30 Days In The Gardener's Garden: Day5

It's hot!  Well, kinda really warm.  Especially if you're outdoors for more than 30 minutes - try 6 hours.  The forecast called for 87* degrees, and the nice breeze out seemed promising.  I had tree pruning scheduled for my HUGE pine trees.  The guys at Tree Amigos were johnny on the spot and on top of things, literally.

(Andy out on a limb)

I felt inspired, and off I went to do my own band of crazy pruning.  First stop, bougainvillea.   The frost of 2011 left me with a mess-o-dead-stuff.  This was just 2 of 7 bvilla I had to tackle.

(from this...)

(to this!)

After that (and some gauze, witch hazel, bandages, few tears...) I dove into the dubious task of removing my tevitia trees. They got pretty zapped, and that was enough to nudge me to action.  I plan to replace them with white lady banks roses.

(I'm kinda diggin' the open look...for now.)

By this point I was pretty pooped, and so were those Tree Amigos.  So, from the garden to the kitchen I whipped up some tasty refreshments.

(Here's to a day well done)

I Was Wrong....

Yep, I thought we were done with the freeze danger.  My wife was adamant we weren't quite in the clear yet.   Since I don't watch much news, I'm not always current on what the 'meteorologists' are talking about.  As I scrambled around the garden in the unrelenting wind, my wife came out to capture me at my most graceful moment.  So cover up,  leave 'em on, and harvest your goodies!

(Surrender Dorothy!)

(Sample of the forced early harvest)

Happy New Winter!

Happy New Year to all!

Here in Phoenix we didn't expect a white Christmas, but I certainly experienced a 'white' New Year's eve.

(snow - Xericopia style)

The garden beds here at Xericopia were blanketed with...well, blankets.  It got cold here! I know, it sounds wussy just being a mere low of 33* degrees.  But for our heat loving gardens, that can really ruin the festive spirit.  Especially the edibles!  

I covered a few garden beds but some areas I left open.  Partly, because I know certain plants can withstand major cold (and some things I just wanted to test).  I also had a lot of plants I just had to move onto the patio or indoors for assured safety.

(cucumber seedlings and hibiscus hiding from the cold!)

I'm aware of which areas of the garden trap cold air, and which areas prevent the frost from settling in.  How do I know this?

(thermometer on ground next to garden bed)

Every year I place a few thermometers in spots to check just how cold it gets.  I set them on the ground too, that way I know what the plants are experiencing (ground level and eye level can vary 3-5* degrees).  My garden - ground level - got down to 28* degrees (five straight days below 30*) and all of the birdbaths and rain buckets froze over solid. 

The frost covers trap in soil warmth from the day, which slowly releases through the night. It also prevents tiny frost particles from collecting on top of plants. You can even leave the frost covers on through the day creating a greenhouse effect for plants.  Some plants may still experience minor leaf damage but the plant won't die.

(twinkle twinkle happy plants!)

Some plants may still experience minor leaf damage but the plant won't die.  For super protection, I some of my extra christmas lights and dress them around my specialty plants, then cover them up.  It also makes for a charming garden display at night.