Posted by (debnova) on February 22, 2010

I see the same blowtorch hit your yard, too ! My huge philodendren, the one that hid my bad side yard, is brown and shriveled, looks just like your photos. And I’m no expert. I’m not going to wade into planting for a while though.

Oh, probably too late, but I’d love to get a book, “The New Low Maintenance” book would be perfect for me, especially with all the dead plants I have now,  or one of the other Fla ones.

Posted by (RickBrown) on February 23, 2010

Kim, I have this in my yard with Xanadu and the Hope Philodendron which is a dwarf cultivar of the common Tree Philodendron. Hope only gets 5 feet tall where as the Tree Philodendrons get enormous and have to be pruned with a saw to keep them from taking over. Anyway, what I do with Xanadus (and Hopes) is to cut the stem tip (12-18 inches) and stick them in a different shady spot in my yard or build a shade tent if I want them in a sunny spot. The cuttings root out in a month to become a new plant once the weather warms up.

Posted by (Janna) on February 23, 2010

My Xanadus in the back yard under the shade of the oak tree were untouched by the freezes. However…the not-so-sheltered ones in the front yard look just like yours, Kim! Until the new green leaves take over, guess I’ll just admire the unusual trunks and root systems of these beauties. Yes, I’m trying to look on the bright side.

Rick, I didn’t know philodendrons would root so easily! Thanks for the tip…

Posted by (Chip) on February 23, 2010

philodendrons are one tough plant my Mom has them at her house and they are close to 30 years old. And yes they will take over an area! every five years or so I thin them out but they should be just fine in fact I think they need this every so often to make room for new growth .....“Chip”

Posted by (kgardens) on February 23, 2010

Kim - I’m glad your xanadus made it.  They will be back in no time.  I only had one baby that hasn’t shown any signs of life yet.  I am still hopeful though.  At least this freeze has forced most of us to clean out areas that we may not have otherwise.  Why don’t those volunteer vines die in the freezes?

Posted by (Eleanor) on February 23, 2010

Wow, I now know what that plant is in my garden! And Kim, mine looks like yours, so I guess there is hope for it.  And Rick, thanks for the post on the root cuttings, I have the perfect place for one the next time we trim. 
I’m officially addicted to this blog.

Posted by (Susan Gillespie) on February 24, 2010

I have those same piles of debris all over my yard waiting for me to bag it up and take it to the corner for the yard waste guys. It’s like a trail of where I have been pruning. Chip, chip, chipping away.

My split leaf philodendron looked as melted as your xanadu’s and just as naked after the trim. The tip from Farmer Rick is really helpful and the same info I got from the lovely lady who gave us a tour at Plant Park.(what was her name again? The landscape architect) I wanted to know if I could “top off” my philodendron’s because I hate that un-full look. Thanks Rick.

Glad to see the new Dirt addicts. We’d love to see your gardens, being the voyeurs that we are.

Posted by (Kim Franke-Folstad) on February 24, 2010

I like them much better with lots of green leaves, but it’s true, Janna, they are interesting. Kind of look like snakeskins to me.

It is funny that the volunteer vines and the weeds are as happy as ever. Grrr ...

Posted by (Kim Franke-Folstad) on February 24, 2010

My banana trees are struggling. The first leaves they pushed out after the freeze were brown at the top and green at the bottom—as though the cold just couldn’t quite get to the whole thing.

And to those of you who heard me bragging about my papaya tree, um, sorry if you bought one. It looks bleak, and it was in a fairly protected spot. I chopped it way down and I’ll see what happens.

Posted by (Chip) on February 25, 2010

I hate this! going to have to cover for tonight! Every time things start getting back to normal we get an other cold snap. My tomato’s are loaded with blooms I hope the cold don’t knock them off again. I know compared to the weather the poor folks up north are having we are lucky but come on this is just not normal garden planing has gone out the window anyone have a Crystal ball? I needed to have stuff started already for spring all I have got started is zinnias and catnip that should make the bee’s and cats happy….“Chip”

Posted by (Susan Gillespie) on February 25, 2010

I’m with ya, Chip. I did some pruning the other day in lovely 80 degree weather and now we have to cover those little tender guys again. Mother Nature’s roller coaster is a bumpy ride this year.

Posted by (Chip) on February 25, 2010

So true Susan! But if this is a ride I want to get off!....“Chip”

Posted by (Kim Franke-Folstad) on February 25, 2010

Moving the orchids back inside and the other potted plants to the lanai. And I guess I’ll have to cover these poor naked Xanadus. But I’m tired—the rest of the stuff will just have to tough it out.

This weather is crazy!

Posted by (Susan Gillespie) on February 25, 2010

The weather is definitely crazy, Kim. I was pricing a trellis at some garden centers today and they were covering everything up for our, yet again, cold snap.  I thought all the sheets were washed, put away and ready for next year, not next week.

Excuse me while I, too, have to drag in all the orchids. Poor little things are so confused.

And you are right, Penny. There’s not much left to cover out there.

Posted by (Chip) on February 25, 2010

The cats are back! and a few have decided to “help” I put it up and they knock it down if it wasn’t so funny I would be mad. ....“Chip”

Posted by (kgardens) on February 26, 2010

OK.  I brought the orchids inside.  Most of my tropicals are now in pots on my porch.  The plan is to place them strategically outside in their pots once the weather is FOR SURE warm.  That way, next winter I can move them back to the porch for a few months.  My poor tomato seedlings were brought into the porch but they haven’t grown for 6 weeks.  I think I’m just going to have to buy starter tomatoes.  My outdoor thermometer says it was 34 degrees here at 6:30 AM.  Are you kidding me?

Posted by (Chip) on February 26, 2010

I did my check at 3:00 am and at 7:00 am it dropped from 34 deg. to 25 deg. brrrr! if this keeps up maybe we should host the winter Olympics! to all the newcomers to Fla. this is not our normal weather by now we should would have our spring gardens well started with our short but nice spring’s then right into summer. ...“Chip”

Posted by (Susan Gillespie) on February 26, 2010

I’m curious. What is on the list of Epcot’s “hardy plants”

Posted by (Kim Franke-Folstad) on February 26, 2010

I love that Susan washed her sheets! Actually, that’s probably a really good idea, but I didn’t do it.

Mother Nature is not being very considerate of the weekend gardener. How are we supposed to get anything done out there?

Posted by (Susan Gillespie) on February 26, 2010

Oh Kim, now you are making me laugh. I never thought about not washing the sheets. And this year we seem to have attracted neighborhood cats who like to mark everywhere, including on the sheets. So there was a distinct odor I did not want wafting through my garage all year.

How did the cut back xanadu’s do last night?

Posted by (Kim Franke-Folstad) on February 26, 2010

Looks like the xanadus made it—even though I didn’t ever get them covered.

Who knows anymore, though. Seems to take days ... even weeks ... before you can assess damage.

My husband offered to take all the orchids back outside today. NO! I told him to leave them inside—it’s still too chilly for them out in the yard.

My newest orchid—got it at the downtown farmers market last week—suddenly bloomed like crazy and I almost missed it because it’s bunched up with all the others on the dining room table.

Posted by (Susan Gillespie) on February 26, 2010

Wasn’t that sweet of him to offer. And yes, it looks like the whole week will have nothing but 40’s for lows. Orchids like it a lot warmer. How about a pic of your new bloomer. What kind is it?

Posted by (Chip) on February 26, 2010

I have been working so hard to save what I have left It would be so easy to just let go but a few more weeks things will be better soon flowers will bloom and this will all be behind us. I am going to start things for summer now I do not think we have much of spring if I am wrong sorry but I am going to skip spring gardening and go right into summer if I am wrong sorry .....“Chip”

Posted by (Kim Franke-Folstad) on February 26, 2010

I’m pretty new to the whole orchid thing. I think it’s a dendrobium, but what kind, I have no idea. I have a friend who is has more than a hundred orchids, and even he isn’t sure what it is.

What it is is beautiful—a bright spot in all this awful death and destruction.

Chip—I was just thinking the same thing yesterday—I wonder how much of a spring we’ll have. I thought we were there last weekend!

Posted by (Iluvpumpkins) on February 26, 2010

Boy, it was cold last night. My yard did OK, but I had planted some seeds up at the school can’t tell if they will make it yet.

Now Susan, you washed your plant covering sheet! My Mother in law will be proud of you.

Chip, Keep up the good work on the weather reporting. Pumpkin