Record warm Spring

Well, joggers and golfers love it, skiers have been bitter all winter, but in central New York we have had record high temperatures and record lack of snow. I don't yet know how it's going to effect my garden. Snow drops, iris reticulata, crocus are in bloom and my primary concern, daylilies, seedlings and clumps are shooting up as high as six inches. Three year seedlings that might bloom if I'm lucky, but they need moving and spacing have me wondering----will it stay warm and everything will bloom early or will we get a freeze in April? Will there be Spring Sickness if we get a cold snap? I was going to try to learn an practice more propagation this year as I have clumps of daylilies, asters, helenium, (sp?) echinacea, and heaven knows what out in the brush that I can work with but I'm not yet sure at what point to dig this stuff----I remember calling a daylily place and a gal telling me she thought digging too early set them back' but I'm not certain there is a perfect time to dig. I figure if I can cull some of my crowded two year seedling rows and leave the strongest plants, they may bloom, and I am getting anxious to see these close to rosea flowers--I'm 75, how many years can I wait? Of course I had to get bow-sawing a tree off of my vain attempt at a perennial border yesterday so now I will have to hit my MD's office as I can't move-blasted foot thick stupid log! Well I have a few of the seedling roseas in photos but I just want lots of 'em.! --------------------------------------------------------Weedy

My daylilies are growing at least an inch a day or so it seems. I certainly wonder the same thing myself. I would like to move some too. If moving a whole clump and getting a lot of the dirt with it, I don't see where it would set the daylily back.

My daylilies are getting huge also. Even though I am tempted to dig and separate now, I think I will wait. In my area we can have frost til mid May, although unlikely this year, but who knows? About 3 or 4 years ago we had fast growth then a big freeze and all tops of daylilies were mushy. I had to cut leaves off and wait for more growth. As a matter of fact, that was the year several of us sellers had to ask people to wait a little longer to receive their plants because of this. So, I will wait and not move or separate.
This year sure has been a warm time of year.

Judy

I keep wondering when the colder weather is coming back. I honestly wish it would go back to normal temps for this time of year. I really don't want daylilies blooming out in the early summer. Same here with frost. We usually never plant our vegetable garden until Memorial day weekend.

Hitting some record highs here too. I love being outside when I'm not working and we know the cold weather will return. I debated whether to start some spring clean up and I went for it. If the plants are hit by frost they'll recover. I'm not sure they'd recover as well being buried with wet heavy leaves that have been there from last fall. I can see I lost several that I had in pots but that's a risk I always take when I run out of gardening space. I kind of agree with you Cindy, but after the 2010 winter with a LOT of snow, and an awful 2011 spring (we didn't get our vegetable garden planted till 4th of July), I think we deserve an early spring!

I am in the same boat here in central Iowa....temps have been hitting the 80's, and had rain last night (supposed to rain for the next couple days) and my daylilies are up a good 6-8 inches already.....even the clems are putting out shoots.... After last nights rain (it has been drought-like all winter with no or very little snow), so I swear I could hear the daylilies growing....

I am concerned also.....they are predicting temps in the high 70's again next week. I have been keeping the milk jugs in case I need to cover something, but I don't have enough of them!

Well, Here in the Pacific North West, we've turned wet, windy and cold again. Tempts have been in the 40's during the day and mid to low 30's overnight. We get some sun breaks every now and again, but the weather is miserable. I've got all kinds of plants up and growing, they started early when we we're having warmer tempts. As long as it doesn't get even colder the plants should be fine, but I've got spring fever something terrible and it's tough not being able to get out. We had a very mild winter but March has been the month with the worst weather so far. I'm hoping April will be better.

I feel for you Joy, I so want to go play in the garden but the weather has been miserable, windy, cold and snow, not a lot, but still snow. I sure hope it gets better soon.

I never thought it was too early to plant daylilies. The sooner they get in the ground, the sooner they get established, the sooner they bloom.

Freeze predicted tonight--poor apple growers lighting their smudge pots-----so we will see how bad it is in the morning. Off topic but last week we had too put our poor old cat, Chloe, to sleep. My son said we had become ridiculous when she couldn't walk and we kept her on puppy training pads and held her food in front of her so she could eat. And he was the one who came home just to pet the cat. And he was the only one who could pick her up without claws flying in all directions Ha. So we hit the animal shelter and have a rescued torti who tried to sleep on my feet all last night. Nice older kitty who is a lap cat to keep my wife company while I'm roaming the garden. We shall see later if it will be safe to let her out to hunt in the garden as we did Chloe who was death to chipmunks in her prime.-------------------------------------------------------Weedy Chloe

Weedy, I am so sorry for your loss, it is always so difficult to lose a beloved pet.

Our pets are part of the family. Sorry for your loss.

Sorry for your loss. I know it won't be long for our cat either. He has so much arthritis that he sleeps most of the day. Once he lays down, it takes him forever to get up and get moving. I don't think ours will make it through another winter.

So sorry for your loss. I don't know how I'll be when my Monty goes. Good for you for rescuing a new kitty.

I'm so sorry for your loss Weedy. I had to have one of my cats put down recently and know how hard it is to loose them. Your new torti is beautiful. Though getting a new pet doesn't replace the one lost, it sure helps to fill the hole left in your heart, doesn't it?