Pat, wish I could lend a helping hand at protecting your stash of plants! THis must be so nerve wracking! Maybe with luck you will have some spots for new things afterwards?
That is pretty wild,Texas getting snow before Western Washington! We are just hovering around the freeze mark. But then, that is pretty mild Dec weather for us.

Pat,
Twelve hours is a long time to be exposed to freezing temperatures,for Hippeastrum. The ones you have in the ground,especially those which are mulched,stand a much better chance. The ones you have in the pots will have a better chance, if they get a snow cover before the temperature drops below freezing. That would help a little.
The mountain species from Peru survive extreme cold,but under a blanket of snow.
Here,the bannana trees and papaya freeze back pretty frequently,but come back from the root. I wish you luck.
It is hard to experience a freeze you couldn't get ready for. I know that,first hand.
Del

I feel your pain Pat! Been there..done that!!! I do not have Hippies planted in the ground. But "DRY" (potting soil)potted hippies covered by plastic drop cloths survived freezing and below freezing temps.

"Survived" means that the bulbs were firm and intact with no signs of damage from the outside. Spring will bring further results, if the freeze damaged embryo flower scapes inside the bulbs or not. I was told that it would possibly do so.

Good luck and hope this unexpected experience be a beneficial one for you.

Today was our first really cold day... and we did have a few flurries, but nothing stuck. It's been a very mild December for us so far... unusually mild.

I hope everything survives, Pat... I, too, wish I were closer so I could help you bring in or cover everything. This weather is very strange... snow and freezing in Texas, while central Illinois is expecting temperatures in the upper 40s in a few days. Very strange.

Let us know how you fare...

I know how that feels to. We had a freak frost Aug. 1st this year, lost several pellies. But nothing that couldn't be replaced. Are you able to cover anything?

Good luck!!! I hope your hippies will survive.
Jan

Just 30 miles up the road from Pat...we had a really hard freeze last night. Temps well into the mid 20's for 12+ hours. Dog water was frozen solid this morning. I refilled and within 2 hours, top had refrozen.

Friends in the East (RI) never cover their azaleas, yet I panic about mine. Bits of gardenia were frozen...temps are final above freezing and it all with thaw slowly! The temp in the greenhouse remained above 40 degrees so the hippis are safe (I hope).
:-)
Kristi

Many thanks for your concern folks. It was 25F at sunrise. As the sun sets there's still a little snow in shady areas. The 2 plumerias I didn't get in got wacked pretty bad as did the papayas and bananas. It was a bad combination. I measured 2" of wet snow, then it froze hard. I had about a hundred unprotected Hippeastrum, mostly in pots some in the ground. I guess I'm just getting to be an old fart and not agressive enough to manage such a large collection. Although I give a lot away, I still end up buying more. I've sprayed many palms, all the amaryllis and most the frozen tropicals with systemic fungicide this evening. I'm hoping it will be absorbed. I can't believe I didn't protect my very favorite cross ;( the one I've tentatively named Dragon's Blood. I've got a temporary protection now rigged to keep cold rain out of the tip. Much less damage occured during hurricane Ike. I'll take photos and keep good notes for reference.

Oh, Pat, my heart goes out to you. I am so sorry. None of us are too old to garden, don't believe that.
michiganpat

Pat, I'm so sorry. That is a hard freeze.

Dragon's Blood, I bet that is the one I saw a bloom photo of in the forum archives. Stupendous. In fact, that may be the one that got me hooked on growing and crossing my own. I'm willing that plant to be ok. Hope it works.

G

How're the plants doing? We were much warmer on the isle. I didn't bring the plummies off the back deck and there was ice back there. Just a few plants got a little nipped, potato vines, a hibiscus, coleus...
Tally HO!

I've been living south of Austin for 10 years now. I have not lost a hippy in the ground or in pot outside due to freezing since I have been here. Several have had their frozen leaves cut off and I plan to put them into dormancy.

It's hard to say how things are going. I'm off to work at sunrize and home after dark. The whole garden is one big mess of mud, leaves and water. I think most of the Hippeastrums will pull through, though many tropicals are likely - history.

I'm so sorry to hear that, Pat... I know how it feels to care for your plants, enjoy them, and be proud of how they're growing... only to have Mother Nature come along and change the program. It hurts.

I do hope you're able to salvage more than you think you can... or replace them. Is there anything I could send that might help? My gardens are currently dormant, but I'd be happy to send some cuttings in spring! Just email if I can help. :-)