Last frost date here averages around the last week of April. Have had frost as late as May 20 in the 22 years I've been here.

tj

Depends on how you define "spring"! I've seen Larix gmelinii already leafing out here in late December; last pines to leaf out do so in early June (last frost date is also usually somewhere around then). You could select almost any date between those two.

Resin

Hi. Difficult question to answer,as this can vary from year to year.Sometimes we get the impression that spring has arrived in february,when the almonds flower and we get a lot of sunshine.But the sting is often in the tail,and late frost are quite common.This was the case in 2008 when all the peaches and apricots were flowering.No fruit...no jam... I start moving tender plants outdoors as from may 1st. T.

My first signs of spring usually occur sometime between late January and mid February here with the blooming of Witch-hazel (Hamamelis sps.) and the leafing out of my odd ball Japanese Quince (Chaenomeles japonica). But the rest of the plants don't start until early to mid March when the Crocus start blooming, quickly followed by Daffodils, Forsythia, and others. Last average frost date though isn't until around April 8 and the latest frost recorded here was April 29.

ground thaws around 4/1 .. but still subject to deep snow.. which melts pretty fast ..

crocus.. probably.. by late april ...

hosta pips by mid to late may ...

all conifers budded out by same ...

hard frost possible thru 5/25 .... but odds are.. done by 5/15, or so ...

move all trees/conifers from the moment the ground thaws thru about 4/30 .... 6 to 8 weeks before POSSIBLE hot temps ... later if you are anal about proper aftercare ...

ken

In Tennessee, "Spring" is a variable term. Inevitably it is intersperced with various "Winters" - "Dogwood Winter", "Blackberry Winter", etc. etc. So although we start warming up, the likelihood of a surprise "winter" popping in for a visit is a real one.

In general, the last frost is around the first of April - maybe a little later. However, I have crocus blooming now, and daffodils out of the ground (although now they're toast because it got down to 3 degrees F last night!). I would say Spring starts when the plants darn well think it has, and there doesn't seem to be any way to convince them otherwise! So from Feb. thru April I stand ready with blankets, bubble wrap, straw, and space heaters, just in case one of the "Winters" pops in uninvited. {{gwi:631551}}From Spring too early!

Interesting note about your bulbs. We often see many of the bulbs put up some top growth here in November, December or January, but they never bloom until much later. Some Tulip bulbs put out some foliage here back in December and still look good. It doesn't seem to phase them here when they have some foliage popping up and the weather gets cold and miserable. We had our coldest temperature in over 10 years the night before last(-4ºF) and the Tulip leaves still look alright. Who knows, maybe your bulbs will be the same and bloom normally?

When my Merrill magnolia blooms (usually mid-late April) I know spring is here. Of course, two out of three years the flowers get zapped by a hard frost. The other harbinger of spring for me is the return of bluebirds. Last year we had robins showing up in February and they suffered mightily.

Here in upper NY state, zone 5, in my yard the last snow is gone approximately April 1, crocuses start thereafter. I usually start cleanup the last week of March. The lawn needs mowing the end of April.

In the last years we had the last frost around the end of April. In the past we had the last frost around the end of May. One year a neighbor did not believe that date and had to repurchase his tomato plants twice. In the 1970s there was a large snow storm the middle of May.
Bernd

Spring typically comes here in north Texas in mid-March when majority of trees start to leaf out. This unusual Taxodium Mucronatum (Montezuma or Mexican bald cypress) start leafing in out mid-Feburary! Lawn doesn't green up completely until mid-April to early May depending how early how weather gets here. Past two years, we had snow in early April so who knows... Roses start growing in February and start blooming in late March or April (depending on which cultivars).

Of course, we have paper whites starting to bloom...which will be followed by various daffodils over the next month and a half. Daphne is getting ready to bloom, too.

Spring? I'd say March, for us. But I don't trust the overnight temps until May 1st. Then, the succulents stay out full-time.

Josh

Officially 20 March this year. Usually mow grass in mid-April when the early Magnolias bloom and early May always has the possibility of a frost, some years heavy and some years light. Two years ago we had 20°F night time temps for 4 nights running in mid-April that knocked the crap out of a lot of plants - jap maples in particular. I try and hold of doing much planting until mid-May.

Kman

"Who knows, maybe your bulbs will be the same and bloom normally?"

I think that's the problem - they think "normal" is wintertime! These guys always come up too early and the blooms get frozen or frost-bit. Some years I lose practically the entire bed (probably 500 of them!). This one is called 'Jetfire', and its classified as an "early" daffodil. That's an understatement!! Word to the wise - don't buy anything labeled 'early'. Buy the 'late' kind!

Why I am the 1st person to say this?

NOT SOON ENOUGH!!!!

It is frigg'n freezing out. I am somewhere between basic and ken. Early April, but beware and try to not plant too much too early.

Bill

The last frost averages around 3/31.

Funny Tunilla should mention almonds....no matter how dry the year it always rains when the almonds are in bloom!

Bulbs and Pussy Willow mark it here. The thing I never forget in regards to when it's safe to plant is when the Pin Oaks leaf out, that's when all is safe.

Dax

The Pin Oaks sound smart. Can we get your Pin Oaks to talk some sense to my Daffodils?! LOL!

The old rule of thumb here in KC, and it holds fairly true, is you never put out annuals till after Mothers Day.

I have seen light frosts in the 2nd week of May. Two years ago it went down to 16F. -8.89C. the 2nd week of April which pretty well did everything in that was leafed out. When trees leafed out on the second buds the growth was weird some of it being leggy and other leaf growth large. All pines lost new candles. Needless to say show & tell time in regard to garden tours was in the tank.

Dave