Spring fever already...

*sigh*

I step outside to get the mail this afternoon and the thermostat reads 52 degrees. It isn't fair! It's only the very end of January and we have at least a couple more months of chilly weather to deal with. I guess I'll start some seeds to tide me over.

My early spring bulbs are totally confused. The iris, crocus & snow drops usually start peeking their green heads up at the end of February but with our unseasonably warm winter they are starting to come up now. If we get an artic snap (a highly likely scenario) they will be toast!

I still have a fair bit of snow cover in my east-facing front yard, so none of my bulbs (daffs and tulips) have given any consideration to emerging yet, for which I'm grateful!

As I understand it, bulbs may not flower as well if the buds get nipped by a cold snap, but at least the cold shouldn't effect the health of the bulb over the long term. Still, it's always disappointing to end up seeing fewer flowers. Let's hope the weather stays...reasonable and seasonable.

Hi Kaylyred. Yep 53 yesterday by 2pm and 80 in my sun room. Now its grey and cloudy and in the upper 30's with only a high of 44. I sure hope Mother Nature knows what she is doing.

My beds have pretty much snow cover yet but with the next 3 days in the 40's and the weekend upper 30's and rain, the snow will pretty much be gone. Haven't seen any signs of bulbs coming up but then again I haven't been really looking either. I still have the leaf cover on most.

But it is only 6 weeks ad 6 days till Spring, so have been doing seed orders and plant orders. Got lights all set up now just need to get busy and actually start my seeds. I can wait a couple weeks for that though.

Have a pkg of Echinacea and Rudbeckia and one other that I could be wintering sowing. They need that cold treatment have even done that yet. Can you say Lazy? this year?

very little snow left here at all good thing I bought gas for the snow blower this year lol to bad I cant turn it into a tiller for spring so I can use it

Almost all of the snow gone here although gray and cloudy today. Phenomenal that overnight temps are above freezing. We've used the snow blower only once so far and I've shoveled twice. Pruned Clematis yesterday just to be outside.

My husband bought a new snow blower back in October. He's used it maybe twice now? My bil is not happy as he supplements his income with snow plowing and my other bil, two brothers and a son are not happy as they love to snowmobile. Son called me yesterday morning yelling at me for the warmer temperatures. I do not like Wisconsin winters but this is where I got plunked by in the 60's and this is what I am used to.

We'll get our winter yet. Just hope it isn't in April or heaven forbid in May like it did in 1989.

Shhhhhh!

Yeah right We need maybe a couple days with new snow, nothing to be concerned with and then maybe a few days of average temps so that when spring actually comes and then April we have an absolutely lovely spring and summer........................................ I know wishes don't always come true.

Global warming? When I first moved to Wisconsin, there were nights of 34 below, 3 week stretches in Jan when it never got above freezing. I remember 3 nights in a row of minus 28. I suppose I thougth all that was normal. Now? Not even a minus temp so far this winter. If this keeps up, land and house prices will go up as people change their minds about living around here. Old saying was: good thing the weather is so poor here or everyone would want to live here.

I think I don't mind the cold so much as I do the lack of sun. All of the brown, taupe and gray gets to me after a couple of months.

SAD but true.

You know you're right about the global warming though. The USDA Hardiness Zone map was updated just recently sending me from 5a to 5b. Not that big of a change considering but I know a few people down Tennessee way where they jumped a whole zone. http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/InteractiveMap.aspx#// Check it out with your zip codes, you may be pleasantly surprise also.

Wonder if the rodent saw he shadow lol

Hey, I went from 4B to 5A. I need to run outside and tell all the plants.

DD in MI is now a 6B. She was a 7A south of Nashville, TN. Those colors are kinda hard to differentiate (or my eyes are just plain old).

I agree, I cannot look at the chart/legend and find the right answer, but it says: click on your map and the answer will appear. It is magic.

This message was edited Feb 2, 2012 3:37 PM

Isn't that AWESOME

Still 5a here as far as zones go. Only difference is that I used to be on the fringe of 5a, and now I'm comfortably in 5a. I don't think my plants care one way or another.

Do you mean they have a mind of their own and do not listen to the USDA?

Oh I was so wrong. It is 7 weeks till Spring not 6. Its the cloudy days fault. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

gasrocks - Yep, that's it exactly. ;)

I heard a robin this past weekend. A robin in February! What the heck could they be eating? The ground is still frozen. I worry about the little guys.

Robins will switch from bugs to berries and such. There are some Robins that spend the winter here.

Sp true. I am going out and prune a Maple tree that is bad need of it. Its that nice out today............

Really, gasrocks? I've never seen (or heard, in this case) one this early in the year. I did figure they must have an alternate food source, though. Learn something new every day!

On the subject of the recent changes in the zone map here, there was a story on NPR(?) yesteday about that. Not an indication of globabl warming they insisted. USDA has just used better computers and more data to refine their measurments. Things like taking lakes into the equation, things they did not do before. That is the reason for the changes, just better data.

KaylyRed, Yes there some robins that stay here all year 'round. They will eat berries left on trees and shrubs. You can also purchase mealy worms and put them in your bird feeder. Those birds are ones from farther north, migrate down here to a food source and stay. My son was out walking last week and heard several robins.The birds are territorial and the first one back gets the best spot for breeding. That's what it's all about. cll

Boy, I gonna have to put flea/tick collars on my cats - in FEB.

Crocus and snowdrop foliage popping up here. Went to MI for a couple of days where it was cold and blustery compared to here. Haven't been outside yet to check on daffodil foliage yet. Seed-starting this week for a couple of herbs and the slow-growing Browallia so I'm happy.

I walked around the yard today/. My lilacs, my hydrangeas, and my mock orange all started budding out. Last night into this morning we had a hard frost. When I woke up I thought it snowed but it was frost. My Weeping Cherry started as well. Does this mean no flowers for me this year on the weeping cherry and lilacs? I will be really p%&^$I^J if that happens. Believe me.

Interesting article http://tinyurl.com/6vhohtx

yes very interesting thank you for sharing that. I feel a tad bit better about my shrubs now. Haven't seen anything of tulips or daffs but then again all my beds are covered in leaves since about Nov. So they should maybe be okay..........

It's frosty here this morning and in the 20's. That should remind the bulbs that it's still winter. We are supposed to get rain this week though and I hope that won't get the bulbs pushing through again. Hmm - might be able to bring in forsythia a little earlier to force into bloom.

Like minds think alike. I was just staring out the back window thinking hmmm maybe I'll go out and get some forsythia to force. Then looked at the thermometer on the tree and changed my mind. Maybe later when it gets to 40 I'll go out back and snag a couple.

I agree with you there. It's a bit breezy here which makes it feel even colder. Guess I'll have to occupy myself this morning with house chores.

Finally got to work outdoors yesterday uncovering emerging bulbs from their blanket of fall leaves. While it was waaay too windy to do a proper leaf and branch cleanup, I did get a lot cleared. Snowdrops, crocus and hellebores are blooming. Seems like the daffodils emerged 2 inches more overnight.

Haven't even attempted it yet, Yesterday was warm 64 but just way too windy. Got down in the lower 30's last night and even with the sun out it is only 37 now. Maybe tomorrow I can get out there and then over the weekend.

It was windy yesterday but I used it to my advantage to form piles of leaves to be carted away and hopefully shredded. Most of them blew along the fence so I didn't have to chase them all over the yard. It is supposed to get chilly here tonight which should slow down the bulbs a bit but I'll have to bring in some pots that I've been setting outside. I'm indoors for the next couple of days anyway but it should be nice starting Sunday when I've recovered from my first outdoor physical labor efforts. :)

I'm seeing that it's supposed to be sunny and in the 60s Tuesday next week, if the pattern holds. I'm thinking that'll probably be my day to get out and do some cleaning up. Although I've had the flu, and the cough seems to be the last thing to go away. I hope I have the energy for it by next week.

Sorry to hear that you've been sick. So much going around currently. Hope you do feel better for next week's nice weather.