[Grav!ty]

Ok so it's not quite the spring equinox but September 1 is when we recognize that winter is over. A lot of folk wear floral gear to work or just around town and it's a great excuse for a late social breakfast or a long lunch

The days have been getting longer for quite a while now and trees are budding with new leaves. Spring is definitely in the air although we have just had a cold spell.





Joburgers cover up for Spring Day

September 01 2008
By Gill Gifford


As Joburgers prepared to celebrate Spring Day on Monday, the city has been hit by chilly weather and strong winds.

As public swimming pools open up, people are expected to cover up with warm clothing - at least for the next two days.

By Wednesday warm conditions are expected to have returned, with the possibility of Pretoria and the northern parts of Gauteng reaching the 30 degree mark.

Weather man Simon Gear said cold weather in September was not an unlikely nor unexpected event, with the possibility of cold fronts moving in over the interior of the country remaining in place until the end of the month.

"It's just unfortunate that the cold front hit on Spring Day," Gear said.

"But it's actually not unusual. In fact it's a rare September that we don't see a cold front - we often have one or two. But temperatures will get back up to the mid-twenties by the middle of the week. The fact is that we're not past the likelihood of big cold fronts coming all the way into the interior.


Source: IOL

[kanaloa]

I'm jealous... I wish I could move to the Southern Hemisphere for our winters (or at least to a Zone 10 climate or higher). I've gotten to where I cannot stand the winter months - it makes me depressed having to watch all my tropicals and plants die back

[gries818]

I'm jealous... I wish I could move to the Southern Hemisphere for our winters (or at least to a Zone 10 climate or higher). I've gotten to where I cannot stand the winter months - it makes me depressed having to watch all my tropicals and plants die back

I used to hate winter but I've grown to the point now where I'm actually looking forward to cold whether.

I don't know what's made me change. Fall is probably my favorite season though... cool crisp mornings, pretty trees, etc. LOL, I'm pumped!

[kanaloa]

I used to be that way, but ever since I got into gardening, just not the same. Now I like the hot sticky summer days - just not over 95F, that's a tad too hot.

[Grav!ty]

I've gotten to where I cannot stand the winter months - it makes me depressed having to watch all my tropicals and plants die back

We had a harsh dry winter too and I lost two beautiful 2 meter carob trees to the frost. It was just heart breaking watching them start to wither and dry out.

As a last resort I tried watering a little during warmer periods (which can be fatal as the water around the roots freezes at night and that's like the final death knell), but both just kept on drying till the leaves and stems were brittle and dry.





Somehow the camphor tree (which was hit hard and died last winter and then put out a tiny shoot from the old roots this time last year) has so far survived and stands nice and green at about 2 ft tall - it was about 9 ft when it got hit last year.

The winds have been good and strong over the past few weeks and that usually indicates that we'll have a good rainfall season. I hope so because it's real dry at the moment and my project to return the garden to natural indigenous african bush veld is looking kinda bleak right now.

Will, I prefer the cold too, having the theory it's easier to keep warm than to keep cool.