As gardeners, we often get obsessed about the weather. It is too hot, too cold, too wet or too dry. Much as for Goldilocks, it is never "just right." And that is in an average season, and this year, it has been anything but average.
It is hard to know what season we are in these days. We seem to be bouncing back and forth between spring and winter. If you think it is
hard on people, think about how confused our plants are!
Arkansas is known for fluctuations, but this year's roller-coaster is a loop-de-loop. So far, the coldest part of our "winter" was in November with record low temperatures set in Central Arkansas and only the second time in recorded history that the year's lowest temperature was in November.
According to records at the National Weather Service, November 2019 was the third coldest November since records were started, but things were really strange already in October. We had a record high of 95 degrees Oct. 2, then dropped to a record low of 37 on Oct. 12, a 58-degree difference in 10 days. There was an early killing frost, on Oct. 31.
The year's lowest temperature was 17 degrees on Nov. 17, but it didn't get above 34 degrees Nov. 12. Everyone was braced for a doozy of a winter, and then December was mild, with highs in the upper 60s to low 70s.
January has continued mild, with intermittent days in the 30s followed by highs in the upper 60s and low 70s. While this data is for Central Arkansas, it is just slightly different for the southern and northern tiers of the state, with spring apparently coming early statewide.
In addition to temperature extremes, we have also had more rainfall than average. While we went five months with a deficit, seven months experienced a surplus, which brought total rainfall for 2019 to 60.46 inches — almost 10 inches more than the average of 51 inches per year.
Weather data is not reported by season but by calendar year. January starts the record anew, and let's keep in mind that it is just mid-January and spring doesn't officially start until mid-March.
Forecasters keep saying that we are in for a mild winter in our part of the country, but this is not a guarantee. While spring seems to be springing up early, it is still advisable to rein in the urge to move too quickly into springtime garden tasks. The old adage "better safe than sorry" applies. It would be great if we had a crystal ball that was 100% accurate, but we don't.
PUT DOWN THE SHEARS
Plants are confused.
We did see some damage to plants in November when the cold snap threw them into dormancy before they had prepared. Reports across the state showed burned foliage on everything from azaleas and camellias to rosemary and Asiatic and Confederate jasmine. Gardeners have been advised to leave the damaged foliage in place until spring arrives in late February to early March, to be a buffer should additional cold weather head our way. But some gardeners have started pruning out damaged leaves because new foliage is beginning to appear, with some spring bloomers already flowering.
Even early daffodils are blooming, with some later varieties showing color, and blooms are appearing on azaleas, Japonica camellias, flowering quince and loropetalum.
We can't stop plants once they start growing, so we just need to enjoy the early color and pay close attention to the forecast. If frost is forecast, covering plants that have started blooming will give you a few degrees of protection, but if we have cold weather for extended periods, we will see more damage.
WHAT TO DO
If you can, just do general maintenance in the garden — raking up leaves, pulling weeds and fertilizing winter annuals.
Some gardeners have started pruning roses, crape myrtles and butterfly bushes because new growth has started on roses, butterfly bushes (buddleia) and other deciduous plants. Note that pruning hastens new growth. But crape myrtles are typically the last plant to start growing, so they are definitely still dormant. They are not ready to grow.
Like them, many summer-blooming plants bloom on new growth. Roses and butterfly bushes do require annual pruning to bloom best. But hold off on pruning until at least early February. Mid-February would be better.
Mid-February is still the ideal time to prune summer-blooming shrubs and trees. If we get no more cold weather and plants continue on their early march into spring, you might have to cut off a few flowers to get the shrubs shaped up, but you won't lose new growth to cold damage, which could happen with early pruning.
If you prune all your summer-flowering plants now, and the forecasters are wrong and we get a cold snap, you will have to prune even more. Tender new growth is more susceptible to cold.
And of course, spring-blooming shrubs should be pruned after spring flowering is totally over.
WINTER ANNUALS THRIVING
Other than a small setback in November, winter annuals have been growing well. If you didn't plant any, you can plant now. They should bloom through May.
Fertilize winter annuals lightly on a mild day at least once or twice a month, to keep them growing. But that is because winter is their time to grow. We don't spur on new growth any faster than it already is growing: so no fertilization on any shrubs or perennials in the garden.
If your spring bulbs bloom early, again, enjoy them. Allow the foliage to grow unchecked for 6-8 weeks after bloom.
Daylilies have started emerging along with some other perennials. Hellebores (Lenten roses) are blooming earlier, too, and we can hope they will have a long and productive flowering season.
COOL WEATHER VEGETABLES
You can start planting in the vegetable garden. We can plant English peas, snow peas and spinach. Soon, garden centers will receive transplants of cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. Onion sets will follow.
If your soil is workable, start planting, but still pay attention to the weather. If cold weather hits, it is easy to cover your vegetables with an overturned flowerpot, cardboard box or more elaborate equipment.
Many gardeners who planted a fall garden had a few vegetable plants with leaves that were nipped back by the early cold snap. Most vegetables rebounded and are growing strong, but a few died out. They can be replaced.
However, if you see tomatoes, peppers and basil this early, avoid them like the plague — unless you have a greenhouse. Those warm-season vegetables should not go into our gardens until April.
So, regardless of the weather, pay attention to the calendar. Enjoy sunny, mild days, but don't rush your normal spring gardening chores.
Read Janet Carson's blog at arkansasonline.com/planitjanet.
HomeStyle on 01/18/2020