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| Roseanne magnolia... more on this cultivar below |
You may recall me saying that there are at least three things one can count on as a gardener here in Wisconsin...
1. Fierce winds that shred the leaves of Norway maples just as they enlarge but are still very soft.
2. Severe weather just as the tall bearded irises come into bloom.
3. A frost when the 'Butterflies' magnolias are in bloom.
Well... it didn't just frost... it froze. Temps were below 32 degrees before midnight and the low for several hours was 28 degrees. Yes, I was up every hour, as if there was something I could do about it at that point!
These two photos are of the smaller 'Butterfies' and wonder of wonders, neither were damaged much at all. The obvious reason is protection by large evergreens. The mature 'Butterflies' actually hasn't opened this far as of yet. It's behaving a bit strangely... leaves are coming on at the same time as the flowers.
I knew this frost/freeze was coming so I spent many hours protecting every plant that I could from lilies and hostas to Japanese maples and magnolias. I have lost a lot of strength being "laid up" for the past three and a half weeks... but I knew I would be upset with myself if I didn't do everything I could to protect the gardens
Several magnolias in full bloom were touched... the worst being 'Brozzonii' which was in glorious full bloom of white tepals with a hint of pink at their bases. Most are now an off brown color. Little by little I am coming to understand where the cold will lie in the gardens... it is very beneficial for the gardener to come to understand the micro-climates of his or her space.
I also learned something that I will put to good use in the future. I recently purchased a 6' tall tripod sprinkler and sprayed water over 'Toro' and 'Red Baron' much of the night since they are too large to efficiently cover. Both have many blooms just on the cusp of opening and appear to be in fine shape as a result of this endeavor. 'Brozzonii' is right next to them and the flowers that were touched by the spray are still white as they were also protected from the freeze.
My 'Roseanne' magnolia isn't very large yet, but it is an excellent bloomer. It was protected by its position next to the windbreak. I particularly like the color of 'Roseanne' as it is a rich tone with diamond sheen, making a nice contrast with the interior colors of the tepals.
We are to be in the low 80's tomorrow and this will certainly help bring on the flowering crabs and later magnolias such as 'Betty', 'Pinkie', 'Daybreak', and 'Elizabeth' pictured below. These all have a few buds open and hundreds more to come. I think it's time to schedule open gardens this weekend either Saturday or Sunday afternoon depending on how things develop.
One of these years I may get to the point of not obsessing when frost is in the forecast... things did surprisingly well despite this setback.
Take care, Larry
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