ANOTHER FREEZE TONIGHT

An early bloomer this year is the Agarita, Mahonia trifoliolata. Its yellow blossoms have a delightful perfume which fills the air. To follow there will be small berries, which when ripe can be collected to make agarita jelly. It is no simple matter to collect the berries because the leaves have vicious spines, similar to holly leaves. The best way is to place a sheet under the bush and give the bush a good bat with an old tennis racket! Sometimes the bush is referred to as the nursery bush as it would certainly be a safe place to leave young animals.

The Texas mountain laurel is also in full bloom in the front garden. I'm sure these plants are blooming with such a heady scent to attract bees from hibernation. However, tonight there will be a frost and I suspect the temperatures will drop into the 20s. There is a strong north wind blowing and I am afraid these blossoms will suffer. Not only that but the leaves are just coming out on the pomegranate tree and a freeze will burn them off. We have had so many unseasonably warm days that too many plants have stirred from their winter dormancy.

These grape hyacinths should make it through OK but I have had to spend some time getting things back into the greenhouse and preparing for a cold night in there.

My greenhouse is loaded with seedlings of all kinds; tomatoes, basil, parsley, brachyscome, zinnia and rooted cuttings of roses, succulents and agaves as well as two lemons and a Mexican lime. To help out on cold nights I save all the gallon milk jugs, fill them with water, which warms up during the day, and place them around the perimeter. TDuring the night they will give off enough heat to keep things from freezing. When the cold weather is over I cut off the bottoms and use them as hot caps over tender transplants. Rather like a mini greenhouse.

Yesterday I added "pea brush" to help support the growing snow peas. This year I just used trimmings from the salvia and lantana. They have already started to twine their tendrils around the stems. I use the same idea with bush beans. It just keeps them off the ground.

This week I also did some severe pruning in the English garden. The knockout rose needed a good hair cut but even after watching a video on pruning shrub roses I really felt I didn't know what I was doing. It's a tough rose so I expect it to survive my pruning technique. The wall germander which edges the bed was also cut back. It has been in for 4 years and has become rather woody. If it doesn't make it then I will take cuttings to replace it next year. It is one of the easiest plants to root.
I hope everything is tucked in for the night.