Re: [gardeners] transplanting question
Billie Hinton (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Sun, 29 Oct 2000 11:22:44 -0500
>Billie --
>
>>>>>>>>>>>
>That about the bushes blooming below the snow line is so interesting - I
>guess next time you should get out there and pile snow all the way up
>over
>the top! :) <<<<<<<<<<<<<
>
>Couldn't. The temperature was right on the dividing line between
>snow and ice. We could not shovel it without harming the plants
>with the weight of the ice. I do have photos of the amazing scene,
>but until I get myself a proper scanner, I cannot share them with
>you.
>
You know, I was mostly joking about getting out there and piling the snow
up over the top - but it sounds like you did consider it!
Last year there was a news story about some farmers spraying their crops
with water during a sudden freeze, so that ice would form and they would be
protected from the cold. I found that fascinating.
>Lost my prize Abies koreana nana, a short, wide Korean fir which
>was said to be a 'witch's broom', and not reproducible except in
>a botanist's laboratory .... it had gray-green short, thick needles
>with a silver underside, and was stunning. Very asymmetrical.
>As happens in nature, the plant sensed that it was about to die
>(from the storm exposure -- don't forget, the ice held fast for
>more than 7 days, and only part way up...) and so it set over fifty
>cones where the year before there had been only 3, all of which
>flew apart upon contact with the earth. It was a phenomenal
>sight. From that moment on, the plant color faded fast, and there
>was no way of saving it.
>
I am so sorry to hear you lost this - it sounds beautiful. I had a little
bonsai last hear that I lost and I was surprised at how sad I was. It
wasn't rare or anything, but the size and shape of it was unusual and I
really wanted it to thrive. I should have known better, since it had a tag
on it at the nursery that said it was not recommended for novices and they
would not guarantee it or replace it if it died...:/
I hope you have an easy winter this year!
billie
Billie Hinton
mzdc@mindspring.com