Carla, it was Easter but yes Easter was later last year but you can plant roses as long as the ground is not frozen. I would not think even in the most bizarre of weather patterns there would be a freeze in the southeast after Easter. I have never known of it, but that was not the first Easter when I had lived through a freeze. Of course, my life is longer than yours but as a child in the panhandle area of Florida, one Easter morning I sat in my pinnafore and Easter bonnet, all dressed for church, only to be told we were not going because the car battery was dead. How well I remember that, watching the snow fall on the azaleas, my warm nose pressed against the cold window, broke the window pane. The next day it warmed up and stayed warm until Christmas. If Almanacs are right and men did a much better job of predicting weather with the almanac then than they have done with technology, Easter would mark the last cold (likely to freeze) day of the season until Fall arrives.

Oh, I know I can plant but I'm paranoid! If I lose those hydrangea blooms again, I'm gonna be mad max.

Carla

Carla, I think it was around April 9ish. Can't remember exact date either but it was around the second week in April. I just read on the forecast for our area that there could POSSIBLY be ANOTHER frost/freeze either this coming weekend or early next week. I'm PRAYING it won't be so!!! I've always heard that about Easter too so I'm hanging on to it!! April

Easter was April 8th last year.

From my yearbook (with gardening stuff),
the night of April 6 23F
the night of April 7 18F
the night of April 8 23F
the night of April 9 30F, which really didn't matter because by then the damage was done.
The number of hours of freezing each day exceeded the hours barely above freezing.

If you go to weather underground, to your closest weather reporting station, go to almanac, and ask for those dates to compare what happended close to you to mine.

Here is a link that might be useful: Weatherunderground

Apparently it was April 6th last year. Link to one of the bigger threads covering that topic below for you Carla.

Kate

Here is a link that might be useful: Devastation in the Garden

For those of you who read and followed the threads, we never got that bad tornado last year but just a month or so ago, on a warm Sunday afternoon, the sirens started wailing and we were told we were under a tornado warning. It never came and the warnings were called off. Within 30 minutes of the warning being called off, a tornado hit my neighborhood and destroyed (can't keep up with count) but we are told more than 200 houses in the immediate vicinity, in this little bedroom community of 30,000 people, 900 businesses and residences received damage, some of which were destroyed. So, although I grieve over plants, I have lost a beloved kitty today and knowing there were so many who lost all, I am still grateful for the blessings I have.

For me it was April 7th (Saturday) and the 8th (Easter Sunday).

So a year ago today. It was supposed to be in the 70s today, but it's only 54.

And I did have some freeze damage from the cold weather a few weeks ago. I found the same type of shrivelled up buds on some roses year after the Easter freeze. But since everything is MUCH LESS leafed out this year as last year, it wasn't as bad.

Carla, I don't remember the date last year either. I don't want a repeat of last year either!!! I checked weather.com and the 10 day forcast for my town has the lowest temps at night being only 46 degrees. So if that forcast holds true I would think any more freeze danger is probably not gonna happen.

Tammy

Buford,
Thanks for the unrequested but much needed reassurance that some others, this spring, are seeing much slower growth this year.
Since I looked up the numbers, I saw today's date and had a really depressed moment.
This year, the buds just plain aren't there yet. Not even on CL Old Blush who managed to open a few sad blooms after the freeze (and from the look of the petals, they had barely survived the freeze.)
This year ....it's as if the roses got together and decided not to hazard early blooms.
In reality, it may be that we've had so many cooler and gloomier days with rain and drizzle.
The freeze WAS a three day event, bursting plant walls with abandon.

Thanks everyone.
Kate, you are so resourceful and helpful!
Ann, I'm not sure that I blame the lasting effects of the freeze to my roses here. I would maybe go more for the drought. BUT and it is a big but, my roses were not affected as drastically as other regions last year. I attribute my lack of bloom to the cooler temps. in the last couple weeks here. I do have a couple blooms but they are not on the older, more established roses.

Carla

Ann, The only buds I have are on two bands I received from Vintage a month ago. And even though I've had them outside, they buds haven't changed at all.

I am just starting to see very tiny buds form on some roses. And many of my roses still have almost all newish looking red growth.

I also don't have any leaves on my maple tree, just buds. It's just been cold, rainy and we've had no sun to speak of. Not that I'm complaining about the rain :) I also haven't pruned my butterfly bushes or crepe myrtles yet. So the slow spring is helping in that regard.

Ann, I have the odd bud or two but very few and my roses arent even completely leafed out yet! The cherry tree just started blooming and the dogwood is still thinking about it.

I got damage from that freeze two weeks ago as well but the thing that is baffling me and making me crazy is that the new growth on my roses is emerging with blackspot! I have no idea what is going on. We sprayed up until frost last year and started spraying again as soon as we pruned this year since we had such disease problems last year. I assumed it was from the stress last year. Anyone else have BS already?

Carol

Everything here is growing very slowly this spring. We've had below average temperatures for most of spring except for the weekend when we finally got a little above average into the 60s. Today we're back to below average and it's only 38F right now. It's okay though, I'd rather have a nice slow warm up this year. And it gives me time to get ready for spring - there's always so much to do!

Easter was very early this year and it will not be this early ever again, I think for the next maybe, 700 years.

I remember last year that Late Easter Frost killed all the blooms of my spring blooming spireas, lilacs and also killed a lot of buds on roses.
This year, right now, my lilacs are about one week from blooming, my spireas are just pumping up the flowering buds, and my roses have very few tiny flower buds....
Yes, it does look like lots of things are a bit slower to come to bloom this year, but I am thankful that we didn't have those nasty hard-frost nights. I am crossing my fingers :O)
Marina
PS. Last year we had a series of freezing nights, the first one was on the April 2nd (at that time we had our plums blooming, the frost took care of them), then we had temperatures at about 20F starting on the April 7th, and then for four consecutive nights. Those themps took care of our cherries, peaches and apricots (not counting roses and other decorative shrubs).
Just my 2 cents.

carol, I have tons of BS. I sprayed last weekend (it was too wet this weekend, I may spray tomorrow since I'm working from home).

I did a spray with Bayer in early December and I did lime sulfur. But I guess with the wet weather, the BS is just going rampant.

Thank you, Buford. I wondered if it was just me. I've never seen it here this early. Sigh, it's always something :-)

Carol