A Beautiful April!

What a remarkable spring! Here we are, not even at the end of April, and nature’s flowering sequence is telling us it’s already mid-spring. In the past 40 years I can’t recall such an early start to spring – or one so enjoyable – so many trees and shrubs overlapping in bloom. Following that single 90° day three weeks ago, I estimated our season had advanced a full 3 weeks ahead of “normal”. Even now we appear to be two weeks ahead of a typical spring.

Yes, the witch-hazels (Hamamelis) ended their bloom weeks early. But incredibly some forsythia continue to hold some flowers alongside the native dogwoods (Cornus florida) bloom, and even our lilacs are now showing color! Virtually all the Early Rhododendrons (Weston’s Pink Diamond, PJM, Red Quest, Olga Mezitt, Landmark, etc.), usually phasing their bloom over several weeks, are in flower at the same time – very unusual. The cooler temperatures over the last couple weeks have also helped hold flowers far longer than ordinarily expected. It seems early spring has been compressed into the month of April this year.

Of course there are drawbacks to extreme conditions like this. A cold snap or frost could instantly put an end to a lot of the beauty we’re experiencing. It has happened before — I recall one May when we woke up to several inches of snow weighing-down to the ground all the lilac branches in full bloom. From the weather forecasts I’m seeing, extreme cold doesn’t appear to be predicted for the next week. Our nursery is fortunate to be located on a hilly site, and our experience tells us that our expected last-frost-date is historically April 30. That’s encouraging.

But we certainly don’t have control over Mother Nature, so it’s wise to not become overly confident. And all too soon we’ll probably be complaining about how hot and humid it is, or too dry, or windy. But for now, let’s enjoy this “moment” while it is upon us. The beauty of spring’s flowers can be such a welcome diversion from all of life’s daily pressures.