Weather 2008

[David Nicholson]

Heavy frosts here the last couple of mornings, perhaps the heaviest of the Winter/Spring or whatever it is, but still all gone by 0930. Gone with it though are the new bright red shoot tips of Pieris 'Forest Flame' and Pieris 'Valley Valentine' really doesn't know what has hit it. My Magnolia stellata growing in a pot now has brown blossom. BUT I worked in the garden this afternoon in shirt sleeves and got a little sun glow on my nose and forehead. It's a funny old climate!

[Iturraran]

Back to Winter it seems  with heavy showers and wind, right now 8,4şC outside.

[art600]

Heavy frosts here the last couple of mornings, perhaps the heaviest of the Winter/Spring or whatever it is, but still all gone by 0930. Gone with it though are the new bright red shoot tips of Pieris 'Forest Flame' and Pieris 'Valley Valentine' really doesn't know what has hit it. My Magnolia stellata growing in a pot now has brown blossom. BUT I worked in the garden this afternoon in shirt sleeves and got a little sun glow on my nose and forehead. It's a funny old climate!

David
Sorry to learn that your Pieris suffered, but at least it made me feel better knowing why mine had overnight changed so dramatically.  Half my Magnolia stellata is now brown, and the camellias are not looking too good.
 

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Same here ! 
Pieris - Magnolia - Rhodo's - all flowers and new shoots that were developping gone brown and black.... 
Well, there's always next year  .... 

[Maggi Young]

At least with the Pieris there is the chance for a new set of growth very quickly.... some years we have had three sets of new growth frosted and still got our "fix" of bright growth before summer.... one of the reasons I so like Pieris 

[Paddy Tobin]

Nothing spectacular here but it is so rare we have snow that I had to get out and take a few photographs. To put this in context - this snow began to fall around 7.00a.m. I was out by 7.15 and the snow had thawed by 8.00a.m. so it was a fleeting experience.

Paddy

[Paddy Tobin]

And to finsih off - yes, snow is a novelty here and brings out the child even is a grumpy chap like myself.

Paddy

[Maggi Young]

My, Paddy, the snow helped you "paint" lovely pictures but I feel very sorry for all those flowers getting such a shock. Poor magnolias!
We have had a thunder storm here this evening.... Weather! I think I've about had enough of it! And the weekend forcast doesn't look great, either.... good luck everyone for still having some flowers left after all this!

[mark smyth]

Was the snow today, Paddy?

Today we had the hottest day so far and I wasnt home to see what the temperature was - must buy a new max min. The car was sitting at a friends house and when we got in to go look at dipper nest boxes the heat inside was stiffling

[Paddy Tobin]

No, Mark.

Monday last but I have only had time to post today.

Paddy

[Michael]

I just love those pictures!
I wish i could had the same experience. Snow is so beautifull!

[Lesley Cox]

I do like all of your pictures Paddy. Although it's not truly winter, the lack of much foliage and summer lushness shows the "bones" clearly, and lovely flowing lines in your garden.

As Maggi says, "poor magnolias." Has 'Fragrant Cloud' been frosted into horrid brownness since? I'm wondering about the good orangey patch in pic #3. Is it by any chance our native Libertia peregrinans? That is an excellent plant for winter colour in an otherwise drab landscape. It does need some space though.

[mark smyth]

I hope everyone else in the UK and Ireland is enjoying the heat we are having for the last week or so. Dont know when it last rained. This is how 2007 started with hot April and may and then went down hill for the rest of the summer. Plants in troughs, pots and green house are suffering. I spent a few hours yesterday evening watering

[gote]

If I am to believe our meteorologists, Autumn went on and on up to Easter when we had a brief winter followed by spring. This means that we never had the mean temperature under 0°C for a full week until March. Then the cold finally hit us with temperatures down to -11°C, This would normally be no problem in my garden – we get -20°C many years – but this came when much had started to grow. The Erantis were nearly over, Galanthus (The kinds I can grow) in full flower, Some Hellebores were over, some not started and some (including Thibetanus in full flower). It looked awful at the time but the plants showed a surprising resilience.

I hope that the following notes could be of interest – at least to those gardening in cold areas. All plants grow in the open ground and received no protection.

Cardiocrinum giganteum was up 10 cm. – only slight damage to the tips of the leaves
C. yunannense and cathayanum were just showing the tips and seem undamaged.
Ypsilandra thibetica was in flower. Flower destroyed but plant seems OK.
Hellborus thibetanus Looked like spaghetti but recovered completely.
H orientalis abschasicus: Half of the flower destroyed otherwise OK
Other H orientalis in various stages: Spaghetti but full recovery.
Corydalis solida and relations. Those up: Spaghetti but complete recovery.
Hepatica nobilis looked little sad but no permanent damage
Galanthus: Spaghetti but full recovery.       
Heloniopsis orientalis breviscapa had two big buds. One unharmed is now in flower. The other looks OK but does not move.
No damage to any Crocus, Scilla, Chionodoxa or Eranthis. (No unusual kinds) Iris danfordie lay down not to rise again. Reticulata was OK but flagged a little.

The buds on the following shrubs had started to swell but look unharmed. However, final verdict has to wait:
Magnolia kobus Rhododendron mucronulatum, prinophyllum, canadense, yakushimanum, schlippenbachii, smirnowii, vasyeii, luteum, Catawbiense roseum elegans, ‘Persil’ ‘Jolie madame’, ‘Glowing embers’, ‘Puszta Feuer’, carolinianum,  and various Minnesota hybrids. My two unnamed kinds of philadelphus and Forsythia also look unharmed.
Let us hope that we do not get a new cold spell this season.
Göte

[Maggi Young]

Göte, a very useful weather report from your garden to guage the response of different plants to the nasty conditions many of us have had  lately. Thank you!