Florida folks - post your damage here

[ruskinPalms]

Few shots of my north side A. alexandrae:

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[ruskinPalms]

Few shots of my north side V. arecina - as expected more damaged than the ones on the south side:

[ruskinPalms]

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[ruskinPalms]

Double Foxtail on the northeast corner of house. Foxtails did great during this freeze all over the area, even in areas that may have seen as low as 27F like Riverview, Brandon and areas farther inland.

[ruskinPalms]

Wide angle shot of the front of the house:

[ruskinPalms]

That's it for now. Next update will be after the next freeze or in spring - whichever comes first

[surgeon83]

(ruskinPalms @ Jan. 23 2008,19:44)

QUOTE

That's it for now. Next update will be after the next freeze or in spring - whichever comes first

Lets hope for the latter  ::

Thanks to everyone who has been posting; I have seen pictures covering pretty much everything that I have stored in pots right now that I plan on putting in the ground at my future house in St. Pete, and I am hopeful.

[SubTropicRay]

There's more damage in some areas of St. Pete than my garden in south Tampa.  I bottomed out at 30F (open areas of the garden) and St. Pete's warmest spot, Albert Whitted Airport, recorded 34F.  Most of Pinellas was colder than that "official" 34F.

[Brad-Tampa]

The cold night was so windy that the only damage we got was leaf burn only on plants that emerged from the canopy. C.urens, A. pinnata, a green form Bismarkia and a Calamus emerging from the top of an oak tree 40' up had some leaf burn. Everthing at ground level appears untouched. I hope it's the last one this year, just trying to make it to Valentines Day when we are usually safe. Brad

[spockvr6]

(Ray, Tampa @ Jan. 24 2008,08:25)

QUOTE

There's more damage in some areas of St. Pete than my garden in south Tampa.  I bottomed out at 30F (open areas of the garden) and St. Pete's warmest spot, Albert Whitted Airport, recorded 34F.  Most of Pinellas was colder than that "official" 34F.

Yes....most readings I saw were right around 30F or so.  The brisk NE winds mixed things up enough to keep the temps fiarly constant throughout Tampa Bay.  Even Vandenberg AP (the usual icebox) logged 30F, or only 4F lower than Albert Whitted AP.

[tank]

My fried Arenga micrantha (at 21F)

Older leaf is in decent shape and the spear appears to be OK.

[gsn]

Brad,

I agree that I feel much better by the middle of Febuary. But we can, and have had freezes well into the month of March.Granted the probabilities are lower after the middle of Febuary.

The middle of Febuary actually makes me cringe,as it's hard to forget recent history! I for one can't shake the memory of the Valentines Day MASSACREEEE of 2006!

So much FROST, looked like it snowed!

[SubTropicRay]

Yes....most readings I saw were right around 30F or so.  The brisk NE winds mixed things up enough to keep the temps fiarly constant throughout Tampa Bay.  Even Vandenberg AP (the usual icebox) logged 30F, or only 4F lower than Albert Whitted AP.

This is proof that when the real cold arrives (and the worst freezes have been historically advective), the microclimates essentially go away.

[spockvr6]

(Ray, Tampa @ Jan. 24 2008,11:22)

QUOTE

Yes....most readings I saw were right around 30F or so.  The brisk NE winds mixed things up enough to keep the temps fiarly constant throughout Tampa Bay.  Even Vandenberg AP (the usual icebox) logged 30F, or only 4F lower than Albert Whitted AP.

This is proof that when the real cold arrives (and the worst freezes have been historically advective), the microclimates essentially go away.

Sure enough.

There still has to be some benefit to the warmer microclimates around though as otherwise there would be old Royals lining Temple Terrace streets like they do near downtown St. Pete.   A few degrees must be enough sometimes.  I certainly wouldnt mind an extra few now and again!

[TikiRick]

Even here in South Florida, I traditionally use March 15, not Feb. 15, as the date that we are in the clear. We have had frost/freezes right up to that time in March. Don't let your guard down!

[SubTropicRay]

Sure enough.

There still has to be some benefit to the warmer microclimates around though as otherwise there would be old Royals lining Temple Terrace streets like they do near downtown St. Pete.   A few degrees must be enough sometimes.  I certainly wouldnt mind an extra few now and again!

I'm going to be a bit more brave under the oak canopy.  Advective freeze or not, it's warmer under canopy than out in the open.  The Alocasias under the canopy are still green.  By simple math, the canopy bought me at least 3 degrees of warmth.  The theory has always been that a windy freeze blows the heat out from underneath the canopy.  While that may be true, this effect is mitigated by the mixing effect of a breeze.  The radiant heat does not escape as quickly as it would on a still night.