Leslie, while it's terrible to think about it, they're just plants. They can be replaced, but you and yours can't. Put them in the garage - that would allow you more time to get out if/when you have to.

I would move them in now. They might not love it, but probably won't have any damage done, and then you can focus on you during/before the storm.

Yeah, move them in now Leslie. The track keeps moving closer and closer to you. While you'll be on the dryer side of the storm, that doesn't mean dry by any stretch. It's really nerve-wracking when the storm gets closer.

Hope it stays away from you! And hope you don't get much flooding or surge.

Keep an eye on Matthew and be safe! (I know you will!)

OH - go buy ice and fill your freezer now. I have 2 bags of ice in the freezer all summer long. It's my insurance policy! LOL

Agreed with everybody else and take care when the storm hits!

If you watered recently, I would wait until they dry out a little before going into the garage. Or put a fan in there for a little while for them to dry out. Wet + dark = etiolation or worse.

Yep, take them all in now! A few days of dark won't hurt them. Get yourself a few heavy duty trays for transporting plants if you don't have any already.

I just moved all mine in ahead of the first frost of the season last night (literally got last tray in at 7 pm!). Now to find winter homes for them all!

Thanks everyone. They're soaked -rained a bunch yesterday, and more coming. So they'll be wet. But the latest track has 70mph winds for me, and as you know, right on the water, so storm surge is an issue. Thanks for all the advice and well wishes. Today will be filling sandbags to keep the water out of the garages after the plants go in.

Now to find room for them all... :)

Good luck!

Good luck! And HUGS!!!

Looks like we have a few hour of sunshine today. Gathered them all up by the front/garage doors under the overhang so they can get some sunshine and breeze before moving them in. And picked up five more while shopping for sand bags. I haz issues.

haha, I have the same issue! bought a new plant today while looking for plant shelving..........ah well, there are worse things to spend money on!

I live near the coast of NC, I must get my plants inside too. They are on a screened porch but wind and rain just pour into it. Good luck Leslie, that is a very nice collection you have there.

Thanks, Barb. Just saw that S. Carolina has already ordered evacuations. I'm gonna give the guys the last bit of sunshine today (that doorway faces due west) and then bring them in for good. I'll put them on plastic that I can wrap up around them in case water gets into the garages, but won't seal them up until the last minute. Luckily, our house is concrete and the garages are really the only places of concern.

Be safe Leslie. I hope Matthew peters out a little before he hits land.

My son lives in Deland and landscapes in Daytona. I'm trying to talk him and his girlfriend into coming to our house for a few days. But he said he needs to stay close to be there to help his clients clean up after the storm.

Please keep in touch so we know you're safe.

Rhonda

Thanks, everyone. Rhonda, my across-the-street neighbors live in Williston. The Brazils.

Half the plants are in, the rest go in tomorrow.

I'll keep y'all updated until the power goes out.

These plants are so durable. they should be fine ;)

Projected cat 4 when it hits South Florida later tonight!!?...silly humans, with their impact resistant windows, hurricane shutters & concrete block construction!!!!!

=D

Just back a few weeks now from spending time on Singer Island, if it were me, I'd be taking the same precautions with my collection.

Good luck mah Florida, Carolinas & coastal southern peeps, will be thinking of you & hoping all goes well

Thanks everyone. All the plants are inside, and we're sandbagging the garage and foyer (for the special ones!) and then thinking about evacuation. Concrete house, impact glass, cars are in tarps, and hoping for the best. If water gets in the garages, I'll be posting on advice for salt-water soaked succulents! See ya all in a few days!

Good luck!!!

Crossing fingers and toes for ya!

Leslie,

You must have a wide street if your across the street neighbors live in Williston Hee Hee I don't know them.

Good luck, stay safe.

Rhonda

I'm safe and sound inland (near the gulf) and my plants are behind sandbags in the garage - prized ones elevated a bit off the floor. If we get rainwater flooding they'll be fine. Salty storm surge, well, at least I'll have pretty pots to start over with. :)

My good thoughts and hoping for the best for you! But I'm glad you got out.

Glad to hear you're safe Leslie. And I'm hoping that your plant babies will be too.

My son and his girlfriend are in Daytona and decided they were going to ride it out rather than coming to my house. They're getting hit pretty hard right now, just lost electric.

Rhonda

Glad you boogied, Leslie! Hope all is well when you get back home.

Next phase... assuming they didn't flood (which I am assuming!) can/should I put them all out directly into the sun? They've been in total darkness since Wednesday. (Ugh - and I was so careful to keep cactus pointing in the same direction so they wouldn't sunburn. Most I tried to put their labels facing north so even when I pick them up to look closely as them, they would go back in the same orientation. But only a few have labels...)

If it is still cloudy, I doubt there will be a problem.

Leslie

That is still 'only' 4 dark days and can you guess how much longer? I wouldn't hesitate to put plants back where they were after about a week. (I guess by total darkness you mean inside of the garage, no window?)

Inside a windowless garage. Total darkness, and amazingly, the sun will be shining tomorrow when I plan to start moving them out, depending on what else has to happen once I can get back home!

Hope all is well when you return. We are in the midst of this awful hurricane right now, it is terrible. My c and s are all on the porch under plastic. Let us know how you do.

Thanks, folks. Looks like they're letting us get back onto the island, so will have update tomorrow. Well, if there's power and internet. :) Good luck, Barb. It's a nasty one.

WOOHOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They made it!!!!!! Lost a few to some rot (sitting in the back corner of a dark, damp garage under file cabinets will do that to anything!) and I think mealies got my E. PvN, but amazingly, they all look fabulous! It was funny to see some of the cactus blooming away in the darkness. Even a haworthia that I thought was completely dead actually came back to life in there - green and plump! I'm amazed, but not a drop of water in the garages. (100 sandbags will do that!) And our house is fine too! Beach erosion, but the next storm will bring back the sand, so all is good!

That is good news Leslie! We did fine as well, my cactus under heavy plastic on the porch stayed dry while 10" of rain fell on them. What a lot of worry and stress for us though, right?

I know! My boyfriend is working on a better plant evacuation plan. Because of the days of rain beforehand, we had to move everyone three times total, and we need to think of an easier way. More big trays to move the littler pots, so we can carry more than two at a time, and clear out shelving so they're up off the floor, preventing us from being able to walk around the garage.

That's why we built the carts for my plants. It's much easier for me now to just roll them into the lanai. I think with bigger wheels (these are just casters) I could easily roll them into the garage. Of course, you need to have room for the carts! I use mine as plant stands. And not being right on the beach, my lanai is a good hiding place for them.

Before I loaded them with plants -

We salvaged the wood from the dock we repaired.

Oh! Gorgeous!!! We really don't have room for the carts, and when outdoors, my guys are on the ground. For now, I'll just hope and pray we don't have to do this again, but it is already the second time this season.

Thanks everyone for your help and support during this. Advice was great, but just having a group that could understand my concern was comforting.

Leslie

Glad your house is still there and that most of your plants made it. What a relief!

Crenda and Leslie you and your plants were in my thoughts and prayers and I'm glad everything is A ok:).

Noto - one of your little guys even sent out a pup while it was in hiding!