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Avatar for patweppler
May 12, 2015 1:38 PM CST
Thread OP

Celebrating Gardening: 2015
here we are part way through May and it has decided to make a change from the 70's in temps to the 30's and below at night time....
I can cover my pots if need be
but what about the ones in the ground that are peeping up............
this weather has been crazy here............
the low is only dipping to 28F............
are they all ok without cover....??? what about the pots??
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May 12, 2015 5:02 PM CST
Name: Michele Roth
N.E. Indiana - Zone 5b, and F (Zone 9b)
I'm always on my way out the door..
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Forum moderator Garden Sages Garden Ideas: Master Level Dog Lover Cottage Gardener
Native Plants and Wildflowers Plant Identifier Organic Gardener Keeps Horses Hummingbirder Hosted a Not-A-Raffle-Raffle
I hung shade cloth over my 24" plants, and piled straw around my others...with little fluffy straw toppers. This will make taller plants bend and curl though if there's rain or snow, so I only use it if the forecast is for clear and calm. If it's cloudy at daybreak and remains so for an hour or two after, or wet, they might be okay anyway. In my mind, it's that fast warmup of morning sunlight on frosted leaves that causes the most damage.
Cottage Gardening

Newest Interest: Rock Gardens


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May 12, 2015 8:07 PM CST
Name: Lorn (Roosterlorn)
S.E Wisconsin (Zone 5b)
Bee Lover Lilies Pollen collector Seed Starter Region: Wisconsin
Pat, the ones most susceptible to frost are Trumpets, so those are top priority. OrientalTrumpets are next to freeze The ones least susceptible are the Asiatic and Longiflorum Asiatic, so you shouldn't have to worry too much about those. Everything else is kind of 'in between' depending on how tall it is. The taller they are, the more susceptible they are. Tiny little noses of any type, just barely breaking the surface by a couple cm are usually 'safe' Smiling .
Avatar for patweppler
May 18, 2015 6:04 PM CST
Thread OP

Celebrating Gardening: 2015
So here is the big to due.....
FROST for 4 nights in a row coming up and hundreds of lilies out of the ground......
I am going to start to put on the frost blankets tomorrow morning and then when everything is covered and anchored to stay that way.......
not taking the frost blankets off for 4 days...........
the sun should be able to come through they say and the rain but not the frost.......
so many different heights of lilies in the garden they will all got covered
good thing I bought lots of frost blankets.........

today was 85F out and tomorrow a high of just over 50 in the am. and a high of 40F in the afternoon and then frost will come early and stay........
and then temps are about 50F for highs for the next 4 days with lows in the high 20's to 30.F

this is not good for the amateur lily person.........at all
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May 18, 2015 7:21 PM CST
Name: Rick R.
Minneapolis,MN, USA z4b,Dfb/a
Garden Photography The WITWIT Badge Seed Starter Wild Plant Hunter Region: Minnesota Hybridizer
Garden Sages I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Plant Identifier Million Pollinator Garden Challenge
It will be a great learning experience. Not everything is gloom and doom.

You might want to place a thermometer(s) out of the sun under the frost cloth(s). During the day, the sun could heat things up like a greenhouse under the cloth. That wouldn't be a good thing if the temp rises too high. At any rate, you'll have an idea of what is really happening under the cloth for future reference.
When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the losers. - Socrates
Avatar for patweppler
May 18, 2015 8:33 PM CST
Thread OP

Celebrating Gardening: 2015
will be doing that then... thanks Rick

I can see where this is going to be a learning experience.....
the highs during the day will be up there a bit but not that high really but the sky will be sunny and clear during the day
I can see taking off the blankets and putting them back on each night but wow that will be a full time job just doing that .....
without all the rest of the things I have to do besides my lilies

I can see where the frost blankets would be like a greenhouse effect but to be honest this 84 F weather like today to the sudden cold air like tomorrow is more or less the same thing........ the yoyo weather here is not the norm, they blame this on the polar vortex.

will see how it goes.......will be a thermometer under the frost blankets and see what the temps are like during the day and if the temps are. what temp is too high under the blankets??
Avatar for patweppler
May 18, 2015 8:34 PM CST
Thread OP

Celebrating Gardening: 2015
this is really not for the amateur for sure..... but will learn like you said.......
there are days that I wish I did not have as many lilies out there as I do
there are trumpets that are just peaking through and then some OT that are just soring up there..
Avatar for patweppler
May 18, 2015 8:41 PM CST
Thread OP

Celebrating Gardening: 2015
this is really not for the amateur for sure..... but will learn like you said.......
there are days that I wish I did not have as many lilies out there as I do
there are trumpets that are just peaking through and then some OT that are just soring up there..

and then there is Leslie Woodriff and wow it is growing so tall and so fast.......I can not believe the size of the bulb that went in the ground.......going to be huge for sure..... I just planted it in the last week and with this heat and humidity it has just shot up fast..... I am hoping to try some scaling on this bulb in the future....... this is one of my favourite looking lily from the pics......
Avatar for patweppler
May 23, 2015 4:54 AM CST
Thread OP

Celebrating Gardening: 2015
Well we got our 4th frost in a week last night and it was a bad one..... Ground completely white when I woke up.....Frost blankets are frozen on top of everything. Glad I got most of everything here covered. Now today and from now on a lot better weather finally...... Cooler and a bit of rain mixed with some hot and humid weather as well.........
Talk about late frosts that can do some real damage.
Talked to the Lily Nook and they had a freak snow storm out there the other day and an ice storm and it did damage too there. most of her martagons near the house are all bent over....... she thinks they are lost for this year.

hopefully that is it and I can get some annuals planted to go in between some of the lilies to add some extra color for now.....

we hit 24F last night and heavy heavy frost
Avatar for patweppler
May 23, 2015 4:57 AM CST
Thread OP

Celebrating Gardening: 2015
I do not understand how a lily can be hardy in zone 5 and still need to cover them. to me a flower is not hardy if they have to be protected from frost and so on in the spring time. oh well last night was the last night of the 12 frost blankets hopefully......
I do not want to take chances that things will get nipped off with the cold either
the asciatics are still under ground here and not even popping up and they are the smart one to me......
Nobody else around here has theirs up either and called a friend a few hours away from me and none of her are up yet and she is further south.......
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May 23, 2015 5:23 AM CST
Name: Jo Ann Gentle
Pittsford NY (Zone 6a)
Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Cat Lover Heucheras Hellebores Container Gardener
Birds Region: New York Avid Green Pages Reviewer Irises Garden Ideas: Master Level Lilies
Awwwww Pat. That is hard to hear.
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May 24, 2015 2:53 PM CST
Name: Lorn (Roosterlorn)
S.E Wisconsin (Zone 5b)
Bee Lover Lilies Pollen collector Seed Starter Region: Wisconsin
Pat, I think most of those hit by frost will continue to grow skyward and produce enough green foliage to be quite normal next year. The stems and leaves may grow distorted but who cares as long as the plant lives. I had a few that got frozen pretty good when I was out of town around the first of May. All of them came back pretty good, even though they may look like a bunch of miss-fits. Here's one, though, that really got hit hard by frost but recovered the best of all---so keep your fingers crossed. Many may grow right up through the damage area like this one did and still put on a good show of flowers this summer. Smiling


Thumb of 2015-05-24/Roosterlorn/6fcd53


Thumb of 2015-05-24/Roosterlorn/16fe8c


Thumb of 2015-05-24/Roosterlorn/596525
Avatar for patweppler
May 24, 2015 4:52 PM CST
Thread OP

Celebrating Gardening: 2015
well the temps are back to 80's again but the other night was horrible for frost here.
I had everything covered well most them anyhow and do not see any damage with the frost blankets on top
covered my annuals that way too with the frost blankets
but tons of people close to me got hit by the frost and lost their annuals even with a blanket on top.........not a frost blanket though......

the frost blankets are a bit of a pain since they blow around easier but so far they have done a great job at keeping things in check here....

the frost was so bad out there the other day that all you saw was pure white
the temps went down to 22F and then stayed like that for about 4 solid hours before coming back up in the morning at 8am.
so that is quite a while of heavy frost...
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May 24, 2015 7:11 PM CST
Name: Michele Roth
N.E. Indiana - Zone 5b, and F (Zone 9b)
I'm always on my way out the door..
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Forum moderator Garden Sages Garden Ideas: Master Level Dog Lover Cottage Gardener
Native Plants and Wildflowers Plant Identifier Organic Gardener Keeps Horses Hummingbirder Hosted a Not-A-Raffle-Raffle
Glad to hear that your frost blankets worked! Hurray! Which ones are they? Since they protect that well, I might be interested in picking up a few. Thumbs up
Cottage Gardening

Newest Interest: Rock Gardens


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