Gee, I hate to be a pessimist, or the bearer of bad tidings, but we’ve had such a mild winter that the other garden shoe is just going to have to drop.
They’re coming, my friends – Blackberry Winter and Dogwood Winter.
Yes, in the South, when the blackberries bloom on the side of the road, you can bet there will be one more cold snap. Hopefully it won’t be bad enough to send the peach and apple blossoms into retreat. When the dogwoods begin to bloom, it’s the same.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve already been to the garden center and gawked over the enormous array of flower and vegetable seeds. I’ve ooohed and aaahed over the variety of sunflowers and zinnias, and scoped out the amazing display of vegetable seeds. I know exactly where I’m going to put the rows.
But for now, I’m putting the brakes on. I could be optimistic and say that my little seedlings will survive the snap, but I think I’ll err on the side of caution. After all, I cannot forget when the “Blizzard of ’93” flattened my daffodils under three feet of heavy snow in mid-March.
Be still, Spring urges, for just a little while longer. Just as nature delivers those inevitable chilly days, it will soon deliver the sun, and with it my optimism.
Don't know where you live, but it's already spring here. Yes, there is dogwood winter. My dogwoods have already bloomed and done. Blackberry winter which usually isn't until kind of late April here. Planning to plant on Good Friday here.
Interesting. Our blackberry bushes are doing great so far. I wonder if that tiding holds for tamer bushes...
