Aftermath

Following the recent killing frost, we waited a bit to see what's done for the season. It appears that we'll see no more of the morning glories, tithonia, zinnias, cosmos, clockvine, basil in pots, and volunteer nasturtiums. Rosemary, thyme, and oregano, all in pots, are doing fine no matter where they are; the same is true of all the fennel, which is in the ground in various places. All spider plans, whether in pots or in the ground, are unscathed. There's not one lantana without purple, frizzled leaves. About half the Turk's cap has green leaves; the other half has shriveled and falling leaves. The pecan had half its leaves down before the cold arrives and half still partly green; now only about a third remain on the tree and there's no green to be seen. Hyacinth beans look pretty well done for, no matter what their location. Potted schefflera is fine. What's most surprising is that the two geraniums in pots that survived the summer's rigors are unscathed, even the one hanging in a pot that would have been surrounded by cold air. Roses are untouched. All milkweeds are in pots. Some look fine and others don't. Whether the flowers were all yellow or orange-red and yellow didn't seem to matter. I hope that most will carry on because many were in the pod-formation stage. Remaining wild sunflowers appear to be done. Other wildflowers, flowers and leaves of spring bulbs, various spring vegetables and flowers, plumbagoes in the ground, kalanchoes and sansevierias in pots, and the fruiting process on the loquats appear to be unaffected. The pumpkin seedlings have expired.