Harsh Winter: Survivors & Losses

This past winter, I decided to let all of my in-ground plants (except my 20 year old Sagos) & most of my potted Agaves, Yuccas and Dyckias attempt survival without any assistance from me.  The winter had several cold fronts, often reaching the low 20s.  My plants had fared quite well up until the very last front (which happened to come after a strong warm-up, thus fooling many of the plants).  But that last one did the damage and weeded out the tough ones from those that were borderline.

I've been waiting to see if any resprouted or if they simply rotted. The results are in.

Variegated Thread Leaf Agave (Agave schidigera 'Shira Ito No Ohi') : Neither the in-ground or potted one survived.

The Red Billbergia (possibly Cryptbergia 'Red Burst) took severe damage, though one small sprig survives.

Aloe 'Hedgehog' (Aloe humilis 'Hedgehog'), as expected, got hammered.  No sprouts seen yet (and I'm not anticipating any).

Rattlesnake Agave (Manfreda maculosa) always dies back to the ground with any freeze and then returns.

The hanging basket of Agave lophantha 'Quadricolor' actually fared quite well.  There was some minor damage (already removed) but considering how exposed it was, I'm quite pleased.

Manfreda 'Macho Mocha' (Manfreda x Mangave 'Macho Mocha') took some definite damage (already removed) but will easily recover.

Pale-leaf Yucca (Yucca pallida) showed no ill effects at all.

Both the in-ground and potted Agave 'Blue Glow' suffered some damage (mainly to lower leaves), but both survived.

Dyckia brevifolia 'Moon Glow' got diminished, but still has some green growth.

The potted Dyckia 'Nickel Silver' suffered some minor damage, but appears to have pulled through.

Not surprised to see that the potted Red Yucca's (Hesperaloe parviflora) suffered no ill effects.

All of the potted and in-ground Soap Aloe (Aloe maculata), of which I have many, turned to mush.

I had hopes that perhaps the in-ground ones would return from sprouts, and I was pleased to discover that under all the rotting leaves, growth was returning.

Sometimes, even the center of the plant survived and was producing new growth.

Soft-leafed yucca (Yucca recurvifolia) did just fine.

The 'Cherry Coke' Dyckia produced mixed results.  The one planted in the backyard (with some tree cover) only had minor leaf damage.

But the two more-exposed, front yard specimens were severely burned, though small sprouts are visible on at least one of them.

I was surprised that the Twin-flowered Agave (Agave geminiflora) was killed by the low temperatures.

But was completely unsurprised that the Calamar Squid Agave (Agave bracteosa 'Calamar') were unscathed.

When It Gets Hot...

On Saturday, for the date of June 29, Austin set a new high temperature of 108 degrees.  So, obviously, it was the perfect time to plant some succulents into pots!

I filled a narrow, rectangular pot with Aloe deltoideodonta on the left, Silver Dollar Plant (Dudleya brittonii 'Super White') in the center and Gasteraloe 'Flo' on the right (have not been able to find any online references for the latter).

A small round pot received Gasteria bicolor var. carspetosain in the front, Variegated Indian Corn Cob (Euphorbia mammillaris var. variegata) on the left, Stapelia incomparabilis (very little online information) in the back and a variegated Sedum species on the right (can anyone identify?).

I added Tiger Jaws (Faucaria tigrina) to the pot already containing Golden Tooth Aloe (Aloe perfoliata) as that Aloe has a tendency to lean outwards, leaving most of the pot looking empty.  Hopefully the Tiger Jaws will fill in (and I like the matching toothy appearance).

This squarish pot seemed to compliment Flapjack Plant (Kalanchoe thyrsiflora) very nicely.

The pot includes a couple of Ice Plants (Delosperma congestum) which will hopefully survive under the broad leaves of the Flapjack Plant.

You Know You've Had Rain...

...when a mushroom appears...

...in the pot for a Variegated Tree Aloe (Aloe arborescens 'Variegata').

Planted in Pots:

• Sansevieria 'Dwarf Laurentii'

Cause & Effect

Over the weekend, my garden received a small shower (about .3 inches).  Even though completely devoid of foliage for quite some time, it only took the Zephyr Lilies (Zephyranthes 'Labuffarosea') until Monday morning to start sending up blooms.

By the afternoon, a nice little clump of light pink flowers brightened the garden path.

Because I allowed my parsley to go to seed, it attracted several Black Swallowtail caterpillars which seemed to enjoy eating the taller, blooming stalks.  Various sizes of the brightly-colored larvae could be spotted up & down the plant.  Monday night, I found one that had crawled across the path and up a nearby Mexican Honeysuckle (Justicia spicigera) where it had suspended itself from one of the branches.

By Tuesday morning, the caterpillar had transformed into a light green chrysalis.  At some point down the line, the transformation will be complete as an adult swallowtail will emerge.

Measuring Rain

Recently, my son gave me the brass-colored dragonfly rain gauge I had been coveting. 

And just in time too.  As during the last 24+ hours, my garden received nearly four inches of much needed rain.

(Slightly skewed, of course, by the omnipresent spring oak fuzzies)

Mild Winter

You know you're having a mild winter when you can pull off some damaged leaves from a Snake Plant (Sansevieria trifasciata) in November, cast them into your garden to decompose and then, come late February, discover that one leaf has managed to sprout and grow almost six inches.

Didn't even know that Snake Plant would sprout like this.  That's the original castaway portion laying along the ground in the back right of the picture.  I may have to see what I can produce next fall by trying this is some pots and keeping them out of the cold (though that hasn't been a problem this year!)

Planted in Ground:

• Wall Iris (Iris tectorum): Have been hanging on to two of them in nursery pots since last spring; finally decided to drop them down between the twin waterfalls.
• Little White Soldiers (Drimiopsis maculata): Finally planted this pass-along from Philip (East Side Patch) that I received way back before winter - this plant was on my Gotta Get List, so hoping it does well.

Post Freeze: Aloe Was Blooming in December

Well, by golly, I guess this proves that Soap Aloe (Aloe maculata) blooms don't like 28 degree nights.  Think the plant itself likely suffered some damage but it tends to handle that level of cold fairly well.

Foliage Follow-up: September 2011

As of today, we have experienced 85 days with a high temperature at or above 100 degrees.  The average yearly number of 100 degree days in Austin, Texas is 13.5 - I'm thinking this year will be pushing that average up quite a bit.  The previous yearly record for the most 100 degree days was 69 set in 1925 - that record has been absolutely shattered.  And to make matters worse, rainfall has been almost non-existent in my garden for most of the year.

Needless to say, participating in Digging's Foliage Follow-up is a bit of struggle.

 

Be sure to visit Digging to see what foliage can be found in other's gardens.  Hope theirs is faring better than mine!

How to Kill a Bed in Three Easy Steps

Step 1: Get as close to summer as you can before placing your plants into the ground.

I waited until May 20 before placing the thirteen Autumn Ferns (Dryopteris erythrosora) into the middle tier of my Three Tiers Bed.  Would have preferred to have accomplished this sooner, but was unable to find the desired size & price until late in the season.  Might have been better to just leave it bare until fall.

Step 2: Trim lower tree limbs to expose previously dappled shade bed to intense shaft of sunlight.

Last summer, this bed received dappled sun for most of the summer day.  But after having some tree trimming done to remove lower limbs and get branches away from the house, the bed still gets the dappled sunlight but also additionally receives two hours of direct late afternoon sun.  Which helps a lot if you desire fried plants.

Step 3: Be sure to schedule an ongoing extreme drought and intense summer temperatures.

A steady stream of above 100 degree days combined with a complete lack of moisture have combined to desiccate the soil layer to the utmost level of aridity.  Tried to provide assistance with sporadic showers from the hose - but with our present weather conditions, just haven't been able to keep pace with the moisture loss.

So there you have it, three simple steps to wiping out a new garden bed.