Still some cold nights ahead, but things are looking up!

HostaDesigner · Post by **HostaDesigner** » Apr 08, 2007 9:24 pm

Finally, temps will start to rise again tomorrow ... only to the low 40s, but hey, I'll take it! I took a walk around the yard today after our snow melted to find that every single one of the trilliums, wood poppies, and bloodroot appear to be just fine. I have a few translucent hostas poking thru, but it's too early to count them as too damaged.

I've been down-right miserable the past week. Hopefully we can get on with Spring, even if it is a little cool.

MikeWI · Post by **MikeWI** » Apr 08, 2007 10:35 pm

I've not yet checked the forecast here in MKE but wedensday they are calling for a 'snowstorm'..... So unless the storm is moving north which will pull the weather up and get'r warmer sooner.... I'm not going to be happy till next week.

thy · Post by **thy** » Apr 08, 2007 11:13 pm

Hope you are righ

You all need it

But forecasts are one thing ..real life an other

We have been suposed to have around +5C ( late 40') for the last 3 nights... and I have had temps of -1 C. all nights .... just above the limits of my hostas and treepeonies

This winther and last one too have change my point of view.. always thougt it was colder in the open areas on the country side than in the bigger cities.. but on the.whats the temp now wather site .... +5C , 6 miles out in the country, can be the same as minus 1 in the midlle of the city...can't understand or explain.. just look at 2 thermometers... it is darn colder in the city

Wanda · Post by **Wanda** » Apr 09, 2007 8:02 am

Yep...June is getting closer! I will be “garden” happy sometime around the second week of June, when I can usually put away my hoops and plastic. That is when I can pretty much so quit worrying about freezes/frosts/snow...and start worrying about thunderstorms rapid-firing hail to shred the hosta, ripping off branches and throwing down huge trees to crush my hosta (hehehe...sigh).

Don’t get me wrong - I will thoroughly enjoy the nice days we get sparsely sprinkled amongst the crap between now and then...but I know better than to hope for frost-free weather before June!

wanda

renaldo75 · Post by **renaldo75** » Apr 09, 2007 11:46 am

Daytime temps in the 40's here for the next week - but snow is predicted for Wed & nite temps are still at freezing or below. Nothing looks good here. Leaves on my little elms are looking bad, crab apple leaves are turning brown, lilacs are looking bad. Don't know if the blooms from either of those will do anything or just turn browner or fall off when temps warm up. The tulips are still laying on the ground. If they stand up & color up after this I'll be very surprised. The only things that don't seem to be affected much are the peonies which are up from a couple of inches to a foot tall and the day lily foliage still doesn't look bad. And the iris look ok so far.

So I have another week of going out in the afternoons to make sure that the pots are where they're sposed to be covering hostas. Thankfully the wind finally calmed down yesterday so it didn't seem as cold as it had been. And the sun is shining.

sugar · Post by **sugar** » Apr 09, 2007 12:21 pm

Over here, for three weeks, we have had daytime temperatures above 50 and night temperatures around 35... Forecast are rising even further (almost 50 during nighttime, over 70 during the day).

Over 50% of my hosta's have unfurled some leafs, but we can have frost until the middle of may... Every week gives some additional security, but a late frost could do a lot of damage now...

Anyway, I hope the weather for you gets better, and that there is not too much damage ....

DBoweMD · Post by **DBoweMD** » Apr 09, 2007 1:03 pm

I don't know what to report, myself.
I went to Tampa FL on April 2, with a few eyes showing in great weather, and when I came home Sunday (yesterday),
I had about 16 inches of snow I had to shovel to get into my driveway.
Here in the Lake Erie snow belt, Sometimes the extra snow insulates things. My best growing year so far was 2 years ago before the Cleveland convention, when we had several heavy snowfalls in April, keeping the hostas from leafing out too early.

renaldo75 · Post by **renaldo75** » Apr 09, 2007 5:44 pm

The snow will probly be the best insulator, Dave. I went out this afternoon again - temp not too bad - upper 40's. I finally looked under some of the pots. Wish I hadn't. The outer leaves on most will be mush. They may all be mush... Not sure what to say about the ones I covered with soil but the soil had settled on some & the tips that were showing look like they'll be mush. I added more soil anyway. I discovered that I'd forgotten to cover 3-4 plants with anything. I guess I've got a few 'controls'.

They are definitely mush.

My one big Regal Splendor was one of them. I can't believe I forgot to cover it.

A nice mound of soil would have been easy since it wasn't up high. Oh well......

eastwood2007 · Post by **eastwood2007** » Apr 10, 2007 12:45 am

I thought of you today, Renaldo, when I uncovered all my hostas, cuz you covered yours the same day....so I knew you would probably find the same heartbreaking sight I did!

I don't think it helped much to cover things with the temps dipping below 20. I did put blankets on top of my minis which were under the pots and they seem relatively unscathed. The next couple days will tell...good luck to you.

mooie · Post by **mooie** » Apr 10, 2007 6:05 am

I pretty much gave up. The covered hostas froze anyway and what didn't freeze, the squirrels and or rabbits ate. Despite repeated applications of liquid fence and plantskyyd they attacked with a vengence this year. I give...

mooie

renaldo75 · Post by **renaldo75** » Apr 10, 2007 12:01 pm

Sorry to hear that, Mooie.

Sorry, Charla - hope your minis will be ok.

Surprisingly the Stiletto I looked at which had unfurled looked better than anything else.

I'm leaving the pots on for the next week - it's still sposed to get down below freezing here towards the end of the week. And rain possibly mixed with snow on Friday.

Wanda · Post by **Wanda** » Apr 10, 2007 2:00 pm

We are in our second solid week of record low temps - nighttime lows of single digits/low teens and daytime highs in the low 20s. Today is the exception - we might get just above freezing...but are expecting 3-8” of snow tomorrow and they are calling for an even bigger snowstorm this weekend. Sure am glad my hosta are just little 1/4” nubbins barely peeking out of the soil! Sure feel bad for those of you with leafed-out hosta...been there more times than I care to remember! Will be interesting (shudder) to see how these temps affect hosta just barely emerging from the ground.

Does anyone remember who told us hosta were hardy perennials? I have a sturdy rope and a hangin’ oak right handy! (hehe)

wanda

twoblackdogs · Post by **twoblackdogs** » Apr 10, 2007 3:31 pm

I just looked at weather.com for tomorrow & tomorrow night - 2-4" WET snow/rain for tomorrow and potential for 4-6" more tomorrow night.
And that's just 30 miles north of the Indiana/Michigan border!
I am so ready for this winter stuff to be over.

renaldo75 · Post by **renaldo75** » Apr 10, 2007 8:31 pm

Something is definitely headed your way - it's been raining steadily here since early afternoon with no sign of it ending any time soon.

Wanda - if they feel as mushy as my Regal Splendor did yesterday, then I think you know the answer...

Wanda · Post by **Wanda** » Apr 10, 2007 10:05 pm

R75: They are still firm (checking often with this cold)...they are just barely peeking out of the soil and are definite nubbins - just a couple tiny points emerging. I did sort of hill some soil up around the ones I could see when I knew this cold was coming - just in case. Regal Flame, Split Decision, Filigree, the streaked Lakeside Party Dress, the streaked Blue Angel, the Atom Smasher seedlings and a few others did get a double handful of leafmould, too. Boy, I really have to divide those this year so I have some spares...I have been conditioned by the cruel weather gods to be real twitchy when I have only one of each. Royal bloodlines’ need to have “an heir and a spare” is starting to sound like basic common sense when applied to growing hosta...just in case. Gosh, it was bad enough when I thought I “only” needed one of every hosta I could find...

wanda

HostaDesigner · Post by **HostaDesigner** » Apr 11, 2007 8:41 am

Ignore everything I said earlier!

It's miserable out today with lots of white stuff. On the plus side, it's only 33 degrees and very wet snow, so the plants will actually benefit from the water and snow protection.

-sigh-

Spring will come back someday...

Wanda · Post by **Wanda** » Apr 12, 2007 4:48 pm

Yeah, last night was a wild nor’easter here...couldn’t even see across the driveway at times. Wind just howling, dumping about 7” of wet HEAVY snow along with some freezing rain. Got another inch this morn, but melting fast. Tomorrow by afternoon should be 50 degrees and sunny...here in northern Michigan you can get a crick in your psyche flipping between spring/winter conditions. Sometimes even on the same day.

They were calling for an even bigger, badder storm this weekend...but now say it will pass well south of us. Watch out Ohio, Indiana & Illinois and points south!

wanda

Libby · Post by **Libby** » Apr 12, 2007 5:29 pm

Oh, please, no more!

I uncovered my hostas after 7 days to trim off the worst, then it rained and I got a second application of HAIL - only pea size this time and lasting for a couple of minutes. Wanda, I think my psyche is suffering a huge crack![/i]

eastwood2007 · Post by **eastwood2007** » Apr 13, 2007 12:59 am

I'm sorry guys...I saw on the news today where Michigan got smacked again! I thought of you all.

We are supposed to have rain tomorrow and a little snow overnight, but nothing staying...ugh!

Libby, where do you live? It doesn't show by your name...

newtohosta-no more · Post by **newtohosta-no more** » Apr 13, 2007 7:58 am

Holy cow,Dave! 16 inches of snow when you got back!! Isn't it amazing? You're what?.....about 45 mins or so from me and we got about 1-2 inches. I'm just glad none of my hostas had begun to unfurl yet, so there is hope that no read damage was done from the cold snap.
Hope you had a good time in Florida.