Surviving the Ice Storm of 2007
      
Click to enlarge each picture.

 I sincerely hope that all of you enjoyed our few days at home and I also hope that your garden and plants tolerated the ice as well as mine did. I thought that I would write about this as many of you have requested any helpful information that would help you survive the next Siberian ice blast soon to appear.

 First of all, it is important to protect your garden prior to any ice storms or extended freezes.  What I can best do is tell you what I do every winter.   Several weeks before the expected first freeze (usually around Nov. 15^th or so), I go back and forth from my mulch pile and apply this mulch to most of my tender plants. These include Lemon Verbena, Esperanza, Brugmansias, Hibiscus, Lemon Grass and many more too numerous to mention.  Just KNOW your garden and where those tender perennials are.  I occasionally miss one or two and they often survive nonetheless.  I use my own cedar trees which we have mulched and which have stood in a pile on the property for awhile.  The cedar has aged sufficiently so there won’t be a problem with cedar leeching nitrogen from the soil as some suspect.

 In addition to mulching, I, we, and anyone else I can wrangle into the job, takes heavy potted plants (and I have dozens of these, last count was 45 or so) into my small, but very efficient greenhouse where they happily stay until approximately March 15^th.  I water them from my rainwater tank (which they love) and many plants blossom during the winter.  I have these gorgeous hot pink Brugmansia flowers, an Aloe Vera bloom and even my Holy Basil is blooming.  Actually I’m gong to show these plants on Central Texas Gardener, so tune in on Feb 24^th to see them (and me too).

 Always water your garden thoroughly before a freeze or a long cold spell.  A well watered garden is the best preventative to any ice damage.  Luckily, prior to the ICE BLAST, we had a lot of rain and that really helped my garden.  As a matter of fact, my garden looked incredibly vibrant and healthy after the ice melted.

 So surviving an ice blast or freezing weather takes just a couple things.  Take it easy, nature has its way of surviving whatever it needs to.  Secondly MULCH, MULCH, MULCH, the best prevention.  And finally bring your potted plants inside, and when it’s really cold, use a heater in your garage, shielded patio or green house. Also cover any of your favorite plants with old sheets, towels or row cloth.

 Now go get prepared for the upcoming SIBERIAN BLAST!!