All of the foliage, including bamboo which is normally cold tolerant to 15-20° F. is burnt to the ground from the cold and ice.
In the today photo (above) the koi appear to be huddling for warmth. In the Fall 2013 photo (below) the koi were happily swimming in their sub-tropical pond. Above: Even the bromeliads are burnt.
In general bromeliads are hardy to 26-28° F (-3.3 to -2.2 C). Most species of bromeliad will die at any temperature below 20° F (-6.7° C). There might have been just enough warmth coming from the pond to save a few of these specimen.
Below: The Giant Australian Tree Fern is tightly wrapped with old curtains, which probably was enough protection to save it from this cold event. Sleet and snow surround the once-tropical pond.
Below: The same shot taken a few months earlier, in warmer weather.
Above: More snow, sleet and foliage devastation.
Giant Australian Tree Fern is the most prominent remaining plant in the garden,
wrapped in old curtains for warmth.
Below: Same area before the freezes.
Below: A Sago Palm (Chycas revoluta) is a cycad, not a palm, and cold tolerant to 5° F (-15° C). These plants originated in East Africa and are very slow growing. Leaves may be damaged and turn yellow (as seen here) below 10° F (-12.2° C), but they will likely recover. It would have helped had they been covered with blankets, tarps or anything to keep them slightly warmer than the ambient air. The current temperature in Pensacola where these plants are located is 25° F (-4° C). The lowest official temperature during the ice storm was 23° F (-5 ° C), but it did get colder earlier in January.
Here too, it would have helped if this Sago and Pindo Palm had been covered.
Pindo Palms (Butia capitata) are cold hardy to 12°-15° F (-11° to -9° C).
There was plenty of warning that the storm was coming. But some cities were still woefully unprepared. . . like Atlanta, which looked eerily like scenes from The Walking Dead which is shot nearby.
This compilation of images is one of the best found on the www:
This image (below) on Instagram posted by yesmetish was my favorite. . .
kind of eerie and other-worldly with the blur into the distance.
