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...
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