FROST

As if my avocado trees didn't have enough to contend with, they now have to deal with below freezing temps. Just before I went to bed last night, at 11:30, I learned on the news that the whole area had a severe low temperature warning. In years past, this would mean that I would take my piles of old sheets outside and cover the myriad of plant pots for the night. At this point, my "garden" has become so huge that it would take an hour or two to do this. I was up at 3:00 A.M. that morning to get ready to go do the antique market, and most of all, I could only think of going to bed.

The wind was blowing, and anchoring the sheets would also be a problem. Most of the plants and small trees have become so tall that the weight of sheets would bend them right over. I was hoping that the breeze would continue and blow away any potential frost. The large ferns are under the porch roof overhang, along with the newly potted avocado trees; the Christmas cactus are on the porch, as are the cyclamen, although they can handle the cold; and hopefully the rest of the plants would keep each other company and cuddle in the night.

I brought the one huge house plant inside, watered the porch plants as they didn't get rained on Saturday and supposedly if the plants aren't dry they'll withstand cold temperatures better.

Well, we did get a frost, although I didn't get up in the night to see how bad it was. I woke up a few times, but was too exhausted to do so. There is still a bit of frost on the van - too early to know about the fate of the plants. The avocados are really drooping, but who knows what the reason is at this point.