Albert's Greenhouse

The Winter of 2006-2007 will be remembered in California by gardeners as one of the cold ones. A quick snap down to the mid 20's, here on the penninsula of the San Francisco Bay was mirrored in much of the rest of the state by temperatures which were enough to damage much of the citrus and avocado crops, as well as hurting the fields of vegetables.

Wandering around my neighborhood, I am reminded why we don't grow certain plants in these parts. Maybe even a decade of mild temperatures will allow the epiphyllums, bananas, and other sub-tropicals to thrive, but a quick hard freeze that might happen once or twice in ten years will turn that sort of landscaping to mush.

The most telling thing about the damage from the cold is the massive variation in amount of damage depending on the exact location. It really brings out the micro-climates. For instance, my epiphyllums on the outer wall of a sheltered courtyard are pretty much toast. My larger collection of epiphyllums in hanging baskets under the south eave of my garage suffered almost no damage. The Clivias planted in the ground near the fence but under the shelter of a tree have mushy leaves. The Clivias on my doorstep are just fine, thank you, and starting to flower.

The point is that not only do microclimates make a difference - I don't have the faintest idea why one particular microclimate is better than another. What seems like a sheltered location under a tree turns into an area of carnage which the the doorstep is more protected than a wall a few feet away. This falls into the somewhat dubious category of information that is useful, but not revolutionary. I can just remember that certan plants do better in certain spots, but with very little idea why.