Monday, February 18, 2008

Uh Oh!

This is what my garden looked like early this morning. We had night frost of about - 6 C (21 F) last night and this is the result.
Gaaaaaaaa, just look at my poor greenpointed snowdrops, they looked like this (below), before the frost and how sad they look now, prostrate on the earth.
The fennel in my potager is feeling decidedly very sorry for itself too,
and so is the Bergenia.
The Periwinkle has folded up its flower leaves,
and my poor daisies are not feeling like happy bunnies right now! Brrrrrrr
My poor Hellebore is doing the droopy thing too.
This is always a worry when you get such mild temperatures in January and early February and the garden wakes up. Many a bloom or bud is tender and visits from the Ice Queen during the day and/or night are still very common in the early months of the year and can do a lot of damage in the garden. It is usually around half May that the danger of (light) night frost is gone in my part of the Netherlands.
Fortunately, a lot of the bulbs can stand a bit of frost and before you know it,both the daffodils and the grape hyacinths will look their cheerful self again.
These little dafs were enjoying the early sunshine this morning and were feeling much better than their cousins still in the clutches of the Ice Queen who reigned in the shade.

But it is not only the plants I have to worry about. I noticed that the rainwater in my watering can has frozen too. It is not a solid block of ice yet, which is a relief as I had forgotten to empty it out last night. I'll just put the watering can in my conservatory where the ice can do the melty thing. I don't want my can to spring a leak by letting the water get frozen from top to bottom, as it would be totally useless then.

It was not only the outside garden that provided me with some uh oh moments this morning, inside I found a nasty surprise too.
Argh! Whitefly on my little lime tree in the conservatory, this is not of the good!
I don't want to lose those limes, nor the blossom and it doesn't bear thinking about losing the whole lime tree. So off it went, straight into the
bathroom for a good clean in the bath.
Tralaaaaaa, here it's having a shower and look how
squeeky clean it is once again and all those nasty whiteflies are gone. Well, for the moment they are. This probably means that my lime tree will need a shower once a week until it's May and it can go outside. Once it's outside, the natural predators will soon sort the whitefly out.

I think I'll have to lie down now. ;-)

BTW my neck and shoulder are feeling much better today as I didn't do a lot of blogging this weekend which was just what the doctor ordered. I hope/think you guys will understand that my not visiting and commenting doesn't mean that I don't like your blogs anymore, but that I was and still am physically unable to visit and comment as much as I would like to. Pain is not fun.

copyright 2008 Y.E.W. Heuzen

34 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dat was inderdaad een mooi ijsdekentje vanmorgen....en alles ligt er dan zo kleumend bij. Inmiddels is hier een flauw zonnetje, dus alles is vast weer ontdooid :-)
Mooi, dat je met een stortbadje de witte vlieg kunt verjagen en niet aan de gang hoeft met dat spul uit flessen :-)doe jij ook niet - weet ik ;-)

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Yolanda don't fret about not commenting on blogs. Just rest yourself and get healed so you can enjoy spring and summer growing season.

It is amazing how much green you have in your garden despite the frost. I have not had luck growing bergenia. After seeing the blooms on yours I will have to pick a spot and try it again.

Rurality said...

That seems to happen every year here in Alabama... last year it was the worst late freeze in 50 years!

I like your blog! You have such a beautiful garden. I had to look on the map to see where you are located. I've been to the Netherlands very briefly, but it was at the very opposite end! (Groningen.)

Unknown said...

Sorry to hear you're not well, Yolanda, and also about the frost. Here, we're getting rain on top of snow, so the Ice Queen is having her way with us yet again. You heal quickly and well...we need you in good shape for gardening! hugs, jodi

Ewa said...

what a cruel doctor you've chosen. vorbidding to blog...
he was right probably - did he mention any gym whatsoever? it helps, after you have your rest.

I just have given you award for excellence - please come by to my blog to see and pick it up.

Have a rest!

Cheers,

Linda said...

Oh no, sure hope those plants survive the frost. Hope you are feeling better too.

Anonymous said...

Leuk....dit is nu een blog waar alle elementen in zitten waar ik ook van houdt.
Katten, tuinieren, lezen, genetica, cattery. Zelfs de harde klei in de tuin hebben we met elkaar gemeen.
Behalve ee boek schrijven.....maar wie weet!
Ik ga je blog eens langzaamaan verkennen.

Frances, said...

Do be a good patient and follow the doctor's orders, we all understand completely. It is amazing how temperate your climate seems and to still have danger of frost into May. We hope you and your plants recover nicely.

Frances at Faire Garden

Anonymous said...

Yolanda, I'm so glad you're feeling better!
Here in SoCal, I've always regarded February a spring month because the weather is usually so nice - some rain, but plenty of sunshine. Last Feb, we had a surprise freeze and I can relate to your visions of droopy plants. Hope to see some of them bounce back :-)

kate smudges said...

The Ice Queen shows no mercy! I hope your snowdrops have sprung back to life along with your other plants.


It is good you noticed the white flies and were able to get your lime tree cleaned. You have a cool bathtub!!

I am sending healing thoughts your way - shoulder and neck pain is nasty stuff.

Anonymous said...

Een heerlijk blog heb jij, alles over de natuur inclusief dieren en nog prachtige foto`s ook.

Groetjes Sjoukje

Anonymous said...

Bergenia, limes, everything, nice.

Karin said...

Ohh my what a difference between your two last posts. I can't help to think it's beautiful with the frost though. Sorry to hear your not feeling well. Take care, I hope you'll be better soon.

kram Karin

Anonymous said...

whahahahahahahahahaha ja meis ik moet lachen , wij hebben al 3 dagen vorst en daarom is mijn tuin nog in slaap , ik laat al het afdekmateriaal nog maar liggen want je ziet maar weer ;))
je gieter wel proberen te redden hoor , ik heb er al één op een bolletje ;))) meis ...één troost het wordt weer warmer .......;)))

Anonymous said...

I hope you AND your garden feel better soon, YE.

Unknown said...

I hope you feel better soon, Yolanda Elizabet! Your hellebores and frosted garden are very lovely.

Diana said...

Yolanda Elizabet, I'm so sorry about your surprise frost. We have this happen to us in Texas, too - we get fooled by warm weather and then boom - one more round of freezing just in time to kill all the lovely new buds. I have tendonitis and it hurts me to blog or garden too much, too. I was just blogging about it today, in fact. I was fine after surgery 2 years ago, but lately I've been over-doing it and it hurts again, so be sure to listen to doctor's orders and rest now so you can come back well later.

Anonymous said...

So sad. So sad. I feel for you. It's just terrible when this happens.

Lis vom Lindenhof said...

Grrrrr, so sieht es bei uns im Moment auch jeden Morgen aus! Von Freitag auf Samstag hatten wir -11°, das ist schon ganz schön heftig! Alles liegt am Boden und manchmal lassen die Helleborus sogar den ganzen Tag die Blüten hängen. Jetzt soll es aber wieder wärmer werden, wird auch Zeit :-)
LG Lis

Yolanda Elizabet Heuzen said...

Welcome to Bliss every one!

* Marl1: ja, die ijsdekentjes heb ik ook al weer een paar keer gezien dus ik dacht: kom, ik wijd er een blogje aan. Gelukkig viel de schade erg mee.

Doordat het zo zonnig was de laatste tijd, liep de temperatuur in de serre op tot rond de 20 C. De lucht in de serre is erg vochtig en die 2 samen (warm en vochtig) zijn ideaal voor spint. Gif gebruik ik ook niet, heeft ook geen zin want bijna niets is opgewassen tegen dat witte spul. Gewoon lekker een stortbad en straks (mei) naar buiten. Dat laatste doet wonderen heb ik gemerkt. :-)

* Lisa: OK, I'll cut down on the fretting thingy! ;-) It's a pity we live so far apart, otherwise I'd say: come and get a few Bergenias from me as they do so very well here. Good luck with growing your Bergenias!

* Rurality: frost can hit here from October till May/June, although it is mostly night frost. I've written it before on my blog; February tends to be the coldest month here so this is not unexpected.
What fun that you have been to my country!

* Jodi: day by day I'm getting better Jodi, the pain is slowly subsiding. The Ice Queen seems to have a long reign in Nova Scotia!

* Ewa: the doc was right to tell me to leave my computer alone for as much as I could; rest is a good healer! Thanks for the award!

* Crafty Gardener: most of the plants will survive with little or no damage I'm happy to say. And I am on the mend!

* Henriette: welkom en wat leuk dat we zoveel interesses delen! Veel plezier met het verkennen!

* Frances: I'm resting a lot just as the doc ordered and getting better too. What a relief! In my country you can expect frost (mostly night frost) from October until May/June. And as you know, frost at the wrong time can do a lot of damage in the garden.

* Nikkipolani: here February is very much regarded as a Winter month. It usually is the coldest month of the year and frost is not unexpected. But days of 15 to 20 C are not very much out of the ordinary either. ;-)


* Kate: the plants have survived the frost with little or no damage I'm glad to say.
I have a wirlpool bath but I'm not sure if that is quite the thing for a lime tree. ;-)
I'm feeling quite a bit better today!

* Sjoukje: welkom en wat leuk dat je zo van dit blog geniet. Kom gerust weer eens kijken! ;-)

* Hannele: both the lime and the Bergenia are looking better today.

* Karin: I agree, the frost turned everything into a magical mystery garden but we both know that it can do a lot of damage too. Thanks and kram!

* Lenie: we hebben hier ook al een paar nachtjes vorst achter de rug en dus leek het me een goed idee om eens te laten zien wat vorst met een tuin doet waar al zoveel (relatief dan) in bloei staat. De meeste van mijn plantjes hebben ook nog hun winterdekentje om want februari kan gemeen koud zijn. De gieter is gered!

* Pam: we both feeling better today!

* Kim: frost looks very lovely but can do a lot of damage. I think my plants are OK though!

* Diana: I know about the unexpected frosts in Texas; it is amazing what you learn while blogging. ;-)
Sorry to hear about your tendonitis. I think I have been over-doing it a little too; I spend a lot of time behind my computer and lately I have been working hard in the garden too. I'm taking it easy now so that my body can heal. I hope you are doing the same! ;-)

* MSS: Luctor et Emergo! The Dutch spirit in a nutshell. ;-)

* Lis: minus 11 C!!!! Brrrr, that is very cold, I hope your garden will survive with no damage at all. They are saying it will get warmer and I'm all for it, you too I take it? :-)

Thanks for all the comments, healing thoughts and best wishes, I do so enjoy reading it all!

Anonymous said...

OT @ BTW wie had die veertjes geplukt, toch niet een van de vierkatjes? ;-)

Neeeee! dat is echt werk van een buizerd of een valkje, daar zijn er hier genoeg van en die "pakken" de vogeltjes netjes uit, katten doen dat toch iets slordiger!

Het ziet er meteen weer zo treurig uit hè als het weer gevroren heeft, gelukkig herstelt het meeste zich wel weer in het zonnetje.
De temperaturen gaan weer omhoog, hoera, laat het maar doorzetten, dan kun je de zon in met je nek en schouders en ga je je weer beter voelen!
Sterkte en rustig aan!
groetjes, Marian

Mr. McGregor's Daughter said...

Sorry to hear that you're not doing so well. I hope you're feeling better soon. I'm also sorry your garden got zapped. We here in Northern Illinois are experts on frost. I can't remember a year when the Bergenia didn't get browned by the frost. That's why I moved my to a more inconspicuous place. Your Hellebores & Snowdrops should be fine though. Remember, it could always be worse!

Carol Michel said...

Uh oh is right. I'm sorry to see frost on your beautiful garden and white flies in your conservatory. Sometimes when it rains, it pours. I hope you are feeling better soon and understand if you aren't as active blogging while you continue to heal. You are so right, pain is not fun, nor is frost or white flies.

Carol, May Dreams Gardens

Naturegirl said...

Well Yolanda all I can say is that all my potential blooms are still safely tucked under mountains of snow here in Ontario Canada!
Sending you healing energy my sweet friend! hugs NG and her treasured girls. xo

Anonymous said...

Relax and take care of yourself, Yolanda..
With a few flowers in my garden, half a dozen pictures
and some books, I live without envy. I am sure you can too..
cheers Gisela

Garden Cats + Crafts said...

Schön zu lesen, dass es Dir schon wieder besser geht, Yolanda.
Ja, der Frost hat uns auch wieder eingeholt diese Woche. Jeden Morgen am Auto kratzen. Brrr! Die Krokusse liegen alle am Boden.

Toll, Dein Limonenbäumchen hat Blüten. Tut ihm bestimmt gut, die Dusche.

LG, Birgit

Sherry at the Zoo said...

I'm amazed at everything that is growing and green in your garden, but yet you still get frost up until May? That's when our frost free day is as well, but at this moment we have 2 inches of snow on the ground...sigh....

Reflection Through The Seasons said...

Dear Yolanda......
It saddens my heart to see what the Ice Queen has done to your plants. I know, it is wonderful to enjoy warmer days in January, but all too often there is a price to pay as we can see in your garden.

I do hope that your neck and shoulder are improving, I was sorry to read of your problem. I too understand this very much at the moment, as I have been restricted from using the computer for the very same reason. Wishing you a speedy recovery. Love - Marion

Libbys Blog said...

We had an awful frost at -6C and just up the road the local weather station recorded -8C so I think we where lucky!

Whyite said...

Sorry to hear that you were not feeling good. I totally understand as I myself am recovering from a bout of the winter yucks.

Your little plants will spring back like troopers when it warms up again.

Tracy said...

Oh, no...Jack Frost has been visiting! I hope everything will ok and come round again, and that your lovely lime tree will be ok! I'm so sorry to hear you've been having pain...no pain is good. And neck & shoulder pain can be such trouble, especially when we all do so much on the computer. Do be kind an careful with yourself. You are always here for us to visit you! ((HUGS))

Cindy Garber Iverson said...

I'm so glad you're feeling better in the pain department. But the visit from the Ice Queen has to be such a big downer, particularly because of what she did to your gorgeous snowdrops! I'm so glad you photographed them when they were at the height of their glory. And I'm glad you caught the white flies and got your lime all cleaned up again.

Hugs for the residual pain,
Cindy at Rosehaven Cottage

Aiyana said...

Now that a few days have passed, how do the plants look as far as survival? Perhaps they've suffered only a mild setback--nothing fatal. It's good to hear you are doing better now that you have taken a rest.
Take care,
Aiyana

lisa said...

Heh...I've heard of putting the "lime in the coconut", but not in the bathtub! Whatever works, right? ;-)