Worst spring in memory!

[Beng]

Seriously this spring is horrid. Temps can't break 70 these days and many nights are still below 50. Another cold front is heading towards us and the middle of the cohntry will be well below freezing again. A little more then a month ago everything leafed out after several days of 80-90 degree temps. Now it's been a month of temps between 35 and 65 and my boxwood that had gone a rich green thinks its autumn and is turning its fall color again as did my silverberry and growth flushes are more or less slowing down.... I really hope warm weather gets here soon so my trees will stop sulking and start growing! Jealous of all of you down south out of this weird blocked cold air pattern.

 

[Tieball]

The bud...the bud...

Seriously this spring is horrid. Temps can't break 70 these days and many nights are still below 50.

I have trees with buds still dormant. A few trees are just trying to "green-up" the buds. Very slow start to spring here in MI with low temps also. This week is a little warmer though so I am hoping for some ground warmth to stimulate the trees. I'm not sure how long it takes to get a tree moved to juice-up the buds.

 

[Beng]

I have trees with buds still dormant. A few trees are just trying to "green-up" the buds. Very slow start to spring here in MI with low temps also. This week is a little warmer though so I am hoping for some ground warmth to stimulate the trees. I'm not sure how long it takes to get a tree moved to juice-up the buds.

About a week of real warm temps will have most trees pushing buds/growth. I still have a Korean hornbeam "half leafed out" and one or two other trees half or partially out. You have it worse then us. I wonder if this will be a new spring trend.

 

[october]

Not sure if we even broke 70 here yet. Even though the days are in the low to mid 60's, the nights are upper 30s to low 40's.

Rob

 

[coh]

We're finally in the "right" spot here in western NY. Last 4 days have had highs of 67, 76, 66, 74 and the next 7-10 days are forecast to be well into the 70s with lots of sun. So everything is growing strongly...just have to hope we don't have a late freeze in the future. Overall, a really crazy "spring".

Chris

 

[Beng]

We're finally in the "right" spot here in western NY. Last 4 days have had highs of 67, 76, 66, 74 and the next 7-10 days are forecast to be well into the 70s with lots of sun. So everything is growing strongly...just have to hope we don't have a late freeze in the future. Overall, a really crazy "spring".

Chris

Depends which forecast you check a few of the stations here are saying we're gonna drop to around 40 thurs - sun. Hoping for the warmer temps though.

 

[Poink88]

Depends which forecast you check a few of the stations here are saying we're gonna drop to around 40 thurs - sun. Hoping for the warmer temps though.

I am afraid it will be the lower. We are expecting 43 & 45 for lows come Thursday and Friday...I am assuming you will be colder.

 

[milehigh_7]

It has been ideal here... my trident, elms, oaks and vitex have put on well more than a foot of new growth.

 

[Beng]

It's called a Greenland block (high pressure) that pushes cold air from Canada and Alaska downward into the US. It's only affecting the upper half of the nation now. Earlier this spring it was hitting everyone which was when it snowed in tuscon arizona.

 

[Emrys]

As a newbee I've been wondering if the slow growth was due to my recently collected trees being in bad shape. Might be a bit of both weather and recovery.

I am seeing high 50s to high 60s for daytime temps in the coming 10 day forecast.

 

[Beng]

As a newbee I've been wondering if the slow growth was due to my recently collected trees being in bad shape. Might be a bit of both weather and recovery.

I am seeing high 50s to high 60s for daytime temps in the coming 10 day forecast.

Don't worry mine are the same here in Brooklyn. They're all green but since almost every other day has been clouds or rain they're not getting the sun and warm temps they need with the colder 40 degree nights to really take off. Once the nights are consistently around 50 and we get a good solid week of sun everything will pick back up. Unfortunately I don't see that in the coming forecast yet.... Tomorrows sunny, thursday clouds, Friday-Sunday look sunny then we're forecast for a solid week of rain and thunderstorms but when are they ever right that far out anyway...

 

[Emrys]

Here are the buds on my Chinese Elm that I collected this past fall.




I'm hoping it pulls through.

 

[Beng]

Here are the buds on my Chinese Elm that I collected this past fall.


View attachment 35132View attachment 35133View attachment 35134

I'm hoping it pulls through.

Well it's loaded with buds, looks healthy enough. Is it in full shade, if so move it to more sun and it should leaf out soon?

 

[aidan13]

Don't be too jealous of us down here below the mason dixon. It's still pretty miserable here as well. It should be consistently in the low to mid 80's by now, yet it's barely managed to hover around 70 for the past few weeks.

 

[evmibo]

It has been ideal here... my trident, elms, oaks and vitex have put on well more than a foot of new growth.

Yup, hot and humid down here. Rain in the forecast this week. Should have heavy heat followed by afternoon showers for some time now! Grow grow grow

 

[Paradox]

Its been slow to warm up here compared to last year but according to the weather man, April was just where it was supposed to be as far as average highs and lows. We havent hit 70 here yet either, but Im not really looking forward to 85+ days and high humidity so this is just fine by me.

The normal size Japanese maple in my yard is starting to leaf out. The ones in pots have been fully leafed out for a couple of weeks but they spent the winter in the garage and it got warmer in there faster. The boxwoods also have new baby leaves on them.

My mugos and scots pines in pots are starting to extend their candles. I noticed today that my JWP is finally starting to show signs of life with its buds swelling (I was getting worried).

The junipers arent really starting to get buds swelling yet. The one that I have that changes color in the winter (turns purple) is losing that color and getting more green again.

Its slower this year but its definitely happening.

 

[William N. Valavanis]

Don't complain about the weather!

There is nothing you can do about it, just live with it and work around the temperatures. There is nothing wrong with deciduous species which have not leafed out. Actually, they are quite attractive just leafing out or even with large, plump swollen buds.

Although this spring has been cooler than normal, it is ideal for bonsai as it allows more time for transplanting. The cool weather has delayed the leafing out of many species which is GOOD because there is less chance for them to be damaged by a late spring frost.

In the Rochester, New York area our "Official" last spring frost date is May 15, however, seasoned gardeners wait until May 1st to plant tender plants outside.

I'll take anything above 35F right now, and pray it does not get that low until about November.

Bill

 

[Beng]

Don't complain about the weather!

There is nothing you can do about it, just live with it and work around the temperatures. There is nothing wrong with deciduous species which have not leafed out. Actually, they are quite attractive just leafing out or even with large, plump swollen buds.

Although this spring has been cooler than normal, it is ideal for bonsai as it allows more time for transplanting. The cool weather has delayed the leafing out of many species which is GOOD because there is less chance for them to be damaged by a late spring frost.

In the Rochester, New York area our "Official" last spring frost date is May 15, however, seasoned gardeners wait until May 1st to plant tender plants outside.

I'll take anything above 35F right now, and pray it does not get that low until about November.

Bill

True if I had lots of trees left to repot it would be a blessing.

 

[jk_lewis]

Jealous of all of you down south out of this weird blocked cold air pattern.

It's been odd down here, too. We're looking at lows in the low 40s late this and next week, and had upper 30s last week. My two willow-leaf figs are still outside, and will NOT come back in (tough love!). The Satsuki should have started blooming here a week or two ago. I just have one that has a bud or two showing any color. A couple of my hackberry are just starting to leaf out.

But yes. Better this than 95 degree heat and 80% humidity that we'll get in August.

 

[Don Blackmond]

This is the BEST spring I can remember in quite awhile. Cool temps without significant erratic swings -- no major peaks and valleys. Spring is easily a month behind typical schedule. We hit 80 yesterday for the first time. Last year it was in the 80's in February! This year it's been cool during the day with night temps in the mid 30's and 40's. That's Utopia for bonsai folks. No baking and freezing cycle like last year.

I'll take a long, steady cold Spring any time.