Thursday, May 18, 2017

Spring?

Maybe?

Finally?

These weren't blooming a week ago, but apparently Mother Nature has decided she's tired of endless March and has gone straight to July.  It's 90 today, and 2 days ago, it was 40.  Go figure.

One part of my landscaping that might not have survived all the weather-induced drama is my young street tree.  You'll note the leafless shadow on the sidewalk.  It had begun to bud and we got one last, hard frost and all the leaf buds turned black and fell off.  Now it just looks sad.

Maybe it'll come back.  And one thing I've learned in all my years of gardening is that there's no point in crying over a dead plant (or tree).  It's just an opportunity to try planting something new.

Happy spring, everyone.  Hopefully you haven't gone from shivering to sweating in the space of a few days.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

On your tree, I counsel patience. All deciduous trees start the Spring with at least 2 sets of buds, just in case we get a late freeze. Most mature trees start with 3 sets. If you don't get rain, water it well and deeply at least once a week (but don't fertilize.) If it doesn't bud out in 3-4 weeks, it's probably gone. Also, trees should be watered in the Fall until the ground begins to freeze if there is no rain - our tendency as gardeners is to ignore them once the leaves begin to fall. Especially true for young trees or those in tough places (like boulevards, where they usually don't have an ideal site.) Happy gardening! Spring in Minnesota has been cold and wet with occasional nice days to tease us. We probably will be pushing it to put our tomatoes in the ground on Memorial Day (Mothers' Day is typical.)