I don't know about the NE, but I think I might have solved the question of where the cold air from the poles went. I think it went to Iowa. Snow today, I am still dressed in my winter coat and hat. Give me a break and pass the Zoloft, please.

The buds on the rugosas have started to swell, perhaps there is hope for an outstanding spring flush sometime. Right on Harry, thanks for keeping our eye on the prize.

Foghorn

Harry, anytime my years are bumping along like that and I see swollen buds early, beautiful canes, strong plants with no canker, I know there is a freeze looming that has escaped the weatherman's radar (much escapes our weatherman, so much that he retired secondary to the weather not agreeing with him).

My roses are loving this weather. They are all leafing out nicely and some even have new basal breaks. I hope and pray we do not get a freeze, I have bareroots expected this week and have the holes all ready to just plop them in. I check the weather everyday for the month by going to weather.com (link below). Just type in your zip code at the top, then go to "10 day", or "Month". It is pretty accurate and has been right on for my area so far. I especially like the "Radar Link" when we are expecting storms.

I believe the roses like it a little cool. We are expecting 50's during the days and in the 40's at night for the next week or so, and thats great weather for the roses to start coming alive, I think.

Here is a link that might be useful: Weather Web Site

This is a good spring.
Last year we had unusually warm temps in March. So much so that our roses were leafed out by this time, then got caught in the April freeze. This year the average daily temps are slowly creeping up. My lawn suddenly turned green over the weekend and our average daily temp is only in the uppers 30s/low 40s. Spring is coming and plants are waking up normally like they should.
If a sudden freeze shows up like last year the still dormant plants will handle it better with less damage.
The farther we get into April, the less chance we'll experience any damaging freeze.
We have become so accustomed to unusually warm early springs, a normal one seems abnormal.

Yes, this has been a temperate winter and spring. I am enjoying it. I just wish the rain and super cold days would occur during the week. Some Sat. & Sun have been so windy and cold, my time in the garden was limited due to frozen fingers. Well, weather, as we know, is never perfect. I think Karl is right. If all this holds, we are likely to have a wonderful spring flush.

Farmers Almanac says the next two months will be in the 50s for April and 60s for May. Lets hope they are right.

Barbara

IF my grandfather was teaching almanac classes and he was pretty good at this, as he came from one of those old Virginia families of planters he would tell you that after this year and early spring, we will start back in the other direction, gradually having colder years than this and then in 50 or so years, they will return warm again. He believed in this 50-year thing of warm weather, cool weather: sort of the ice-age to global-warming and back again.

I don't know about the NE, but I think I might have solved the question of where the cold air from the poles went. I think it went to Iowa. Snow today, I am still dressed in my winter coat and hat. Give me a break and pass the Zoloft, please.
* * *
We are also having Arctic Issues here. Light snows and heavy frosts. I haven't tried Zoloft but am test-driving Celexa.

Talking about weather could also indicate a strong Canadian influence.

I think Karl and Barbara share my feelings. Although we all rejoice when its 75 on March 10th, its probably better that it was 45. Logic suggests that this gradual transition to spring reduces problems and makes for stronger plants.

Of course, it did spike to 70 degrees yesterday. We just skipped the 50's and 60's! But it was rainy so it doesn't count. We start the 50's today.

I'm still enthused about the spring flush.

Well, crap, Harry, you are getting what should be southern weather. We were told it would be 75 at noon on Monday and it never reached 50. See what I mean about weather not agreeing with the weatherman.

I think weather likes to MOCK the weatherman.

Same here, cooler wetter early spring. I only have the hint of buds on my roses where last year I had blooms in mid-march. But as I said to my neighbor last night, this is better. It's better to wait a few weeks then get zapped by a late frost.

It's supposed to be in the 70s all this week so I bet I'll have some blooms soon.

Amazing how that one warm rainy day popped some green from those little red pointers. Hopefully, we can avoid the erratic weather.

April 3rd, 29 degrees this morning. That ain't right. And watch, come May 1, 85 degrees.

No complaints from me on weather this morning. We have had 1.5 inches rain over 24 hours, slowly, but steadily it came. I have not seen rain like this in so long that I had forgotten and I want it to come back soon. I don't want it to stay away so long.

harryshoe: I live in NJ (central/Northern) and we have had the same weather that you describe, and I can see the buds on the roses. I am SO excited to unwrap them and start adding compost! I put burlap around them for the winter - not for cold protection but DEER protection. I am afraid to unwrap them since I haven't installed the auto sprinklers that scare the beasts away. They freeze up at night. But this weekend I am taking the plunge!!!

Well, Harry, you are lucky to consider this winter warm. We normally get 5 or 6 days in March where the daytime temps get to 50 or more degrees; this year we only had one day like that in March. Bummer!

This year seemed much colder than the previous 2 years. Brrr, I'm tired of being cold. Maybe it's an age thing. :-)