If You Don’t Like the Weather, Wait a Minute...
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If you don’t like the weather, wait a minute - is an old adage and one that can be used for many parts of the US, but it always seems to hold true when discussing weather in the Midwest. We enjoyed some unbelievably great weather during the third week of February. Temperatures across the Midwest soared into the 60’s and 70’s. Everywhere you looked, people were smiling and enjoying the unseasonably warm weather.
The weather didn't just last for a day or two; it lasted well over a week, including the weekend. There is a skate board park not far from where I live that was filled with children of all ages getting out and getting their “legs” after a long winter rest. I saw other children form impromptu baseball games and others riding their bikes around the neighborhood. It also seemed that everyone was taking their dogs for walks enjoying the beautiful weather.
I also saw a lot of buds on trees and shrubs begin to open as a reaction to the warm weather. I have several lilacs and they always seem to be some of the first deciduous plants to set forth their leaves. As you can see in the picture above, the buds are showing green leaves as they begin to open.
Sometimes mother nature takes a nasty turn, this was true when the weather dropped into the low 20’s. These buds will survive, but when the leaves open up, they will probably have holes in them where the water that is within the tender tissue will freeze. This will mainly affect the plants first leaves and the rest of the plant will be fine.
If you live in the Midwest, you may have already seen this occur with your own plants. Some of the early flowering shrubs could also have distorted flowers. Star and Saucer Magnolias are some of the first flowering shrubs and their buds are very swollen. Hopefully, the weather will get back to normal and wait another couple of weeks before becoming warmer on a more consistent basis.
The majority of my spring bulbs have pushed through the soil and are up about 2 to 3 inches. I don’t worry about them as these plants are adapted to cool temperatures. The only time I worry is when the flowers have formed and temperatures drop below freezing. The leaves will handle the frigid weather, but not the flowers. And yes, that is snow on the ground that came down that morning. It did not last very long, but it was still cold enough for snow.
I guarantee that it will get warmer and we will see lots of spring flowers. I would however, prefer to wait a little longer for the spectacle to begin.
If you have questions on the weathers impact on your plants and lawn, contact your neighborhood lawn care professional at Spring-Green.