February Cold Spell

Just as my gardens were beginning to show signs of spring, old man winter had to rear his ugly head again with three days of temperatures below freezing. I decided to do an inspection to see what damage I could find.

The forsythia which was already full of bright yellow blooms was now black in appearance, but it seems to always be in a hurry to bloom and ofter gets nipped by the really cold snaps. The saucer magnolias, which sported more flower buds this year than ever before, now have numerous black buds that had progressed to far to withstand the 10 degrees temperature. Maybe some of the small flower buds will be undamaged and will bloom later. I certainly hope so because it is one of my favorite spring flowering trees. The red maple trees which had already sprouted those attractive early red blooms were likewise black and dreary looking.

Pansies and daffodils which were covered with snow and sleet seem to have survived the 10 degrees temperature quite well. The blossoms on the pansies were somewhat damaged, but in a few days they will put on new ones. The daffodil buds were still young enough that I believe they will yet produce their showy trumpets. The crocus are already blooming again so the cold temperatures appear to have had no effect on them.

Overall, I am surprised that there was'nt more damage from the cold spell, but I had watered everything well and the snow and sleet provided some insulation. Let's hope that we have seen the last of those 10 degree temperature. Ken Luper