When I looked out the window, I would’ve thought I was back in Montana. Everything was a blanket of white. The neighborhood kids had their sleds and parents stood by in their warm fluffy coats. I even noticed my husband within the gang of sledders. I stayed inside, happily sipping on hot cocoa, nestled under a cozy blanket with my pup.
Texas winters have a few deep freezes, which are commonly described as “chill-to-the-bone” Arctic blasts. I don’t quite understand how frigid these storms really do feel. I could snow ski in shorts in Montana, and yet unable to walk outside for fear of frost bite in a Texas freeze. But alas, here we are….another Texas freeze in the books. Most of Texas was covered in ice, and we were all stuck inside for days. Schools were cancelled, shops were closed, fires in fireplaces roared and it felt like Christmas all over again.
For years, I debated about whether or not to cover my plants and bulbs. I grow Heirloom Bulbs after all, and they are tough old gals! Quite honestly, it’s a lot of work to cover everything, and I’m lazy. Over the last few years, I’ve changed my tune. I realized that even though most bulbs will not be killed in a freeze, the foliage is hit hard. Foliage is the energy for the next year’s flower, and I’ve decided I am through with waiting an entire year for my beloved blooms…so I got to work. I spent about three hours covering bulbs and favorite perennials with flower pots.
When I ran out of pots, I piled straw on top of the bulbs to completely cover the foliage, creating a natural trough for the local deer. That wasn’t one of my finer moments in the garden. In fact, the first day back after the freeze, I arrived at the studio to find a fattened young buck hanging out in my Crinum bed. He looked at me as if I had just interrupted something. Eventually, the deer realized that this was MY house and garden, and left the same way he came in…effortlessly hoping my fence. The young buck left some nice piles of poo-pellets in my pathway as a flex to show me who is really in control. Next Spring, he will definitely have the last laugh as I am pulling up all the weeds he left in my pathway.
I’ve spent the last few days taking the pots off the plants and giving the plants fresh air. Everyone in the garden did well, except the store bought chives. I left one plant uncovered as a test run of hardiness, which was the only chive that looked remotely happy after the freeze. Plants are weird…..
This weekend, my goal is to remove all the straw and toss it in the natural butterfly and bird wildflower habitat I am trying to create. Maybe the deer will get the clear understanding that they are not welcome back in the gardens for dinner.
I hope your gardens fared well throughout the freeze. I’m definitely ordering freeze cloth for the next go around. 🙂
Happy Gardening, my friends!
Heirloombulbgirl 
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