Snow! I really hope the poor columbine makes it....

[kyrielle]

My dad was just here. My parents had some flowers dug up while foundation work was being done on their house, and one columbine was sent over here. It's in my back yard now, part way over, on the theory that if it survives and seeds down, a patch of columbines will look nice there and not invade the neighbor's yard.

I'm not sure if it will make it or not. We settled it in properly, but it's late in the year and the weather - which has been too warm for this time of year until recently - has decided to turn far colder than normal. Up above about 500 feet there is snow and it is, apparently, sticking. Theoretically we were going to be below the snow here, although very chilly. However, just a bit ago i looked out and that was white flaky stuff falling. Now it looks more like sleet than snow. At no point has it been tempted to stick, but....

Weird. Very weird weather.

Comments

[juliann.livejournal.com]

Do you have something you can use as a temporary cloche? A big punch bowl or mixing bowl perhaps?

[kyrielle]

I had to look the term up first. What I know about gardening could be put on one hand. I wouldn't know how to set it up or situate it or anything. :(

Man, I hate taking care of and being responsible for living things I don't understand sometimes.

[juliann.livejournal.com]

Heh, I don't know much about gardening but I know a lot about what is in gardening catalogues ;) I don't think they are hard to do, the point is just that the air inside it will stay warmer -- it's just making a mini greenhouse. I think you just set it around the plant, making sure the base is covered with just enough soil to prevent drafts. Or if you ae really worried about the plant, mulch around it (or put a temporary layer of compost around it -- which will give off heat as it decomposes further) then put a cloche on :)

I think once upon a time they were sometimes called Bell jars in the US but that stopped after Sylvia Plath :P

[kyrielle]

Thanks. A bit of web-searching later I have a half-assed solution in place, anyway. (I don't have any clear bowls, so went with some plastic, tented over the plant itself, but that means the edges aren't completely down - it will work or it won't. It's not real grim and the weather should warm up again in a day or two from the look of things, so....)