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The Texas Dip - Garden Style

In Texas, we have something called the Texas Dip.  Google it for your entertainment, but basically it's a curtsy unique to Texas debutantes.  It's also a fairly accurate way to describe the central Texas relationship with freezing temperatures.  We flirt, approach, and occasionally "dip" into them, but rarely sink and stay down.  So, it is with increasing dismay that I watch the thermometer reach 17°F and fail to regain its footing on a cold but just above freezing norm.  I know a lot of our garden blogger friends are used to this - and that their experience over the past week of this winter's record breaking storm has been so much harsher than we've seen in Austin.  But we don't plan(t) for this.   I mean, does anyone in Austin think they're going to need a pond de-icer?  



MSS at Zanthan Gardens tweeted earlier this week about her frozen pipes, and it's a good bet a lot more of us will find out we've joined her as the temperatures climb and our previously frozen pipes leak their unpleasant surprises into our walls and yards.  I also heard that friends who keep "backyard chickens" are using their heat mats to keep the water bowls from freezing - move over tomato seedlings!  My own garden looks pretty dismal - even supposedly "cold season plants" like parsley and antique roses look damaged.  It makes me tired just thinking about it.  I'd sit down and rest if I could only find the bench...




   

Comments

Caroline said…
My parsley and roses looked sad this morning, but they seem to be perking up nicely as the snow melts, along with the chard. I peeked under my row covers and the broccoli, onions, strawberries and lettuce look fine, but the lime trees, mmm, not so much. I think the limes might have handled 24 hours of subfreezing temps but 48 hours may have been too much for them. We'll see what spring brings.
February 4, 2011 at 2:21 PM
vbdb said…
You're right, Caroline. Some plants did look a bit less done for by this afternoon. It's easy to forget how resilient Nature really is when faced with so many pitiful looking plants.
February 4, 2011 at 5:07 PM
Unknown said…
I got so tired of putting out the plant covers. But I got home just in time from Dallas to put it on for this last round only to find that they were all frozen solid where I had folded them in the corner outside. Now that is a problem I haven't encountered before!!
February 11, 2011 at 3:31 PM
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