I have been out doing the same. What a delightful break this weather has been. I always have rather felt that in my zone soil temps play the biggest part in the roses starting to grow. After reading Peter Kukielski book I believe it even more now. Happy to report that all are alive.

Hope you all got to enjoy some fine weather. Yes winter shall return for end of Feb. and beginning of March. I'm a bit leery of the weather warming to fast.

It was so nice today, but I'm still not ready to prune. Besides, I am not done yet with my winter chores. What I did do is rake/vac/shred 5 more bags of leaves. Those will be compost next year. I pulled off most of the old blackspotted leaves off my roses. I sprayed with fungicide. I dug up a rose that wound up being too big for its spot. And I planted something else there. I also harvested and screened some finished compost and put it around my roses. I still have to finish that tomorrow. I'll see how the weather holds up and maybe start pruning next weekend.

Buford reminded me of something quite unusual here. My ground is not frozen I think this has only happen 1 time since I started gardening.

Great photos, Steven! I'm not ready to do any thing out there yet. I know it's going to be warm this week but I learned a precious lesson in 2007 when I pulled the roses too soon and lost nearly half of them when things got icy again. I'll bide my time for now.

I walked the roses yesterday and didn't see anything I thought was bud break. My daffs and crocus are only a fraction of an inch up out of the ground. I don't see any buds on the flowering trees and shrubs yet either.

I hope things work out well for you but I prefer to err on the side of caution.

The colder weather returns this weekend!

On a side note, my Therese Bugnet at my mother's is beginning to leaf out, too! If even rugosas are going, time must be close.

***Thirties and snow expected 02/25

Steven

Most of my roses are beginning to leaf out now, thanks to this past week of record warmth. We are now shifting into a more typical early spring pattern of colder temperatures, but should get above freezing most days, with nighttime lows in the 20s. Do I prune now? Most of my roses are past the point when I would normally do so.

Benjamin Britten:

Grocery store mini:

Young and very small Eden, planted as a band last spring. I don't plan to prune this one, but have concerns about her breaking dormancy so early:

My roses are budding and my Maggie is leafing out. I have daffodils and the tulips are coming out. As much as love gardening, I actually could use one or two more months of winter to get the inside of my in order before I spent all my energy outside. This is the second year in a row we have had very little winter and an early spring.

Steven, I also am very happy your plants made it through the winter! I hope they are ok if it snows again too!

Thank you all for your stories! I love seeing what other people have going on throughout the season.

On a related note; my Iris reticulata are blooming. In February. In Michigan. Last year they bloomed March 9th. Due to this and my pansies, I have had blooms in my garden every month of the year here in southern Michigan 11 months running. If I have open flowers on anything in March, I will have achieved, with Mother Nature's blessing, some semblance of flowers blooming and growing in Michigan OUTDOORS straight for a year. Cheers!

My surviving pansies are also budding well.

How crazy!

Steven

I 'm with Seil "err on the side of caution' waiting on the forsythia to bloom

Well my roses are half way completely leafed out ! There are a couple stragglers but they at least are showing some signs of life. My most impressive one is lavender lassie . I forgot to get a photo but it is such a bright spring green !

another one going gang busters is the Rose flamenco rosita . This Rose was a 1 gallon from chamblees last spring . It is about 4.5 ft tall and 6 ft wide already , the Rose never stopped blooming and is better than any knock out . So pretty and never had any disease issues. It was a last min add on that I wasn't sure I would like .. well I love love love it ! The bronze spring foliage is unique too !! Please excuse the terrible photo taking .. it was just a snap to brag to my mom in pa how far along things are !

So is it safe to move roses now too ? I just have a couple that need moved

Yes it is still a great time to move roses.

I moved 2 roses already. My ground is unfrozen and everyone says they can be moved in late winter early spring. Up here they don't even know they have been moved while they are still dormant.

Aside from this it seems that some things will be in jeopardy if this crazy weather continues. My blueberry bushes are opening their buds. Fruit and nut trees around here may lose their crops if this continues.

I have a rugosa with little tiny leaves opening from head to toe. All of my perennials have started to grow. Can't stop them mother nature or global warming will have the last say.

4 days out of the last week had high temperatures of 29F or less and lows in the lower teens. All of the new foliage I posted above and on the rest of my roses was killed or singed at the very least. Steven, I can't imagine you fared much better where you are. It looks like textbook early spring weather here for the next couple of weeks and hopefully no more surprises.

I will definitely wait in my zone. I have had one of those tough lesson where one year I have pruned roses too early and end of losing them when father winter has decided to send in a final week of winter weather.

Nothing has stopped my crazy plants!

Lady Emma Hamilton. Sprouts undamaged by frost!

The Ingenious Mr. Fairchild is having a go!

Potted Sterling Silver is weeks ahead!

My found gallica is sprouting well!

Bleeding Heart has overcome its frost damage.

Hyacinths, Daffs, native Columbine, and emerging box elder bugs.

Spring!

Steven