It's not like the signs haven't been everywhere, but this dropped but unopened moonflower bud is sending me a message. Nights are getting too darned cold here for tropical, zone 10 and 11 plants to shiver outside. Unfortunately for the moonflower, the vines are simply too large to bring inside. Every year I hope to experience those huge , white, fragrant flowers, but more often than not this is the outcome. Let's see, my garden is zone 4 so this plant would rather grow about 7 zones warmer than here.
Another zone 11+ plant, the tuberose, is not small, but Ed dug the clump and moved it inside to a south facing window. It pouted for a day, but now it looks like I may still get to experience the fragrance of the tuberose. The house is cool for this plant , but with the southfacing window I still have hope.
Digging this giant clump of lemon grass was a chore for Ed . The five gallon bucket and the plant are heavy. The hand cart came in handy to wheel this plant into the safety of the basement. This clump spent last winter in a bucket there and did fine. Now it's bigger than ever.
Last night was cold, but tonight the county just to the North of us has freeze warnings. Being downhill from there, we will be lucky indeed to avoid a frost. Ed will spend the afternoon removing tender plants from the garden. It's a much more pleasant experience before frost turns them into slime.
1 comment:
I've been complaining about our heat, but I'm not ready to have to say good-bye to my moonflower! I am indeed thankful for the relatively lengthy fall here in zone 7.
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