A month ago, I thought I might break the record for earliest lawn mowing. The green lawn was showing signs of bolting and I figured it would only be a matter of time before I was back on the seat of the mower.
But although there have been a few warm days this month, temperatures generally have been more seasonable and our grass has stayed pretty short. My husband, Brian, mowed a couple of lawns this week, but we've mowed in late April before, so that's not really out of the ordinary.
Another thing the cool temperatures have put the brakes on is the trees leafing out. We have some underbrush in the woods behind our house that have little leaves on it, but the older trees still are pretty bare. Meanwhile, the tree outside the Herald window that had buds that looked like they were going to burst into leaves in March still looks the same.
A couple of plants that continue to grow, despite the cooler weather, are the tulips and hyacinth in front of our house. (Part of the reason might be that a lot of heat escapes our 100-year-old house through the foundation, so they are getting a little boost in heat units.) A few have started to bloom and others are about to open any day.
Freeze damage
ADVERTISEMENT
While I'm not concerned about the plants that are bulbs, because I know they can take some cold temperatures, I am a little worried about the lilac bushes. Some of the tiny buds that appeared in mid-month are looking a little worse for wear. They're black and shriveled up, which does not bode well for their potential for blooming later.
I am hoping that not all of the lilac buds were out and that the freezing temperatures will stay away when they appear. If not, our lilac hedge will be green but lack the purple blossoms I love to look at and inhale the aroma of when I go outside.
Because I enjoyed, but didn't trust, the unseasonably warm weather this winter and early spring, I held off planting anything in the garden. I know I could have planted some of the cool weather crops such as potatoes, peas and onions earlier this month, but didn't see any reason to do that. I knew they wouldn't come up, anyway, because the soil is too cold, so figured I'd wait.
Brian cultivated the garden last weekend, so it is ready to be planted when I am. Now that it is almost May, I am comfortable putting in the cool season crops. I won't plant tender plants such as melons, beans and tomatoes until after Memorial Day.
It's tempting to jump the gun when the weather is warm, but I know that instead of resulting in an early harvest, it more often ends up in an extra trip to the garden center for replacement plants. While I love visiting our area greenhouses, I'd rather buy something new from them, not something that I have to replace because I jumped the gun.
Reach Bailey at (701) 787-6753; (800) 477-6572, ext. 753; or send e-mail to abailey@gfherald.com .
