I have daffodils, muscari, frittalaria, etc. that are all about six inches high! I have larkspur plants that are probably six to seven inches high!!!!! Ridiculous. I miss the winter- of course it is nice to have a mild day now and then, but this is just wrong.
I also don't know what to do about my winter sowing- should I go ahead and direct sow things like larkspur and poppies? Usually I would wait, but if it stays this warm, it will be in the 70s in March!!

That's why I gave up on winter sowing a couple years ago, 3orangeboys. We have had very mild winters ( even by TX standards) for the last few years and I've found it easier and just as efficient to direct sow seeds into my flower beds.

In fact, some things have not even gone into dormancy. Dandelions are in bloom, grrrrrrrrrr! I've noticed new leaf growth on my mums,petunias and roses. Poppies and sweet peas are growing like crazy, along with my irises and daylilies.

I'm not sure what is going to happen to gardens in the colder climates in regards to bulbs. It should be interesting to see what happens with our weather patterns over the next few weeks.

Marilyn

I've had this experience of long growth on bulbs in previous warm years and they ended up blooming as usual in my Z5 garden. Who knows what's going to happen this year if we don't get winter weather soon.

Keeping my fingers crossed for us all . . .

Patti

That is really interesting Marilyn. I think I am going to go ahead and direct sow my poppies and larkspur. They might as well be in the ground at this point. Sorry about your dandelions, but sweet peas arer pretty exciting!! :)
My clematis has blooms on it!!

Flowered corners,

My memory is failing me on the exact year, but we've had an El Niño winter like this in the last 10 years. Here's what happened: Warm Jan-Feb temps, regular Mar & April temps. And that is what the NOAA is forecasting for this year. I think the website is NOAA.org or maybe NOAA.gov. As I remember the map, the closer you are to Minneapolis, the weirder your winter will be.

Last El Nino, we had 2 nights of 12 degree temperatures in early to mid-April, which is very common here, but because the season was so far advanced, so VERY far advanced, a number of things got hit hard. The early daffodils, muscari et al, crosuses, hyacinths and tulips had already bloomed fine, the mid season ones got frozen out BIG TIME, and the late season ones bloomed as if nothing bad had happened. The magnolias got frozen back while they were in bloom, and so maybe did some other blooming shrubs.

Long-term, all bulbs were fine; even ones that were in full foliage and/or bloom. Daffodils with stems & or leaves longer than 6" were ruined and those lower than 4" were fine. (the ones between 4-6 inches were just sort of "iffy". I think if I had raked leaves over the 6 and 7 inch stems I could have saved some.

The bulb foliage, flowers & stems for the year turned to mush and had to be hand-pulled off so it/they didn't rot. (This then turns into a black sooty mold called fire or soot or something evocative and can transfer to other plants.)

Larkspur & carnations will both be fine. The little seedlings in my experience, not with wintersowing, but gardening, can take much more cold than a full-grown plant. Other people I know have said this, too, but only on plants that usually come up early -- not Cosmos & Zinnias! Hold off on those.

Lime

Lime, the El Nino you refer to was the winter of 97/98. For various reasons, I remember it, but it was very much like this season. I wasn't gardening yet, but I remember that freeze in April. My dad passed away on 3/30/98 mowing the lawn! That's how warm it had been; he'd been mowing since the end of February!
As far as winter sowing annuals; we don't usually start them until March anyway, but I agree about the Larkspur; maybe you could do half and half; winter sow half your seeds, and direct sow the other half - just in case. I haven't even begun to winter sow the seeds I saved because I didn't feel it was cold enough ... not sure what I'm going to do. Stacey

Here on the West Coast, the ground doesn't freeze in the winter and bulbs come thru fine. Peonies too. But I have noticed that if the winter is not cold enough, the lilacs don't amount to much.

I have chives tall enough to cut and use......they think it is april....

It is freaky but I think the bulbs will be fine. At least here in z6 New England. I have forced bulbs and I think that all the conditions necessary for this are being met. I think if it is 40ish in general for a good period that all is fine. Being from New England I also fully expect to be slapped in the face by winter right after the long range forecast. Which means after a week from now. Mabye if I put the snow shovels and salt back in the shed this will have a better chance of happening.

I have lived in piedmont NC for 35 years and have never seen new leaf growth on rosebushes in January before this year. It was colder here in November than it has been since. The daffodils don't mind low chilling but I don't know if the tulips will be back.