Where is spring? That's the lament I'm reading all over the gardening blogosphere. Here in the Twin Cities, we are in a sort of vacuum, a suspended animation. About 1.5 weeks ago, we had a day when the temperature reached 83 degrees. After that, it dropped down into the 30's and has stayed there.
Although the cold is depressing, I think found the silver lining in our weather. Unlike gardeners in other parts of the country who had plants up and starting to bloom, here in my neck of the woods nothing has started to bloom. Heck, nothing has really started to grow.
That means, unlike Carol at May Dreams Gardens or Don at An Iowa Garden, I'm not mourning over the death of daffodils, lilacs or apple blossoms. Here in the frozen tundra, only a few chives are up and there are no leaves - let alone flower buds - on the shrubs and trees. My guess is that all the plants have slowed down and are waiting for the extended cold to leave town.
In the meantime, I'm behind schedule for planting seeds. I haven't planted a one. If things go well, I hope to get peppers, cabbage and maybe some lettuce planted on Wednesday night, with tomatoes to follow this weekend. This all assumes, of course, that spring finally comes to the northland.
But my tulips look great! Even after all the cold.
But you are right, it would have been better if we hadn't had soooo many warm days before the 'bottom dropped out'.
Carol at May Dreams Gardens
Posted by: Carol | April 10, 2007 at 08:50 PM
hmmmm....any spring, today, Tracy??
Not here. Snow and ice today. UGH!!
Posted by: Sissy Ziech | April 11, 2007 at 09:20 AM
I like your thinking on this though, it is good that our flowers didn't get dumped on - especially with today's SNOW!
I guess soon enough though, we'll all be praying for a rainy day so we can take a guilt free break from the garden! (That's what I like to tell myself this time of year any way.)
Posted by: Lorika | April 11, 2007 at 03:19 PM
Carol: I read about your hardy tulips on your blog - that's great that they're still going strong.
Sissy: I think we're getting spring this weekend - at least I'm keeping my fingers crossed!
Lorika: I know what you mean. By the end of May we'll all be looking for a day off.
Posted by: Tracy | April 12, 2007 at 10:38 AM
I'm glad I'm not alone in my failure to have started any seeds.... And good point about our slower thaw preventing the death of blooms or buds.
Ali
Posted by: Ali | April 13, 2007 at 07:05 AM
Ali: You're definitely not alone. But mine will be started by Saturday if it kills me!
Posted by: Tracy | April 13, 2007 at 12:52 PM