SIGNS OF WINTER/ SIGNS OF SPRING~ MACRO MONDAY IN TRANSITION

I first just want to say how fun it was to read comments today. It's so nice to know that fellow gardeners stop by to 'visit'. :-)  Thanks.
I think I'm getting more and more critical of my photos and lately, I've trashed just about everything I take.
Ever had one of those times?   So here are the last 3 that jumped back out of the trash can. It's been too muddy (when was the last time I said that!!!) to garden, so I've been trimming trees and shrubs and trying to find something to photograph. Happy Macro Monday.  And...to see some people NOT struggling to find a photo or two, visit Lisa's blog at http://lisaschaos.com/  . Her photography blog is gorgeous.

Cardboard palm (Zamia furfuracea) The individual pieces feel stiff and are kind of like botanical poker chips.

It can regrow brilliantly from a hard freeze. I love this plant!

A ladybug! Maybe Spring is on the way. (click on photo to get MACRO)

The wild elderberry bush takes the lead and starts budding this week. Doesn't it know it's still January?

Today's Garden Chuckle:  You would never want to sprinkle this on your plants!

I'D LIKE TO MAKE A BLANKET STATEMENT

I always imagined gardening would look about the same all over the world. Plants, tools, digging, watering and such are on the menu for everyone. But, for zone 9ers a big part of the show is covering plants. I would guess people in tropical climates would view the photo below with amused curiosity. Likewise in Canada.
I also figured out something else. Next time we have a close brush with freezing weather, I'm going to make note of the gardens in my neighborhood with the most things covered.  Why? Because it shows that you don't want your tender plants to die. Plus, I'd be curious as to what exactly  they were covering! LOL

I covered about 12 plants this time around. These are tropical plants that are in the ground and are not as hardy as the rest. I can already tell that it was worth the effort.  I have about 100 plants that don't need covering...they've either gone into hibernation or can take colder weather. About 40 of my favorites are indoors or in my greenhouse.  I fear January freezes, but to be honest, February is the month that fills me with the most dread. It's been as low as 18 here in February and that would probably be the end of most of my tropical garden.
But, on the bright side, the weather is rebounding by 10 degrees each day. We'll be back up to 70 by Monday. I can't wait.

A curious sight

BRING IN THE CLOUDS ~ JUST IN TIME!

The frigid predictions left me dreading my first glimpse of the tropical garden this morning. But, rather than the 25 predicted, we had a low of 28.5 here in central Houston. Some areas had a predicted low of 21 to 25, so I was more than relieved. It will be another cold night, but the cloud bank is thickening and rolling in over the region. That's good for a 3 to 5 degree moderation. Light breezes are worth 1 to 2 degrees of moderation as well. And crossing my fingers...well, it just makes me feel better. :-)

Last night the NWS had a current temp of 35 at 10 PM at Hobby Airport. I always figure a 1 degree drop per hour with 7 AM having the lowest reading. That was going to be a number around 28. Sometimes that prediction holds and sometimes it turns out that the temp is lower if the air is still and the ground is dry. We have almost saturated soil right now, so that helped as well.
Just 5 more weeks of this Weather Russian Roulette and the threat of VERY severe cold is over.

                     Clouds shown with the trees across the street. Even a few clouds can be good news.

About 1/2 of Tropical Texana is cold hardy. Lady fern and variegated alstroemeria can take a frost.

COLD WEATHER AHEAD ~ TIME TO DUCK INSIDE ~ HAPPY WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Tropical Texana is bracing for 3 nights of frigid weather. This is the 2nd consecutive year and now I'll have to see just which plants are doomed to regrow from scratch. In the meantime, I'll let these beautiful ducks express my feelings.  I took these shots at Hermann Park, Houston, Texas.

I need to "pare down" my tropical plant collection.

How A Tropical Gardener feels when they say it's going to really freeze tonight.

I could 'rail' about this weather, but what would it matter?

I have all my ducks in a row...the plants are all covered.

There will still be beauty after all this is over.

Happy Worldless Wednesday. To see other great entries, visit our wonderful host, Alicia at http://weloveiowa.blogspot.com/

Thanks for flying in to visit. :0) David

BTW: Anyone know the species of  duck? I'd love to know.