As if in deliberate synchronicity, the thermometer dropped to zero at the exact moment a cold, peach-coloured sun sank behind the black skeletons of the trees. I’ve been outside a couple of times since – no need for a torch as the moonlight is bright enough to see by. It is deathly still, silent except for our local owl, and the earth is hard and glittery underfoot. The Plough is high above, Orion fills the sky to the south and I saw a satellite hurry across the sky.
It was minus 6C about half an hour ago and still falling. The Butias, Colocasias, Musa basjoo and Cyperus are in the small polytunnel, swaddled in layers of polystyrene, fleece, landscaping fabric and polycarbonate sheeting in an intricate set of makeshift tents which I have piled on as the nights have got colder. The sunny days have built temperatures to over 20C in the tunnel which will act as a bit of a heat store, but I think we are heading for -10C tonight and I don’t think the protection will be enough. That’ll teach me to mess with non-hardy plants….
By way of an update, I took this picture at 7am the next morning. -9C is the lowest I’ve recorded since I moved to the north west 20 years ago.
2 Responses to “Deep freeze…”
That (bananna?) tree is looking worse than it did last week!
Is it surviving?
It’s leaves have died back with the cold, but it should regrow from inside the trunk – assuming that hasn’t frozen. So I’m not worried yet. Hope you’re keeping warm enough!