Generally, people who move to South Florida dislike being cold, at all. I admit to being one of those people. This past week has been a bit of a trial for me. Last night we experienced the coldest (is that a word?) temperature of our tenure in Florida. 28 F/-2C (minus!) I was not amused, especially facing the morning dog walk and decided Rob the Greyhound, being lean and short haired, needed a jacket. He had different ideas, peed on the jacket (it is pink, from a long gone girl greyhound) and shook it off. So much for that. Rob is from West Virginia, where it is much colder, either he didn’t mind the cold or couldn’t cope with a pink jacket?! Another animal item of interest. People always ask me if we have iguanas falling from the trees during cold spells. I am, fortunately, slightly too far north for that. However, the county south of us is collecting bags of frozen iguanas at their fire stations. Ugh.
I moved many of the tender orchids, tomatoes and herbs into the house and covered many more. It seems a frost every sixteen years might be the average – 2010 and 1989 are legendary here. This took a few days as water lines into the house are not necessarily insulated and those need to be taken care of as well as the plants. I have plants in our spare bedroom, bathtub, foyer and garage. I am happy I went to all the trouble of moving them inside as the weather forecast was spot on and the tender plants would not likely have survived.
Today’s vase is intended to project some warm, tropical vibes back into the universe. So far, the only cold damage I have witnessed is, ironically, a Firebush, the foliage burned black. Fingers crossed that is all. But, I doubt it.
A closer view of the vase.
These are Bromeliads, reportedly cold hardy, Quesnelia testudo. Tulips of South Florida, with teeth. The ferns are invasive, Asian Sword Ferns, but I do love them in a Vase. The vase is a jelly jar wrapped with a leaf from another Bromeliad, ‘Lemon” Aechema blanchetiana. I would be shocked if anything killed these things. Maybe a winter in Chicago.
Cheers to warmer days!
Thanks to Cathy for hosting. Follow this link to her blog RamblingintheGarden to see more vases.
The Shrub Queen 
Love that vase, very clever!😍
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Thank you!
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Okay, now I can not shake the visual of frozen iguanas falling from trees. Anyway, the vase is rad as always, in colors from 1985.
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It’s gross, like stacks of weird frozen food. I love a chartreuse pink mix!
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I was wondering how you were making out. I always hated when a freeze came. Your flower vase should cheer you up.
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I think the Firebush got fried. ugh. It’s 14 feet!
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28F would throw me into shock too! We complain when daytime temperatures fall into the low 50sF here, which seems to happen less and less even during the winter months these days. With the Santa Ana winds blowing off and on recently, our temperatures have been in the low 80s in stark contrast to most of the US at present. I suspect you’d like those temperatures if not the plummeting humidity levels, which aren’t much appreciated here. Rob’s reaction to the jacket was funny and your winter “deflector” is sweet.
https://krispgarden.blogspot.com/
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Thanks, Kris. we are back in the 60s today and I would rather be in your garden!
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So does it mean this is a reminder to Floridians of how lucky they are to have frosts so rarely…?! 😉Here in the UK -2C is a regular occurrence in our winters, overnight at least, as we rarely maintain negative temperatures into the daytime these days. Anyway, I am glad you were forewarned and able to take all those precautions, which in retrospect were well worth the time and effort involved. Your vase is not as simple as it might first look because its success is in that stylish simplicity – the pretty pink bromeliad blooms and the artfully wrapped jar…lovely, thank you
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It’s a reminder of who is really in charge! Thanks, Cathy. I have a question – you sent me your Victoria Sandwich cake recipe with a lemon version. One of my neighbors has a lime tree and made curd..what do you think of a Lime Curd Victoria Sandwich??
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Hmm, I know when I tried making lime curd once I felt it wasn’t a patch on the lemon version, but perhaps the quantities need to be adjusted – probably more limes for the same amount of sugar and butter perhaps? Worth a try in a VS with grated rind in the cake mixture as well – but if you want I can give you a glorious gluten free lime and coconut cake recipe…mmm. Divine… (if you like coconut)…
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That’s a great idea.. thanks. The limes we have in our gardens are Rangpur and really closer to lemons than limes. I would love to try the coconut lime cake so please send the recipe.
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I will send the recipe when I get a moment, Amelia – I think I have it typed up on my laptop
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Thank you
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A most pleasing to the eye vase Amelia. I hope that all your plants come through the cold spell without any damage. My niece moved to Philadelphia from Georgia towards the end of last year and is experiencing the coldest winter she has ever known 🥶
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Thank you, Anna. The cold damage is becoming apparent! I am not sure there are any casualties, but there are many burnt leaves. Your niece must have had quite a shock! Snow and all that. I hope she enjoys an adventure.
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Ooh, that IS cold for y’all! I hope your garden recovers. I remember visiting Orlando one January when the boys were little and there was a frost overnight. All those thousands of tender bedding plants at Disney were replaced in only a few hours, which was amazing. On with the show!
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Yes, it seems the native plants are taking it more personally than the tropicals. Time will tell. Disney just doesn’t reach me in most cases! A friend works there and was dating one of the seven dwarves !! She said the worst work thing she witnessed was the aging out of Snow White. Very upsetting.
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Oh, my, I can only imagine! 😀
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I know.. apparently there’s an aging out ceremony and some one sued over being dismissed and lost..not so magical.
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Ooh, a frost in your oart of the world must be a big ordeal. Poor iguanas! I am sure a lot of other creatures suffered too. So lucky they forecast it in advance so you could protect things. Your ‘tulips’ really do radiate a feeling of warmth, which I am sure was welcome! They look lovely and cosy wrapped up too. Our highest temperature since mid December was 7°C, but mostly it has been about zero or below, and our ground is frozen solid, so your plants would not like it here at all. I am reminded every year that being able to withstand a frost or two and being able to survive permafrost for several weeks are two different things!
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Hi Cathy, I found you. Sometimes these go to spam and sometimes they don’t? The idea of frozen ground boggles my mind! I am not sure how far north you have to get in the US for that to happen. How warm is your greenhouse? Could you have tropicals? The cold turned the tulips I left outside beige! I thought that was weird.
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I can’t heat the greenhouse in such low temperatures, and it is currently rather bare. As soon as it gets a bit milder I’ll start growing salad crops again, and then for seed sowing I’ll have to heat it at night. So tropicals would not be feasible, but I might get an apricot tree for a large pot in there.
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Fantastic! So you are using it for cool season crops to get them started earlier? Apricots! Mmm
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That’s the plan! 🌱🌱🌱
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Oh dear, my comment vanished again because I forgot to click on the wordpress icon. Hope it becomes visible later…. I’ll come back later and check!
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