Re: [gardeners] Winter never came!

George Shirley (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Fri, 26 Feb 1999 10:27:56 -0600 

Harry Boswell wrote:

> This has been a wierd year.  Winter basically never came to Mississippi.
> It's been so
> warm all "winter" that I've only bothered to take a coat to work four times,
> and I left it
> in the truck three of those times.  A long-sleeve shirt has been plenty, and
> I've been
> wearing shorts and a tshirt around the house and yard often.  Of more
> immediate
> import, the blueberrie bushes I planned on relocating didn't get moved,
> because
> they never went dormant and I was afraid to mess with them.  They already
> have
> some blooms about to open.  The Bradford pear in my front yard is blooming,
> along
> with the flowering crabapple.  The redbud is almost past it's peak.  Daffs
> are of course
> well along.  And this morning, I saw my first iris, a white flag.  Forsythia
> and iris should
> most definitely *not* be blooming at the same time!  Highs are forecast in
> the low 70s
> for the next week, and wife, child, and I head to Disneyworld March 6th for
> a week.
> If it's not cold when I get back, I'll declare it Spring and start
> gardening.  We've only
> had one low in the 30s in the past 3 weeks, most have been in the 50s, so
> the
> ground is warming early (not that it ever really cooled).  So, if any of you
> Yankees
> or Canucks are planning on sending an Arctic Basket for Easter, please let
> me
> know!
>
> Harry

Our local TV weatherman declared it spring last night. Says no more freezes
headed this way. Believe it or not he's generally pretty accurate, even goes
against the National Weather folks a lot and is right when he does. We plant
Saturday so Miz Anne can get in on it. She's working today and I'm spring
cleaning the kitchen and laundry room with Sleepy Dawg's help.

The pear trees are a-bloom, as Harry said the redbuds are about to pass their
peak and the blooms are falling off the pink magnolias. The daffodils never came
up this year, may be too warm for them. The calendulas from last year are in
full bloom as are the blueberries. Will be pruning the raspberries at 4 feet
high today. Soil temps, by the scientific method (a thermometer) are at 65F
consistently throughout the garden area. Close enough for beans, peas, radishes,
etc. Will hold the seedling tomatoes, chiles, and eggplant for another week to
10 days, they're hardening off in the greenhouse with the door open. Now if the
forecast rain doesn't show we'll be able to plant.

George