Winter,again @#%&*!

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mcvansoest
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Re: Winter,again @#%&*!

#126

Post by mcvansoest »

Yup it is!
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Re: Winter,again @#%&*!

#127

Post by Stan »

Nice weather today and tomorrow then,the cool and rains move in. Weeds getting a jump on me! ::x
Hayward Ca. 75-80f summers,60f winters.
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Re: Winter,again @#%&*!

#128

Post by Meangreen94z »

Killeen, Texas hit 100°F yesterday . Today was cloudy and in the 80’s. Tomorrow a brief cool front rolls through.
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Re: Winter,again @#%&*!

#129

Post by Gafoto »

Meangreen94z wrote: Tue Feb 27, 2024 4:54 pm Killeen, Texas hit 100°F yesterday . Today was cloudy and in the 80’s. Tomorrow a brief cool front rolls through.
It’ll be 22 tonight. Barely got above freezing today. Looks like some temps in the 20s this weekend, maybe even high teens. More snow in the forecast.

I think I’ll get more plants to survive this winter but damn I’d appreciate a break trying to get these plants established. Fingers crossed we’re out of single digit arctic blast territory.
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Re: Winter,again @#%&*!

#130

Post by Meangreen94z »

Gafoto wrote: Tue Feb 27, 2024 9:16 pm
Meangreen94z wrote: Tue Feb 27, 2024 4:54 pm Killeen, Texas hit 100°F yesterday . Today was cloudy and in the 80’s. Tomorrow a brief cool front rolls through.
It’ll be 22 tonight. Barely got above freezing today. Looks like some temps in the 20s this weekend, maybe even high teens. More snow in the forecast.

I think I’ll get more plants to survive this winter but damn I’d appreciate a break trying to get these plants established. Fingers crossed we’re out of single digit arctic blast territory.
Any forecasted rain keeps getting pushed back.Which along with the heat is good for getting everything moved, but bad long term. The water level in the nearby lakes/reservoirs are already way low.

Looking forward to seeing your landscape setup this spring and summer .
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Re: Winter,again @#%&*!

#131

Post by Gafoto »

Meangreen94z wrote: Tue Feb 27, 2024 10:14 pm
Gafoto wrote: Tue Feb 27, 2024 9:16 pm
Meangreen94z wrote: Tue Feb 27, 2024 4:54 pm Killeen, Texas hit 100°F yesterday . Today was cloudy and in the 80’s. Tomorrow a brief cool front rolls through.
It’ll be 22 tonight. Barely got above freezing today. Looks like some temps in the 20s this weekend, maybe even high teens. More snow in the forecast.

I think I’ll get more plants to survive this winter but damn I’d appreciate a break trying to get these plants established. Fingers crossed we’re out of single digit arctic blast territory.
Any forecasted rain keeps getting pushed back.Which along with the heat is good for getting everything moved, but bad long term. The water level in the nearby lakes/reservoirs are already way low.

Looking forward to seeing your landscape setup this spring and summer .
It’s true, I shouldn’t complain. This winter has been great for the Salt Lake and our reservoirs are already full up. Great news on that front after so many years of drought.

I visited Borrego Springs, CA this weekend and it was more in line with weather in your neck of the woods. The Agave deserti were starting to shoot their blooms.
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A nice wide leaf form.
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Some low desert examples.
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Yucca schidigera
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Echinocereus engelmannii
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Re: Winter,again @#%&*!

#132

Post by westfork »

We are experiencing our normal late winter temperature gymnastics:
Monday afternoon 74 degrees calm and sunny
Tuesday afternoon 15 degrees and a couple inches of snow with heavy winds
Tuesday night 3 degrees (-16C)
Life in the western Midwest.
Siouxland: USDA Zone 4b/5a & heat zone 6/7. Extremes at our farm: 108 F to -38 F.
Arid grassland with dry sunny winters, moderate summers, 27" annual precipitation.
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Re: Winter,again @#%&*!

#133

Post by Gafoto »

westfork wrote: Wed Feb 28, 2024 3:15 pm We are experiencing our normal late winter temperature gymnastics:
Monday afternoon 74 degrees calm and sunny
Tuesday afternoon 15 degrees and a couple inches of snow with heavy winds
Tuesday night 3 degrees (-16C)
Life in the western Midwest.
71 degree shift in 24ish hours? That is impressive!
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Re: Winter,again @#%&*!

#134

Post by westfork »

It was about 35 hours, but quite a change. Our nearest big city about 40 miles away posted its largest ever 36 hour temperature drop at 69 degrees (Sioux City). But being a heat island probably mitigated the change a bit. I almost didn't bring my potted agaves indoors in time.
Siouxland: USDA Zone 4b/5a & heat zone 6/7. Extremes at our farm: 108 F to -38 F.
Arid grassland with dry sunny winters, moderate summers, 27" annual precipitation.
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Re: Winter,again @#%&*!

#135

Post by mcvansoest »

That is a huge shift quickly to have to respond to!

Finally caught the flower on this P. pecten aboriginum that I got from Mean Green:
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Two more buds that I might be able to catch open and photograph... Now the main plant needs to have a great growing season.
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Re: Winter,again @#%&*!

#136

Post by Meangreen94z »

mcvansoest wrote: Thu Feb 29, 2024 4:30 pm That is a huge shift quickly to have to respond to!

Finally caught the flower on this P. pecten aboriginum that I got from Mean Green:
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Two more buds that I might be able to catch open and photograph... Now the main plant needs to have a great growing season.
Nice, that is definitely a unique flower.
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Re: Winter,again @#%&*!

#137

Post by mcvansoest »

Well the Agave 'surprises' have started... I swear things looked normal not three days ago, but I just got home from grabbing groceries look sideways as I am pulling into the garage and....
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A. sobria.

Then looked around and decided this will likely also be working up to a spike:
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Also A. sobria but with a very different growth habit likely due to not being planted next to a south facing wall....

Will be sorry to see both go... not offsetters... especially attached to the second one, maybe they set some seed... having two going at roughly the same time should be a good situation for that...
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Re: Winter,again @#%&*!

#138

Post by nsp88 »

Moved some things around and added a few new plants late last fall and ended up with my new ovatifolia on top of a crocus bulb. It is finally blooming a few weeks after the others, I guess since it is fully shaded. Always love the daffodils, tulips, and late-winter blooming bulbs that bring color this time of year. The pink magnolias and redbuds are awesome this time of year, too. Didn't take too many photos this year, so sharing some photos from previous years on all but the crocus.
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Re: Winter,again @#%&*!

#139

Post by mickthecactus »

It’s been rain here day after day after day but actually dry this morning and maybe dry all week.
But it’s meteorological spring!
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Re: Winter,again @#%&*!

#140

Post by edds »

Along with wet we have had very few frosts too. The plants don't know whether they're coming or going. All my snowdrops that should flower from December to late March have all pretty much flowered from mid January to now. All the early flowering ones were late as it hadn't got really cold while all the later ones were early with the lack of cold weather.

And today I went to my mum's and saw these two out.
Narcissus 'Rijnveld's Early Sensation'
Narcissus 'Rijnveld's Early Sensation'
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(An early flowering daffodil that should flower around Christmas day)

Out along with the first SUMMER snowflakes (though they don't flower in summer really, more like mid-late spring)
Leucojum aestivum
Leucojum aestivum
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Re: Winter,again @#%&*!

#141

Post by Gafoto »

It was 54 and 15% humidity at noon yesterday and then this blew in from California. Came in as rain and coated the trees so there’s broken limbs everywhere.

Some xeric plants in here somewhere:
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The one sheltered Agave montana (left) has been happy as a clam under plastic. The ovatifolia (right, behind the Joshua Tree) has been mixed but seems to have avoided getting completely mushed. The goofy shelters have worked well so far:
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Gave one of the ailing neomexicana a break for this storm along with a few other plants:
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Agave parryi, havardiana (in back) and a Yucca thompsoniana:
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Fifth wettest February on record for Utah and March is off to a very strong start.
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Re: Winter,again @#%&*!

#142

Post by Stan »

Cold and wet by the bay here. A few days more too. Can't wait until Thursday or Friday when the mid 60's and sun return :U .
The weeds! ::x
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Re: Winter,again @#%&*!

#143

Post by mickthecactus »

What terrible conditions
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Re: Winter,again @#%&*!

#144

Post by Paul S »

Have to say this thread has completely turned on its head my impressions of the winters over in the USA. I'd always believed the seasons changed sharply and consistently. Clearly not!
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Re: Winter,again @#%&*!

#145

Post by Gafoto »

Paul S wrote: Sun Mar 03, 2024 10:02 am Have to say this thread has completely turned on its head my impressions of the winters over in the USA. I'd always believed the seasons changed sharply and consistently. Clearly not!
They change here from day to day. It could easily be 70 and sunny next week :lol:

Got any of that jet stream to share? I’m at the same latitude as Madrid (and New York City!). I’m at 4300’ a long ways away from any coastline, which means the weather is not moderated by anything.

I’ve always wondered what the weather would be like at sea level here if such a place existed. Kind of impossible to know since I already live in the lowest hole around. The Salt Lake is an endorheic basin, you gotta drive 4 hours south to get a lower elevation down by St. George. My guess is sea level here would be very similar to Vegas in the summer and subject to brutal inversions in the winter.
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Re: Winter,again @#%&*!

#146

Post by Meangreen94z »

Sunny and in the 80’s here. High of 88°F (31.1°C)on Tuesday
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Re: Winter,again @#%&*!

#147

Post by westfork »

Paul S wrote: Sun Mar 03, 2024 10:02 am Have to say this thread has completely turned on its head my impressions of the winters over in the USA. I'd always believed the seasons changed sharply and consistently. Clearly not!
Oh, the seasons do change sharply, several times per month this time of year. :) Accompanied by constant high winds as they can't decide if they are blowing from the Gulf of Mexico to the Arctic or coming back the other way.
Siouxland: USDA Zone 4b/5a & heat zone 6/7. Extremes at our farm: 108 F to -38 F.
Arid grassland with dry sunny winters, moderate summers, 27" annual precipitation.
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Re: Winter,again @#%&*!

#148

Post by jam »

19C / 66F today. Almonds and deciduous magnolias in bloom. February was frost free and very warm.
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Re: Winter,again @#%&*!

#149

Post by Stan »

Rains have stopped,but running below normal temps for the week it looks like. Sierra's getting blizzards.Not feeling so springish as it should be.
Official low for the year was 37f @HAYX..take off maybe 3f for my inland location. Not a leaf was frosted this year.
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Re: Winter,again @#%&*!

#150

Post by Stan »

I was thinking how right now is that long cool spring California is famous for and weeds out the weak tropicals. Lows of 50 are no problem it's the weeks to go of cool days and wet weather. We can always count on Bougainvillea!
Hayward Ca. 75-80f summers,60f winters.
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