Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Worsening Winter

Ideally going by the kind of weather in early January I would have thought that I have seen the last and also the worst of winters. But owing to some unfathomable reasons winters made a comeback and that too with a vengeance. 0 degree C was a temperature unheard of in my part of the country, so when the mercury plummeted to -1degrees yesterday, everyone was caught unawares by the chilling surprise- including the plants.Skies have been reasonably clear with ample sunshine but it is the cool winds which have been the culprit responsible for the sudden dip in temperature. Roses have stood their ground defiantly against these odds. Ornamental Kale or Brassica Oleracea is throwing its beautiful curly leaves around. I recently found that the leaves are edible and the plant is known for its sturdiness in facing extreme colds; I’ll make use of the newly acquired knowledge and try it in salad. Things are not as Hunky-dory elsewhere: Both Plumeria and The Buddha Belly Plant have shed their leaves and stand denuded waiting for warmer times; yet there is an abstract beauty in these dendrites which captures the sight to present the picture of a winter garden. This succulent which was a pleasant green in monsoon season, decided to change to a dull red to protest against the numbing cold. Well plants have their own inbuilt mechanisms of adaptation, but that is not so about one other important being of my life, and for her, I have to actively intervene to swathe her in winter clothing. With Bruno, I don’t have to be very fussy as he comes naturally with a majestic chocolate-brown fur coat; the warmth of his coat takes the chill away when in his affectionate moods he decides to take a short nap lying on my feet.

18 comments:

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Thank you for your kind words green thumb !
Your little girl is a sweety pie : ) .. and even though I'm not a dog person, your chocolate lab is a beauty and warm on the feet too .. Sophie likes to sit near my feet as well, so I know what you mean.
Your roses are gorgeous and I really love flowering kale in our Autumn .. Ontario is stunning with colours of that season.
Thank you for stopping by my blog .. I have a thing for succulents .. I think these ones might just survive my indoor care ..
I will stop by your blog as well .. so much to see .. it really takes my mind off things for a while.
Thanks again
Joy

Entangled said...

Brrr. I'm used to thinking in Fahrenheit, so it took me a minute to realize that -1 Celsius is below freezing. Hope it warms up soon for you!

kate said...

Bruno would probably be quite happy with the cooler weather - at least Lytton usually gets more energetic when temperatures plummet.

Your little Green Thumb looks so adorable in her winter wear.

I was feeling sorry for the Plumeria and Buddha Belly - they look a bit sad. The roses look as if they perked right up with the cold. The colours are wonderful.

I didn't know Ornamental Kale is edible. I'll look forward to a report of its taste.

Anonymous said...

Have you tried the ornamental kale? I though "ornamental" meant do not eat.
Let me know, it sounds good.

Julie said...

Dear Green Thumb,
Thankyou for your persistance in re-finding me! I am so glad you did...I had not thought to check out Aiyanas blog for your address (genius on your part)!!! I had to change my name because I wanted to post about more than just succulents and it was bothering me that my name eluded to ALL succulents. Anyway...YEAH...I am so happy to see your beautiful blog again, and to see what a lovely young lady you have! Your doggy is so cute too, and your pink and yellow striped rose is absolutely stunning. I used to have a rose garden, but started trading out for hibiscus (easier, and not thorny)...now I mainly let the yard and plants in the yard go crazy with maybe a twice a year trimming. I AM more interested in my succulents...why? I don't understand it myself. Yours are quite pretty, especially that red one at end of your post! Well, I am going off to add you back into my links! God bless you and your family! Stay warm in that 1 degree weather!
Julie

Julie said...

P.S. My husband asked me to find out what part of India you live in. He is always interested in geography and weather! Now if only I could get him to travel overseas with me! I am still hopeful...one day he will! LOL.

Maverick24 said...

0 degree centigrade - wow thats a lot colder than what it is in Pune right now - a sweltering 5 degrees :) I dont know about the plants surviving that cold - but I certainly couldnt. None of my plants are shedding or showing signs of getting affected by the cold yet. Keeping my fingers crossed.

My neighbors have the ornamental cabbage - ill let them know its edible.
Regards,
Mav

Anonymous said...

GT: That is global warming for you! The cooler temperatures can be thrilling if they stay around just a short time. Your roses and daughter seem to be loving it!

Aiyana said...

The multicolored rose shown in the second photo is the most unusual roe I've ever seen. Do you happen to know the variety? I'd like to buy one for my daughter. Thanks,
Aiyana

Frances, said...

Your garden helpers are so sweet. They must be good workers as well, probably liking to dig in the soil! That top rose portrait is stunning and unusual, what is the name? Our weather has been much below normal in temperature also, and is starting to worry me. We tend to have a roller coaster ride, up and down, not down, down down down....Ready for spring? It can't come soon enough!

Frances at Faire Garden

Yolanda Elizabet Heuzen said...

Good grief, dear Green Thumb, it's colder with you than it is over here. Who would have thought such a thing possible?

Ah yes, your precious but tender little flower needs to be wrapped up warmly in weather like this. Perhaps you should ask Kate to knit you a shawl for Bruno, just as she has done for Lytton.;-)

I'm glad most of your plants withstood the frost.

Marie said...

Beautiful flowers, pretty girl and a nice dog!

Thank's for your comment on my blog! Have a nice day :)

Annie in Austin said...

Oh, my, Green Thumb - I hope this was just temporary and that your garden will recover. It must have been quite a shock to see the thermometer in the minus numbers! We have a few plants that turn red in cold like your sedum - nandina comes to mind.

Your little one doesn't look as if she minds the chilly weather, does she?

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

Green thumb said...

Hi Joy! Welcome to Indiagarden. Thanks for all the nice words. I've seeen the pictures of Ontario in autumn and they are all stnning. I wish I can be there to see them in person sometime.

Entangled- Thank you, it must have been your good wishes that the temperatures are now rising.

Kate- You are right dear, Bruno's energy levels do get perked up in winters,its the summers which prove to be a bane for him.

Becky- I've not tried the ornamental kale for its taste yet, but I've read somewhere that it is edible.

Julie-I'm delighted by your interest in my geographical location; I live in Saharanpur in the state of Uttar Pradesh in northern India.

Maverick24- Five degree centigrade is pretty low by Pune standards...but I would have loved it had it been five degrees here.

Layanee-Very aptly put...low temperatures are loved only for a short time and now as that short time is over I yearn for warmer days.

Aiyana and Frances- Unfortunately I also don't know the name of the yellow rose as it was provided to me by a friend who did not know it either, but I'll do some homework and try to find it out and let you know as soon as I am successful.

Yolanda- In my memory we never had such low temperatures ever in my part of the country, although I always wished to experience them. Now that I know how uncomfortable sub-zero temperatures can be, I am glad that I live in a subtropical/temperate climate.

Marie- Thanks for the lovely comment.

Annie- It was definitely a shock as it was unprecedented; thankfully things have improved since then.
My little one doesn’t mind the cold at all; it is me who has to compensate for her nonchalance by running after her to drape her in warm clothes.

LadyLuz said...

Dear Green Thumb. ~What a shock to read about your temperature plummeting - just do not associate that with India.

I hope it's a temporary blip as it's so good to visit and see what's blooming in your part of the world.

Matron said...

I hope that your tender, tropicals are not too shocked by your cold spell. I look forward to more of your tropical blooms this year. I just noticed that Bruno's tail is a blur... he must like having his picture taken!

Sue Swift said...

We too are having warmer weather than you at the moment while I've just read a Chicago blog which was talking about record snowfall. Hope you don't lose any plants because of the unusual cold.

teresa g. said...

The weather is crazy, in here we are having an unusually warm winter - almost no winter.

Anyway, ornamental kale loves cold, they only get that beautiful colour when temperatures drop under 7 degrees celsius overnight. So it's a good thing about cold weather!

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