Freezing. Sort of.

For the second night in a row, we're under a "freeze warning" in Minneapolis, tonight. And not just a "dip below 32 for a moment" kind of thing, but actually spending an hour or more below 28.

I learned, last week, that when it comes to a lot of plants, 28 degrees is the magic number. Which, according to that camp of gardeners, is when pretty much all foliage bites the big one. They went on to say that not only would any new plantings be in peril this week, but also any perennials that were growing (which, really, would be everything at the moment after the massively warm March).

But we've been good and haven't planted anything new yet this year (after all, our last frost can some as late as mid-May), so everything that we have growing in the yard is of that "hearty perennial" stock. And according to another camp of gardeners, temps even as low as the mid-20s (for a couple of hours) will simply slow those plants down, and not kill them.

Oh, and those frigid temps might also slow down pollen production and kill off some mosquitoes. So, no matter how cold it gets, it's really not all bad.

But it does mean that contemplating the garden is a little strange this week. On the one hand, I feel like I should be out covering all of our garden areas in sheets and blankets. On the other, I feel like natural selection will make it all okay.

Of course, on both hands, I have my fingers crossed.