That's just yucky, Sammy. It has been absolutely wonderful here this past week and today it is supposed to get cold again. It's the fringe of what you will be getting.

I'm sick of it too!

Lynn

I'm new here and in Kansas, we're dealing with the same icky weather so I can empathize. I planted a number of bare-root roses a week or so ago because they were starting to leaf out like crazy. I was optimistically *hoping* that we were done with winter. Last night I buried them in straw & covered them with sheets, so I'm hoping they make it through this okay. I'm so ready for spring!

I feel for you, Sammy. Yesterday was the first warm day (70s) we've had in weeks and weeks. Just paid my gas bill (heat, hot water & stove). It was almost 4 times as high as normal and the highest bill we've ever had. I about had a fit. It just shows how bad it's been here temp-wise. At least your babies are nice and cozy. I keep wondering if all this cold means we're going to have a less hot summer. I could go for 90 instead of 93! Stay warm!

Sherry

Sammy, I won't even tell you what the weather is like here but just want to say my heart goes out to all of you who are having to put up with this misery. The wait for spring must seem endless. I really hope your roses make it through all this unscathed and repay you for the horrible winter season you've had.

Ingrid

Roses aren't the only plants confused this year.
Normal:
Winter Jasmine blooms in Feb.
Late March: Forsythia blooms.

This year both are blooming together down in Knoxville near the heat islands that are major roads.
Up here in the boonies, the Jasmine is blooming and the Forsythia is still very dormant.

(And then there was the year that we had a very cold early Feb and the Jasmine had to regrow buds and bloomed two weeks after the Forsythia.)

I wish I though the weather people were using their massive computer capabilities and could tell us if the Arctic has spewed all the cold towards us that is has. Mass dynamics ought to be able to know this thing will all the research dollars, satellites, stations....end rant.

Ah, we will have lost many of our little birds - wrens and goldcrests this year, not to mention kingfishers, unable to access freezing rivers. On the plus side, the cold may well have knocked out some persistent bugs and diseases such as chestnut leaf miner, rana virus, bluetongue in sheep and hopefully, lots of slugs and snails. Snowdrops have lasted for ages. Aphids are still not to be seen - this can only be a good thing. Even so Sammy, you and Melissa seem to have suffered in particularly with your alternately hopeful and despairing weather postings. Poor Melissa has been having a countdown to lighter days throughout January and February. It has been a long, tedious slog, made worse, I think, by heightened expectations from previous years. Still, plants are certainly getting galvanised into growth. buds bursting, leaves appearing, birds getting frisky.

With our El Nino we had no real winter here after the December freezes had passed us. The only roses I have which have not leafed out fully are the gallicas which are staying true to their species roots and not starting early just because it is warmer than normal.

Lance

We're not doing too great here in the Dallas/Ft Worth area either, it's 31 now, calling for up to 1" of snow. I'm like you, Sammy, got about 14 roses to plant, just received 4 from ARE yesterday, and luckily haven't planted any of them yet. Most are from Vintage and Ashdown from last year, and they're looking great, but moved everything into our shed that has windows, probably overkill, but I've spent too much time on them to take a chance! Supposed to be 65 on Monday, go figure...

Hope you enjoyed your spring break in spite of everything!

Yip, winter's back! I can hardly see the holes I have dug for the 4 bare root roses I'll get next weekend for the snow. Had to drag all my potted roses back into the garage yesterday. Hope the snow that fell on them doesn't do too much damage to the newly emerging leaves.

The roses won't feel the air temp. as "20". They'll feel it as 32, but the wind will dehydrate the roses and since at 32 the water in the ground may be frozen they'll have a difficult time keeping their canes hydrated. If the buds have already sprouted they may be damaged, too.

My sister, who lives in Kansas City, MO, has been posting pictures on her Facebook page of the blooming spring bulbs she was enjoying. Now her latest pictures are of the 7" of snow that suddenly appeared in her backyard.

:(

Yep. Last week, 70's. Tomorrow it's supposed to be in the 60's. But today - it snowed all day, horizontally because of the winds. My poor roses have all been pruned, leafed out, budding, and I hope they will be able to bounce back since it's just 'one day'.

Sammy, I feel for you. I used to live in SE Texas and it was always a gamble whether we'd lose out on the spring bloom. I don't know how many times I saw the wisteria come out with 1000s of buds only to see them all freeze off before blooming and have all the spring growth on the roses zapped to the ground.

It's not quite as wacky here in Northern California, though this winter for us exactly matches what Lance said. We had an exceptionally cold autumn (our place down to 15°F a few nights in a row), and then winter ended, and we've not had another real frost since mid-December. Possibly that means we'll get another May frost like we did a couple of years ago that ruined the bulk of our cut-flower crop for over a month.

Gardening, it's not for the weak-willed!

--Ron

Hope your garden fared well. I was pleasantly surprised to find that my garden bounced back. Even the crab apples are blooming! I'm holding my breath until Easter is over, and hoping that yesterday was the last freeze of the year.

Sammy, I feel your pain. Saturday was horrible here as well, 35mph horizonal north winds blowing snow and sleet all night and day, temps 30 and chill factor of 7. I have lots of crunchy new leaves, but luckily, no buds yet.

Today, it was 75, sunny and beautiful.

Hey, Sammy, the snow has pretty much melted today (10" over the weekend). Only damage I see so far is the weight of the snow that weighed down some roses I leave big. Didn't really get cold enough to damage much..thank goodness.

You cold victims all have my condolences: what awful weather! Here it's rainy, mild, and springlike--too rainy, considering what a wet winter we've had, but on the whole quite acceptable. The air is sweet. The daphne and a potted camellia are in bloom and the earliest daffodils are flowering, but I think a lot of plants are hanging back waiting for sun and warmer temperatures. We're all impatient, but still, it's spring. We're supposed to get another wave of cold in April and then I hope we'll be done. And to all the rest of you, I wish you a quick return of good weather!!!
Melissa