The elusive January Thaw.

;-)

It’s been warm herd too. I received an iris catalog, and a canna catalog. I'm dreaming of spring.

1-31-2024:

54dF today and might stay around for a while. Beats minus 30's haha!

No snow clinging on any of my plants anymore. ;-)

2-5-2024:

Unbelievable spring like weather all last week. The only snow left is where it's shade or had been drifted or piled up by the plows & shovels.

Sun angle 6d higher and daylength almost 2 hours longer than it was at the winter solstice.

View off the deck yesterday:

Had a few walks/inspecting things around the yard with the warm, sunny afternoons.

;-)

2-23-2024:

Nothing to talk about weatherwise.

30's to 50's almost every day with nights in the 20's to 30's.

Good thing it is staying cold enough at night to keep things from breaking dormancy.

No snow mostly sunny.

That is all. 8^)

Heard you have the warmest wonternof the last 40 years, Bill. Must be nice

Very nice!

Yesterday, I was able to pound stakes in the ground, to mark potential locations for new arrivals. There haven't been many winters here I've been able do that.

Could be some winter yet in this season but we'll take this while we can get it. :-)

2-27-2024:

A dramatic difference in temperatures. Yesterday it was 54df calm and sunny.

Today 16df and dropping with 20 mph winds, -6 by morning and then in the 50's even 60 next week.

Spring has sprung here (NJ/zone 7b), it was 70 yesterday under cloudless skies. Now rain for a week and nothing under 40 F. Wait, Bill, Spring seems to be advancing FAST this year.

We've had an unusually warm February and first few days of March, but this week is in the low 20's for lows and near 40 for highs.

50's to 60 forecast next week with lows near freezing. This is somewhat above normal for us and some years we still have appreciable snow.

Even with the ground bare, the frost is not very deep with the mild winter so yeah, it shouldn't be long before the frost is out but we're still vulnerable those late (May) frost/freezes even though we haven't had a frost past mid to late April for a couple of years now.

I have a few small plants coming by end of the week but will have to hold them inside the garage until I can plant.

3-17-2024:

Back to winter. After a spell of mid 50's to 60d days, blustery winds yesterday and last night brought a skift of snow and much colder temperatures. Looks like we're finally getting winter for at least the next ten days. Might get appreciable snowfall by next week.

Glad I got my planting done. ;-)

Spring is still advancing FASTER than normal this year in areas south and east.

Northeast, NJ (Zone 7b).

Hyacinths, Forsythia, Daffodils, are all in bloom now

I'd like to respond 41 North but this thread is titled:

' Let's talk about the Weather in the colder zones-2-3-4.' :^/

They've upped the ante to over foot of snow coming in the next several days. :-\

Finally, some moisture to help regenerate the reserves in the subsoil. ;-)

41 North, I'll respond with one word .... ENVY !!

I use to grow camellias within a large solarium, though they rather quickly had outgrown their containers.

After some on and off nice weather, it's back to cold here, southern regions of the province to receive a big dump of snow, which is good for the agricultural regions. The winter has been all over the place, November and December fantastic mild, but brutal cold in January with lows as cold as I've ever experienced in my life, so much for any upward zone revisal. Thankfully, appears to have been just sufficient snow cover to protect and prevent die out of some of the slightly more tender plants such as the ornamental oregano, but of course won't fully know until plants push into growth, with the forecast as is that won't be for a good while to come.

Interesting FB.

January was our coldest month with ONE night of near -20F. There were several single digits below zero nights in January but none in December and only one (-4) at the end of February with a few single digits above zero in the mix, generally a zone 5 winter overall.

Without much snow (3-4") all of Nov, Dec, Jan. and no snow February and so far in March, I'm sure my yard will be devoid of anything not Zone hardy (whatever that is) ;-), come spring.

Our forecast the first 3 days of April are highs around 40f. and lows mid 20's. The average temperatures here rise dramatically after the first week of April.

' so much for any upward zone revisal '

According to the map, the border between z3 and z4 was a few miles to my south, it's now ~30 mi. to my north, Caveat Emptor. ;-)

I'd like to respond 41 North but this thread is titled:

' Let's talk about the Weather in the colder zones-2-3-4.'"

I am just saying, expect changes to your local norms. Northeast seems ahead of the curve & changes, could be ocean temp related. Was reading, Midwest and northern plains not seeing it, YET. As for envy, who knows who will envy whom once the earth has its final say in the matter.

Peace out, Happy Spring!

All I know is I'm getting pretty darn sick of this back to winter stuff so late in March. But this is more or less a normal phase, for us here barely in usda zone 4.

7df this AM with a foot of snow in the forecast and a couple more single digits above zero after that! Sheesh, I'm only human.

I wish you well 41 north! ;-)

Back to Winter stuff is NOT limited to MN! There have been years when cold, arctic outbreaks late in the season have spilled into the DEEP south and North Florida. North America is a beautiful but bad as! continent. They cause MORE damage south than they do in the great North!

P.S., we just had another dumping of 3 plus inches of rain.

3-26-2024:

We're finally at the end of our first spring blizzard of this year. Still snowing but tapering off during the day today.

I don't know exact amounts bc a strong ENE wind blew the whole time. Switching to the NNW today @ ~25 MPH. Makes for drifts and hollows. 16"-18" maybe? Fairly heavy water content.

It's been the first time in years we've had precipitation steady for 3 days in a row. Hope it's a sign of continuing rains this spring and summer.

A look out the patio door this morning:

The snowplow buried the end of the driveway twice now but I'm getting good enough to run the snow blower. 3 months have passed since and haven't needed any help so far with this open winter.

:-)

eta: THE END!

Thanks Marcia!

We got spoiled with the mild weather. Now everyone's in shock with this late blast of winter.

Only a high of 24 today but with that high March sun, things are melting fast already.

;-)

In my part of the world, November and December were fantastic, THEN January's wrath of cold bringing the depths of bitter temperatures not experienced in 45 years. Has remained predominately cold of late, though briefly some very nice temperatures to come before another prolonged chilly stretch of wet and snow. Have heard that April and May are to continue to struggle here, hopefully won't be an overly tortured spring.

Man, what differences there can be in localities!

We're slipping out of winters grip finally. The first week of April looks warm and sunny.

The biggest danger we have is if it gets too warm in April and things start to grow then get a solid couple days of below freezing temperatures. Generally, the nights are cold enough to prevent breaking dormancy early.

Otherwise, the streets are dry with more sun in the forecast. We picked up a good 1-1/2" of moisture from the snow.

Yes, I'm in the land of the extremes! Early next week possibly as high as 22 C / 72 F and tumbling afterwards for a lengthy spell of near freezing highs. I guess, the gardens will continue to rest in winter slumber and I'll receive notice of my rose order being held back until more favorable conditions.

If we get past the first week of April, the low temperatures mainly stay above freezing or hover near freezing +- a degree or three.

However, a few years ago we had a Mother's Day killing frost in early May that killed everything that was newly planted, uncovered or sensitive.

And years back it was -15 one night in early April. So, we never know except for just watching how the season develops and to be entirely safe, only plant things you can cover if an unexpected frost develops.

Ordinarily we wait until at least first week of May before we plant anything sensitive, watching the forecasts intently until near end of May. Once I can remember a killing frost on June 1st.

We've rarely had a hard frost after the trees are leafed out. I can remember once or twice in my adult lifetime and wasn't any permanent damage. I've seen the swelling spruce buds freeze only to redevelop and grow on unabated.

Lots of storms and srong NW flow which means lots of wind here. I’m tired of it. Ready for a pattern change

me too. :o)

It never stops raining here, I am done too!

Ground is still frozen here.

Had some slush showers last night that looked like snow but came down fast and melted as soon as it hit the ground.

Today the sun finished melting most of the snow in the yard except for the larger drift along the east lilac hedge, it acts like a snow fence when the storm winds are easterly.

Been hard to hit 50d yet the last couple of weeks but more sun predicted next two days and after a couple wet days, we're supposed to get into the 60's by Sunday and next week.

Always a lot of anticipation this time of year and Ma nature doesn't always agree on how soon the growing season will start. Never as fast as I would like it to anyways. ;-)

4-7-2024:

Today, 37df windy and cold all-day rain, continuing into tonight.

Yesterday, near 60d and sunny so got all the composted manure spread under the expanded mulch piles on the newly planted trees and lightly spread granular (10-10-10) fertilizer around the deciduous yard trees, hoping to get a little more growth this season after 3 in a row near drought summers.

Didn't have a chance to get the rain gauge outside yet but it's looking like ~3/4" if forecasted correctly. The ground was already somewhat moist with the recent snow melt.

It just doesn't get any better than this, at least not where I'm located. :^)

Keep getting wind storms. Tired of it

Here in New England, we had beautiful weather for the past two days, but above normal temperatures. They forecast a high of 53F which is about average and I ended up with 60F on both days. So now, I'm concerned that we are going to skip over spring again and right into a HOT dry summer.

Now they are forecasting another round of "showers" and a big downpour on Friday with wind. My garden is loving all this rain. I am just fortunate that our neighborhood and this property for some reason, handles extra rain. We have a lot of mature trees in a small area and I assume the roots absorb it. Our entire neighborhood is flat level land and streets, maybe that has something to do with it.

Anyway - still - the weather has become more unpredictiable and way more stormy here. And what is with all the wind? Last year we had a lot of "showers" in the forecast which often meant, days of cloudy weather with no rain. I had trouble getting plants to bloom in less sun.

And has anyone else noticed that weather people are having a hard time forecasting the weather? They will give a 5 day forecast and whatever they forecast for that 5th day, by the time it gets here, the weather pattern is just the opposite of the forecast they gave 5 days ago. Is it really a forecast if you have to wait for the day before for it to be accurate? Something seems to have shifted.

4-10-2024:

First yard peeps for spring 2024:

Paeonia Lactiflora x Paeonia Officinalis (Red Charm peony). ;-)

10-11-2024:

We're not out of the woods yet. After a coming weekend in the 70's, its forecast for mid to high 20'sdf coming by the 4-19th and 20th. The frost is almost out of the ground except for some shady/sheltered spots, but even that's on its last leg.

Took some pictures of what is showing life around the yard doesn't look like any losses.

Betla papyrifera catkins:

Taxus canadensis strobilus:

Pinus ponderosa var scopulorum buds expanding:

Rosa Blanda chomping at the bit:

Larix Laricina budding green:

;-)

4-16-2024:

The rain falls as we speak/post. :-)

It always comes a day or two later than what was originally forecast, for some reason, and most times, less in amounts than what was said several days ago. Conspiracy? haha/jk.

Windy and cooler for the next day or two, then the frosty nights (3?) will arrive. Might have to pull out the old standby blankets/sheets and cover a few of my plants here.

Comparatively, its looking like an early spring but it's still early so we'll have to remain vigilant. ;-)

This year in southern Alberta we had the lowest temperature (-39.7C) I've recorded since I started systematically keeping track back in 2008. So this year is going to be the big test for all the borderline plants I've planted over the past several years. Nervous to see what does and doesn't come back!

That's just plain cold. And almost the same in Fahrenheit.

There's always that shadow of doubt no matter where you live, and zone hardiness is not always a sure-fire indication that plants will survive. A sheltered planting location, microclimates, snow cover and length of time it's been planted in the ground will all enter into the equation.

Also, some plants that can take the cold, are not always frost hardy. So, they will survive the winter just fine but it's after they come out of dormancy in the spring and the late frosts hit them that they can be weakened severely and eventually die.

Let us know how things turn out this summer.

I think I'll wait and post later this summer, on everything in my yard, all in one fell swoop, instead of finding and then updating all my earlier posts. :-)

This has been such an odd winter - higher than normal temperatures and lower than normal precipitation. That being said, there's an inch of snow out there this morning! That's not exciting in itself, but it does mean moisture, which we and the prairies west of here are sorely lacking. In spite of the milder temperatures, spring has been slow in coming. Maybe next week!

27df last night with the next two forecasted to be the same.

In a normal winter, 30's for lows would've been the norm and not until early or mid XXXXX eta: May.

Now everything has already been waking up so we'll have to see.🤞

Really cold high temps here, but the lows not mich below average. 26 f or so the last few days

Looking like spring will be earlier than normal. One more cold night Tuesday into Wednesday although it's possible for Mother nature to press a sneak attack in May. ;-)

Highs in the 50's next week. That means it was warmer last February and March.

Is that rain in the forecast? I hope the forecast holds true. We need some 'catch-up' rain.

We did end up with 1" of rain last night, with more forecast so things are looking up.

All trees been breaking bud for the last week with some having leaves showing already.

Time to set up the rain barrel again and maybe put out the garden hose.

Late frost or not, this is going to be an early spring, calendar wise.

And unlike last year, we're starting out with recent moisture in the ground. :-)

Snowed here last night

At least it's water. :^)

What a bizarre winter, Bill. I'm wondering if there will be some dead plants due to no snow cover nearly all winter. But then again, it wasn't that cold either. But then again, it only rained twice and never snowed during a 3 month span, it seemed. I won't be relieved until I see all my trees and shrubs fully leaf out and all my perennials poking up from the ground.

It appears I lost a lot of my 1st year Eastern red cedars. They must have dried out too much over winter. Huge demand for these right now for lining the outside of solar farms. Very frustrating.

After the last 3 seasons, it's a relief to see all this spring rain. Leaves are ahead of schedule by easily a week to 10 days. I'm going to have some wet, muddy digging this week as we rush to get finished digging trees.

Raining now and rain forecast the rest of the week. Which is good because I'm sure the subsoil (sand) several feet down have been depleted over the last few years. We needed this kind of extended soaking rains.

Not much for cold here either. The deciduous trees in the yard are breaking bud albeit a little early. One of my Ostrya virginiana, started from seed in 2019, has catkins for the first time and the Korean maples have emerging leaf tips for the third time this spring. The latter have shown good zone and frost hardiness.

Sorry to hear about the J.v.

All my spruce is holding back on buds but been on the cool, cloudy side lately but I'm not complaining. You know what they say about April showers. ;-)

Has not been much of a terribly pleasant March and April with below normal temperatures, frequent overcast skies and windy as heck! Not abnormally horrific weather in general, though one or two nice days followed by quickly deteriorating conditions. My plants in the greenhouse are slow and pokey for the lack of any substantial heat, peppers are really lagging just sitting. Greenhouse outlets are now just setting outside their stock of tender annuls and all, and of course today it's snowing and blustery! Decent good moisture the last several months and nice not to be going into spring bone dry, though some heat would be appreciated to get things growing and giving opportunity to farmers to get crops seeded. What the summer brings is only a guess, though the last three have been very challenging that it's either been absolutely bone dry or in the case of last summer sopping wet, horrific mosquitoes and high humidity made for one of the most unpleasant gardening seasons. The mosquitoes so bad that within the subdivisions no one was outside enjoying the summer evenings, just silence, no children playing nor folks lounging having meals and socializing, the summer a bust!

4-30-24:

FB, that's interesting. I can remember when I lived out in the country, there was a year or two that the mosquitoes we so bad, you could hear the buzzing outside after dark, just like a swarm of cicadas but more suppressed in nature.

2.2" of rain here since last Friday. There's been a good soaking rain every week for the last 3-4 weeks. We had snowflakes flying last weekend, between rains but it didn't amount to much.

We missed the last couple of chances for frost because the weather has been so unsettled it hasn't had a chance to go calm and freeze. I looked it up and our last frost date is now May 10th from what it used to be (end of May? I haven't looked for a long time) so, if the forecast stands, we might be done with the cold for this season.

Most trees are breaking bud so hopefully it won't freeze that hard anymore.