Cold Temps and Plants..

Well it's been snowing here for almost the whole day and it's still snowing now and all of my poor plants are covered with a GOOD few inches of snow!!! I expect some of them will be dead tomorrow, poor things!!

I feel gutted and still, the snow keeps falling!

 

Hi @Sally Parker Don't mention it mate...same weather conditions here but with blizzards and the wind as been bad...I looked out the window this morning and this plant on the back all the leaves have collapsed on it and it was coming along lovely

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Hi @Sally Parker , don't be too concerned about snow as it acts as an insulator. The time to brush it off is if it starts bending branches etc. Also if it starts to thaw, you could knock it off then in case it freezes or waterlogs plants in pots.

 

Hope your plant makes a good recovery Gail_68. It's awful isn't it.

 

@KFF I didn't know this until @Verdun mentioned it to me...I've got my main 3 plants which was my main concern covered

 

@Sally Parker the same goes for you also ...I've got my camellia covered and two bottle brushes, which I hope can survive this cold weather

 

I fleeced some of my very large pots and decided to move the smaller ones into the caravan. This morning when I went across to check on the I found all 3 water bowls frozen solid and the compost in the pots frozen solid . I am pretty sure I will have lost some of the caravan plants and garden plants . Trying not to think about it.

 

Yes snow can act as an insulator against severe cold for a short time. As long as the snow cover is not too protracted of course. The weight of the snow is also a factor and can easily damage woody plants, esp evergreens........knocking accumulations off will help avoid this
In cold areas I think plants will have become somewhat hardened to this extreme spell; in mild areas plants may well suffer badly. It will be interesting when we check in a few days just how they have coped.
My own plants have enjoyed mild conditions all winter so will 2 days of snow and below zero temperatures have taken their toll?
Time will tell for all of us

 

@luciusmaximus I hope you don't mate...I put in one of my posts to a member not to stress out and really you can't in reality when you put so much time and work in to your garden / plants / allotments / greenhouses etc.

I'm trying my hardest no to anyway all we can do is try and hope for a good side to it and that some of our plants are able to adjust to the lower temps.

Regarding water I've tried filling the bird bath and it soon freezes and the birds are after water bad here every morning

 

@Gail_68 My birds are the same. Glycerine will stop water from freezing. I use it here, but I didn't use it in the caravan as wasn't expecting it to freeze.

 

@luciusmaximus I understand that glycerin is not a healthy option for birds, and can actually poison them. It is far better to give them pure water in a deep enough container, and break the ice and replenish the water daily.

 

Hi @luciusmaximus we've had some right snow here and yesterday with some sun and light rain it eased it and it's down poured tonight and they've got their water...cheers for the advice

 

None of my potted plants were covered. I was hoping to buy a new cover for my greenhouse but I couldn't get the one I wanted in time. We had sustained snow for about 3 days which has now gone. So far the plants are looking ok. Fingers crossed they will stay that way. I hope to plant everything out at some point this summer.

G.

 

Same here @Jack Sparrow we had snow bad but the plants which had buds on previous are still sprouting them and those bottle brushes on the front...one of them while the snow was down heavy popped a new shoot up from the ground ...they're still heading for the bin though but I could try potting that one and put it on the decking

 

We wont know the extent of any damage caused by snow and low temps until spring when new growth emerges. At least here, just a couple of days of snow so,hopefully, no lasting damage