It is a beautiful day here, cerulean blue sky with a few hawks flying in lazy circles. Take a stroll outside and feel the cold air blowing in from the frozen north- it feels like Chicago in the springtime (or maybe summer). Chicago, Illinois is known as the Windy City and is about 1300 miles north of here.
The concept of freezing weather in SoFla seems weird to me. A low of 35 degrees F is predicted tonight. Nearly freezing. According to the National Climatic Data Center in 29 years there have been no freezing temperatures in Vero Beach, a bit north of me. In 48 years there have been no freezing temperatures in West Palm Beach, a bit south.
I felt a lot better about the weather forecast having looked up the climatic data, but I am concerned about a few plants that are really susceptible to frost. The primary one being the Rainbow Eucalyptus, notoriously intolerant of freezing temperatures, it has just grown tall enough to be seen over the roof of our garage and it is blooming. I am getting a mental image of a 30 foot tall tree limp, insides frozen to mush and bent in two. Hopefully not.
Rainbow Eucalyptus
I am in the process of madly moving all the potted plants into the garage. Gotta go put a sheet over my new palms. Then all I can do it wait until tomorrow.
The Shrub Queen 
Hopefully the 35 degree temperatures won’t do too much damage; it might just be limited to a ground frost. I don’t know much about the rainbow eucalyptus (except that it’s a tropical tree not actually native to Australia), but if it is like the Australian tropical Eucalypts, they can withstand a light freeze of about 30F for about two hours before any damage occurs. Fingers crossed for all of the plants!
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How interesting, thanks. Rainbows are native to the Phillipines. I hope the forecasters are wrong again. Last night they were off by 10 degrees (it was 10 degrees warmer) I was looking at 4 am. I would never make it as a farmer.
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We get cold air over here more often than Florida and I constantly move the pots in and out. That is a really cool tree. Its probably too cold to grow it here.
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Yes, you are too far north, I think I am at its northern limit. So far it looks good. I don’t think it actually hit freezing.
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Such a beautiful tree.
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It is and is fine after the cold snap. So far so good.
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