PICKING UP THE PIECES

When my boys were little I used to read from a Hilda Boswell book of poems, nursery rhymes and stories. To this day I know many of them off by heart. One such rhyme..

On rainy days we stay inside, we have a lot of fun, but there is so much work to do when rainy days are done.

Let us substitute ice, snow, frigid temperatures for rain, although I am not sure about how much fun we had.

 

Having prepared my greenhouse, potting shed and garage for in influx of plants during the winter, snug and warm with 2 portable heaters, the last thing on my mind was a total failure in our electrical supply. So when the power went out at 4am and and there was news that it was not going to return and the temperatures over the next 2 nights were going to dip into the single digits there was no choice but to bring the greenhouse into the house. Here it is and here it will stay for a while.

With David's help we dug out a few small Agave weberi knowing they might not survive such low temperatures. We covered many things but the hardiest of plants, which included the whales tongue agave, Agave ovatifolia, the A. parryi, A. Lophantha quadricolor and the large A. weberi all of which have been in the garden for more than 15 years, we did not. That was a mistake. Two hanging baskets found a home in our closet and flats of annuals on the floor in what is normally a sunny spot...but there was to be no sun for days. 

As to ourselves we had no heat in the house but a little warmth from the gas logs we had put in this winter and we were lucky enough to have a gas cook-top so food was not a problem. We put the contents of the fridge and freezer outside, filled the bird feeder constantly and boiled water to keep a dish of water for them from freezing. The water pressure dropped and I began to save water in jugs and I trickled water into the bath. I was glad I had as eventually it stopped. We were still boiling water after 6 days but at least it returned after 3 days. Some were not so lucky.

 

Our first venture out into a snowy world after 3 days. It was safe to walk as long as snow covered the layer of ice. Little did we know how this scene would change.

But that is behind us now. The sun is shining, the snow has thawed, we have surveyed the damage and it is enormous. The first day day I tried not to dwell on that, looking only to the things that appear to have survived.

The blue eyed grass, Sisyrinchium sp. hesperaloe, iris, species tulips, small plants of blanket flowers, some bluebonnets. It depended on where they were located. In the vegetable garden the kale I covered survived the best. Most other vegetables have turned to mush including the Swiss chard.  That isn't a surprise because we already had a freeze which knocked them back. They had just recovered and were producing when this happened. Fortunately I dug up some small plants that I had started from seed, saving them in the potting shed, and replanting today. Many herbs are gone including sage and oregano I have had for years.

Blue-eyed grass
 

  

Chocolate daisy

Bee balm

 Trailing wine cups

Gulf coast penstemon,

This spiky aloe has survived in a pot and I think will go in the ground next year in a safe place.

 Windflowers. Anemone berlandieri.

The worst place is in the front garden where it looks as though all the Agaves are lost. Also the front courtyard garden where I found that the A. parryi were severely damaged  being wrinkled with white patches of frost burn. They grow so slowly that I don't think there is any hope to see them rebound. The same with the A. lophantha. Time will tell with them but their cells seem to be very soft. It was harkening to see the species tulip, Tulipa clusiana, weathered the storm but they are used to the mountains of Iran. There is hope for a spring bloom from them and bluebonnets and of course there are plenty of windflower leaves that look healthy. 

Agave parryi 

The agave in the front courtyard and outside the walls are a major loss. They were my structural plants. Even the hardiest did not survive these temperatures. With every passing day they tell me it is the end. And to think in the past the things I worried about were hail damage, the agave weevil and whether they might flower. Loss from cold had never entered my mind. 

Damage has progressed from this.......

 To this.

Every one needs to come out and it is a major job to do as well as disposal. It looks ghastly on this dull morning. For now we are sawing off the soggy stems and piling them up in the hope that their weight will be reduced over the next few weeks. The cores are a different matter.

Nature did an imperfect job of pruning my prickly pear cactus in all parts of the garden. The weight of ice and snow was just too great for them. I believe they will survive although I will have to put my imperfect pruning skills to the test. Or maybe I will just start them anew.

 It will be wait and see with most of my plants and I fear will be a disappointing spring. It is probably time to rethink my gardening strategy and garden with less. If I was planning to have fewer things in pots I shall think again as right now that is where my garden is for this year. 

Already my Austin garden friends are offering  extras of plants that have survived. 

Yes, there is so much work to do now icy days are gone.