the actual bloom is ephemeral ... short lived .. some years.. you just lose them ... so be it .. its what we deal with in the colder north ... it should have no impact on the plant itself ... and it will bloom next year ... sometimes.. i used to cut a few pieces.. to bring in to enjoy. for a few days in the house ... up close and personal ... ken ps: .. oh berries ... you will have to wait and see .. if the flowers were germinated... you might still get the berries ... who knows...

As cold as it is, it may be hard to believe, but the days are getting longer and spring is coming. Just last thursday, we saw the local bald eagles courting already. They jump the gun and start laying their eggs before the end of January, but that works for them. Both of the last two years they fledged all three of their hatchlings. Of course it is still bitter cold, but the increase in daylight is starting to help.

Nice to see your spring blossoms opening.

Layers, check. Yes I've been watching the forecast and waiting impatiently for today, I will finally be planting cucumber seeds. Regarding tomato plants, this may be of interest to some here. Back in the Seattle metro I always pushed the limits and bucked the local recommendations by planting my tomatoes on April 30 (my birthday) and always had amazing tomato crops, no troubles, ever. So I did the same thing here in the west valley. How has it turned out so far? Well, the May weather was much colder than anything I ever experienced in Washington, many nights in the low 30's, many more nights in the low forties, and many days barely above 50F. Sungold has shrugged all of it off and tripled in size, just incredible growth considering the weather, and flowering too. Prudens Purple has grown modestly and seems to be quite happy, there are flower buds present. Bush Goliath however has really struggled, immediately turned from green to a purplish brown hue when planted out and has barely grown at all. It is just now starting to green up again. Maters are definitely not all created equal!