Changing weather does create tremendous performance changes. Banksiae lutescens is flowering for the FIFTH time since January, 2025. My Fameuse and Laxton's Fortune apples have flower buds already. Fameuse has previously flowered twice since January, 2025. Basye's Amphidiploid 86-3 (Banksia X Laevigata) is also flowering right now, several months early. Anne Belovich usually flowers in late spring to early summer. It's currently in flower and has been for nearly a month. Coastal weather here is often strange but its "strange" is becoming the norm.

Not answering your question Ann, but yesterday I noticed a bunch of flowering pear trees in full bloom already. They usually bloom in February. Just confirming Roseseek's observation about coastal So. Calif.

In my part of the cold zones, that December cold snap was enough to put the roses dormant and winter kill the canes that were going to die. Nothing seems to be budding out yet and we've had the same incredibly mild temperatures since mid-December that will last for at least 10 more days. Highs in the 50s and 60s. I need to get out and water since we've had only a little snow.

I'm hoping that the day length will discourage the roses from coming out of dormancy until actual spring, since that seems to be a contributing factor as far as I know (but enlighten me if that's wrong). This year my layers of leaves and leaf bags for winter protection may be more effective to cool the roses down than to keep them buffered from the cold. I usually put those layers of plants (like your chickweed) down in December regardless of temperatures once we get temperatures in the 20s to keep things evened out, given that "weird" is the new weather "normal".

Cynthia