Halifax
Sapling
We had -12F here in NW Connecticut / Southern Berkshires last night. My cold frames w/dwarf conifers got down to about +19F, so I was pretty happy with that. I have a couple of Boyd's willows in larger containers, just a bit too big for the cold frames, so I piled a boatload of snow onto them before the extreme cold hit. I also have a bunch of Zone 2-3 dwarf conifers w/pots buried in cedar mulch so hopefully that will keep them OK here in Zone 5.
As a forest ecologist, I know that this powerful cold makes for healthy forests, particularly here in the east where we are dealing with adelgid-mediated hemlock decline. The much deeper cold in the north-central US should knock the hell out of the emerald ash borer (big mortality at -20F), but it's not cold enough here in western New England to make a difference.
As a ski patroller, I'm happy with deep cold and nice powdery snow, but worry about my plants in these intense cold snaps. Hopefully it won't be spring with a body count.
As a forest ecologist, I know that this powerful cold makes for healthy forests, particularly here in the east where we are dealing with adelgid-mediated hemlock decline. The much deeper cold in the north-central US should knock the hell out of the emerald ash borer (big mortality at -20F), but it's not cold enough here in western New England to make a difference.
As a ski patroller, I'm happy with deep cold and nice powdery snow, but worry about my plants in these intense cold snaps. Hopefully it won't be spring with a body count.
