It's slower this year. Last year my first peony bloomed on 4/3. I have not seen any bloomed this year yet.

This is a horrible spring. Snow, rain,wind and cold. Winter is lasting forever.

I'm pleased that you are getting local responses, Faith.

I think I'm correct in counting only 2 March mornings here when it didn't freeze. Our spring isn't really late but we had an all-day rain, yesterday. DW said, "why can't we have this in July when it would help?" There have been more windstorms than snow storms, lately. A little snow fell this week but didn't stick ...

We are probably the latest ever in setting up the temporary hoop house over 2 outdoor beds. Probably should have done it today, between rainstorms, but I'd sure better not step in the soaked soil! Likely to sink to my knees in mud! Anyway, better get to it soon -- there is bok choy in the greenhouse to transplant into those beds.

Greenhouse ... where it's mid-afternoon and still hasn't warmed to 70°f.

Steve

I agree, the early warm up really messed with my plants and trees last spring, had buds far too early and too much leafing out and growth too early--lost tons of blooms and pretty much all of our fruit to the May blizzard. Hoping all of the nasty winterlike weather will be over in April this year!

This is a normal spring here. Last spring was way early i think. Hard to remember that far back lol. But everything is on track this year. Perfect. :)

This seems like a pretty "normal" spring to me! If anything it might be a little bit "early" for me. My early bulbs are done blooming now--some of them for at least two weeks, and most of the later ones will be finishing up soon. I have other--non bulb--things starting to bloom already. Everything is growing like crazy, and if we get a sudden HARD freeze I'm gonna be in trouble! Some things are already too big to cover with pots, and will be really hard to cover with sheets without smooshing them down! I watered DEEPLY a couple times over winter since it was so dry, and I think that might affect how soon at least some of the perennials start growing!

Barb is only about 10 miles north of me, and she's way behind me, so it doesn't take much "distance" to make a difference! I think "local climate" is what has the most effect on when things start to grow for any one person.

Hoping for no HARD freezes,

Skybird

P.S. Also hoping for NO Spring Blizzards at this point, 'cause that would REALLY squoosh all my plants down!!!

A break from monitoring hoop house and greenhouse temperatures, overnight. Wasn't this the same week when an afternoon hit 70°f for the first time since September? Yesterday afternoon, the thermometer hit 80°!

There is a new hoopy on the lawn filled with tomato plants, this morning. So, there was a hoopy with kale, cabbage, and such. And, a hoopy for some marigolds, zinnias, and such. Now, there are 5 "protected growing structures" but 3 without heat!

It's windy, cloudy and raining, today. That will be good for the lawn grass where I had the earlier hoopies. Temperatures are supposed to fall back into the 30's by midweek and there are tarps standing by. I haven't come up with a way to heat them altho my little passive ceramic heater might work in there.

Steve

hoopy frood

I wonder if a lack of moisture may be slowing things down here a bit, too. Aren't we something like 2 1/2 inches below normal in precip? I was watching channel 7 weather and they listed our snow total for the season at around 25". We should be at 55" of snow.

1 foot of Colorado snow equals roughly 1" of liquid precip, so we are very dry. The March/April heavy snows that normally come didn't and we sure don't want them now! Let's hope for good, soaking rain instead.

It's snowed here the last 2 Mother's Days. No threepeat this year, please!

We hit 78 degrees yesterday, 83 degrees predicted today. It was 47 degrees when I woke up this morning. That's really warm for this time of year.

Digit, would you be interested in trading some moisture for warmth?

Barb

No!

But, what's the price on some sunshine?

I shouldn't be quite so selfish but we really aren't above 100% on moisture, and that's at higher elevations. Right now, some of our rivers are right at the top of their banks. I think that the St. Joe and Coeur d'Alene are supposed to fall ... since this cool current weather and overcast isn't bringing much precipitation to add to our 20"/annually. It should break 60° today, unless the weather gods have plans to disappoint me ...

digitS'

If I had a way, I'd send you sunshine for free! We get about 15" of precip annually, so I can see why you'd want to hang on to your 20. I'll ask someone that gets 50" annually and see if they'll spare some. ;o)

It looks like we have some good chances for rain mid-week, fingers crossed.

In southwestern Idaho, spring was early this year (and it was late last year—but early in 2015 and 2016).