Devastation
By Aleyna
9 comments
This is the result of the frost that happened 4 days ago. Another frost is scheduled for 5 days from now.
In the front garden the most affected plant was the Hibiscus Sbardarifa. A week earlier he had been taken up with leaves and flowers. I’ve cut one of the branches and it is green. Now I don’t know if I can cut more branches or leave it to see what happens.
The queen of the night was hit in the branches that are more exposed. Those protected by the trees and the tree fern around are greener. I’m thinking of making a seedling and cultivating indoors.
I was not lucky with the peppers. Insects first destroyed most of the fruit during the summer. Now the remaining two fruits have been frozen by frost :(
I am part of a botanical identification group at the FB and I commented that my ora pro nobis had been burnt by the cold. I was advised to leave it, as it will sprout again. Fingers crossed.
Bringing plants from Novo Hamburgo, where temperatures are high, to San Francisco where the frosts occur, and not reading about growing them can be devastating. The crassula ovata was almost wiped out. I’ll put it in a vase and bring it into the house too.
Our Andean melon had 4 fruits, the most ripe I gave it to my daughter to try. These are left, and one of them is completely burned by the cold. I will harvest the others, because what was not frozen last week will certainly be frozen in the next frost in 5 days.
This hibiscus has already suffered a frost last year. I transplanted it to a more sheltered area, some leaves were affected, others are still green. We will cover this hibiscus to prevent the next frost
Even the geranium was burned, only the stems of the plant remained.
Lavenders also suffered from the cold, we prune the dried and withered flowers of the 75 lavender bushes. It took us more than two hours to cut the flowers.
But not everything is lost. Photinia does not appear to have suffered anything from frost or flowering.
12 Jul, 2020
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Comments
I'm sorry your plants have been affected by frost. I hope they recover.
The Photinia is pretty :)
12 Jul, 2020
Oh Aleyna, I recall your previous blog - you were very concerned about the possible frost. I’m sorry to see your plants have succumbed to the cold weather. It’s very disheartening. As Hywel said, hopefully they will recover afterwards.
I agree, your Photinia is looking very healthy and pretty too.
12 Jul, 2020
Thank you all for the comments
Do you have any suggestions about the hibiscus sbardariffa? Shall I cut the long branches to help the plant to recover?
12 Jul, 2020
You said you were going to cover the Hibiscus. I would do that for protection. When the spring arrives it will probably start to regrow and then you can cut it back to give a good shape.
If you cut it back now the frost may kill off what branches are remaining and then there will be nothing to regrow in the spring.
12 Jul, 2020
So sorry to hear bout the frost damage. Few succulents will stand much frost and I do hope your Queen of the Night recovers. If you can bring that and the crassula somewhere out of the frost it would give them a chance. If you put the geraniums somewhere dry and frost free they will proabably be OK. It is damp that normally kills them as much as frost but they will stand more cold if they are pretty dry. Good luck!
13 Jul, 2020
Thank you Hywel,
Yes, one of them I'll cover. My question was aboiut the first picture, the sbardarifa which lost all its leaves and flowers. But I'll follow your tips.
Thank you Steragram,
Unfortunatelly I can't bring all my queen of the night indoors, because it is too big. The geranius have a good drainage so I bleieve they will be ok.
13 Jul, 2020
Here is an interesting link to a page that tells you how to grow this properly:
https://dengarden.com/gardening/Growing-Your-Own-Hibiscus-Sabdariffa-Plant
15 Jul, 2020
Again, thank you Balcony!
The link has good informations.
I believe I have to prune the branches while still green and move it to a pot and shelter to the end of the winter.
16 Jul, 2020
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Gardening with friends since
4 Apr, 2009
It's always a crying shame to see our plants cut down by the frosts!
I try to get any sensitive plants under cover when I suspect a frost may come along soon! Here about the end of October we can expect the first frosts of the autumn, so plants like Amaryllis are moved inside the flat & I prepare them to hibernate. Though the process begins months earlier. Geraniums & Pelargoniums, Begonias, Fuchsias as well as other tender plants I might wish to conserve, I move under cover about the end of October. At that time I also pay more attention to the weather forecasts & if frost is forecast I move plants further in & cover them with fleece.
Hope your plants that are just damaged recover soon. Nothing can be done for the plants killed by the frost though, just try to remember for next year the ones that are most sensitive to the cold & that you would like to save, move them under cover & be attentive to the weather forecasts.
12 Jul, 2020