

debra
sherrygirl zone5 N il
8 days ago
My potted hosta have been out of the shed for two weeks…..too much growth in the shed. No frost damage on them. Most still unfurling.

Sherry
lindalana 5b Chicago
6 days ago
Sherry, your hostas looking great!

Peren, are you going to have more frosts? I think we are in the clear now

Nicholworth , I have arrived bto conclusion that Praying hands need lot more sun to grow well and likely potted too. I like how your hellebores bare spreading. Mine have crossed and now coming in all shapes and colors. Takes 10 years though...

Yeah, being a farmer unpredictable and one can get a lot of heartaches with crop failure. Feeling blessed here, perennials have recovered as expected , remains to be seen how much hosta got hit. Gardener 40 miles south posted his hostas got hit and people in Chicago were fine .

Debra , am wondering if city lots tend to be warmer in general?
djacob Z6a SE WI
Original Author
6 days ago
Lindalana, that is an interesting question. I can imagine that could be so as brick and stone houses (like in my neighborhood) do hold heat. We are closer together than houses in the outlying areas. I have noticed in the winter, even when we have snow, there tends to be a couple inches close to the house where the snow doesn’t stay. That would explain why Lancifolia on the side of the house did fine even though I couldn’t cover it.

debra
peren.all Zone 5a Ontario Canada
6 days ago
lindalana it is certainly a possibility that I could get another frost. The 14 day forecast is looking good but ...About 10 years ago we went down to 19F on May 23rd. That was shocking! Everything

eventually revived but it was not pretty. I never want to see a repeat of that highly unusual event!
nicholsworth Z6 Indianapolis
6 days ago
lindalana..Praying Hands was disappointing..it started in a pot but wasn’t doing well..so I put it in the ground so I could forget about it..it has a sunny location for my yard but it‘s definitely not full sun..maybe I can think of it as a mini Lol..

I’ve enjoyed watching my hellebores spread..when I bought them I didn’t know how well they reseed..they’re fun..
djacob Z6a SE WI
Original Author
5 days ago
Interesting about Praying Hands Ann…..mine has been in the ground for a number of years and it never bloomed. Two years ago it did and it looked terrific. Last year it really shrunk so I am going to pot it and see if it shapes up! 😉

debra
nicholsworth Z6 Indianapolis
5 days ago
last modified: 5 days ago
debra..I read that Praying Hands needs full sun because the narrow leaves don’t capture enough light..mine was small when I bought it..now it’s extremely small..🙁