Cold weather

Many people have been saying that it has been cold this year, and how tender plants tender have suffered. I have just found an example. The above plants are Nicandra physalodes or Apple of Peru, a half hardy annual. Both plants had been raised in a greenhouse until about three weeks ago when I put the right hand one outside but left the other in the greenhouse. The last three weeks have not been that cold, but look at the difference in size.

However I notice that both have small flower buds, so the temperature doesn't seem to have affected that aspect.

 

Yes Peter the cold snap really clobbered some of our plants too. The potted peach tree that was doing brilliantly and even showing peaches turning pink has ended up with wind-chiiled leaves after being taken out of the greenhouse. Our potted fig lost half its leaves due to gales. The blueberry bushes were stripped by hail which also left the plum tree looking like it had been peppered by a shotgun. Could go on but it's too depressing!

 

I remember Christopher Lloyd saying that he started to sow his seeds on 1st March, but didn't sow tender annuals such as Cosmos, Cleome and Tithonia until 1st May. He said that if they were knocked back by cold weather they tended to sulk and never properly recover. I have certainly experienced that in the past.

I currently have a number of sich looking tender annuals/perennials outside, such as Salvia splendens, Salvia coccinea, Salvia radula and Salvia subrotunda and am wondering if they will ever recover.