Freeze

Although the freeze has been over for a week I would like to
bring you up to date on the condition of the San Luis Obispo
Mediterranean Botanical Garden.  And especially the
succulent garden  which is my special area.  We do not have
any thermometers in the garden, so I cannot report the
minimum temperature but I can report the types of plants
that were very much harmed and those that survived.  The
surrounding temperatures (the city of SLO) seemed to get in
the mid twenties.  Most of the aeoniums are very wilted, but
underneath the wilt there are some good leaves so we expect
them to recover.  Most of the large aloes i.e. plicatilis,
striata, vera, etc. have very mushy leaves and some are
completely black.  Most of the crassula have some wilt on
them, but none seem to be completely frozen.  The euphorbia
are mostly frozen.  It did not matter whether they were from
the Mediterranean or from South Africa.  Either they froze
completely or look perfectly normal.  Most of the rest of
the plants seemed to survive.  There may be a couple of
gasterias that may not make it.  But most of them look good. 
The haworthias, the adromiscus, all of the mesembs, the
dudleyas, the cotyledon, and the sedums all look good.  It
will take time to make sure the plants will not come back on
their own, and even more time to make the garden look like
it did this fall.  

Now, my own garden.  I live much closer to the ocean than
the botanical garden.  I also had thermometers.  I put
extension cords in my yard, so that there were lights on all
my plants all night long.  I was amazed that the temperature
only varied 2 deg with the lights on and on a dark side with
no lights, but still I had no damage except to some Aeonium
arboreum var. atropurpureum.  The temperature in my yard
measured (with lights) Sunday 30, Monday 32, Tuesday 30,
Wednesday, 32, and Thursday 37, without lights the minimum
was 28.  I might add that I have many plants in small
containers that I am growing for the botanical garden and
none of them were hurt.

Lillian
larmstro@slonet.org
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