Hi Jane,Wow that sounds stressful, the new normal here in NY seems to be endless rain, but it will get colder very soon. The fact that your bulbs are in a plunge bed should help, and also it will probably be very species dependent as to which survive and which do not. If they managed to do the same for 3 solid days of freezing before than another two days shouldn't make a major difference I would think. This unfortunate event will enable you to provide data on what did well and what did not which is of course is valuable information. I hope that your collection does come thru this with minimal to no damage, though I know how stressful bad weather conditions can be when it comes to our more vulnerable plants. Ernie DeMarie in what is now USDA Z7a with the newest map. Wind howling outside but warm after another heavy rain last night but glad the basement didnt flood for a fifth time this year. Hasnt flooded in some years before but this year some rainstorms have been too much too fast for proper drainage to work. Outdoors some plants are still blooming despite repeated frosts but we havent gone below the 20s F so far, that will change soon too. Put some plastic painting clearish tarp over the two cistus bushes out back and some other nearby stuff, it got them thru last years sudden but brief plunges to about 0F with no snow cover at all, and should work this winter too. Indoors the mice have been a problem, but traps have resolved that, outdoors the top cat vole trap (really like this one) and peanut butter baited mousetraps help with the vole/mice issue as well. On Saturday, January 13, 2024 at 12:08:30 PM EST, Jane McGary via pbs <pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> wrote: After no significant frost this year, the Pacific Northwest is experiencing a sudden severe cold snap. My bulb collection is exposed to ambient temperature, though covered against moisture. Everything is now frozen solid. The temperature is not expected to rise above freezing for about five days. What I wonder is, once a plant in growth is frozen, does it matter how long it remains frozen? Almost all the plants in my bulb house have previously survived about 20 degrees F for three days. Is five days going to be worse? Or do I just give up on all possibilities of survival because the plants were in unusually early growth? There are about 1,200 different species concerned. I did bring emerging seedlings into the garage before the freeze hit, but no protection was possible for the plunged pots in the bulb house. Any cover would have blown off in the present high winds -- the falling snow is whirling around as the wind gusts constantly shift. Explanations of hardy plant response to prolonged freezing welcome. Jane McGary, Portland, Oregon, USA _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net https://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/… Unsubscribe: <mailto:pbs-unsubscribe@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> PBS Forum https://… _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net https://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/… Unsubscribe: <mailto:pbs-unsubscribe@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> PBS Forum https://…