Something I haven't seen in a long time; 3.5" of rain in the gauge!
Well, it finally happened. After previous rain storms passed us by, we finally got one of our own. In the past 24 hours it has rained about 3 1/2 inches at my house. That is very exciting on its own. However, this rain came in with a storm that spun confirmed tornadoes in Brenham and the Lake Sommerville area. This storm was also accompanied by lots of thunder and lightening. If you believe old wives tales, thunder in January means a freeze in March. We will see. This year has been so strange I would not be surprised at all if a late freeze comes as soon as the spring plantings are up.
Something else that I haven't see in a long time; a puddle of standing water in my yard.
Speaking of weird things that have happened this year, here are a few that I have noticed on my own little piece of heaven. First, my peach trees are in bloom! And the funny thing is, this is the second time they have bloomed. Not sure what this will mean for our summer peaches but I can’t imagine it is good. Also, my Cherokee rose has bloomed twice. This rose doesn’t usually bloom until March. I also have a “found” crinum that is about to bloom. This variety usually blooms in May.
The "found" crinum that is blooming about four months too early
In spite of the bad storms that that brought it, I am so thankful for the rain. The tornadoes were a little scarey but at least no one was hurt. This rain was substantial enough that most people’s stock tanks caught water. This is very good news for all of the people that are trying to keep their livestock. Plus, with just a couple of more rains in the next few weeks, they should be assured of a pretty good early hay crop.
Mushrooms that have popped up in all of my freshly mulched beds
Yes, this is a very strange year so far. Everyone seems to have a theory as to why; climate change, La Ninya, the Mayans. I am not sure what is going on, but I am certain I will be able to find some things that will grow for me in spite of it all.
Jay,
When you visited the Linneaus Garden in Tulsa, I was working there as a volunteer. Your story was so interesting and I have been following your blog. My husband said I should share my tulip story with you and maybe you will know what happened. It begins in Oct. of 2010. I had a friend near death in intensive care. I had landscaped her yard and since we could not see her, my daughter-in-law, granddaughter, and I went over and planted tulip bulbs in her yard to surprise her in the spring. I did not take any of the extra bulbs home with me–gave them to my helpers. The good new is my friend lived and loved her tulips. My story is that we had two giant blizzards in February, 2011. My flower bed where I plant tulips was buried under at least 4 feet of snow because everytime we had the walk cleared, the snow was dumped on that bed.
Spring, 2011 brought the surprise—Every bulb that had been planted there in the 10 years we have lived here came up. It was an amazing display! People came with cameras because it was so beautiful. I did plant a few tulips last fall but this year very few tulips are coming up. Several are in bloom now but it is not the same. What caused the explosion? Were they so insulated and frozen well that they all bloomed?
We have barely had a freeze this year–so now almost none! My own throught is that God was repaying me for my kind deed to my friend!
What a lovely story. I too believe that God rewarded your efforts for your friend. The year you describe was perfect for tulips. Tulips need four to six weeks of “chilling” in soils that are around 40 to 45 degrees. The snowy year you described probably provided them that much and a little more so they did great. Since it didn’t really freeze for you this year, your tulips did not get the required chill to make them as extroridinary as they were the year before. Not only did you not get as many blooms this year it will probably hurt you next year as well. Tulips that stay in the ground year round and do not get enough chill tend to go soft and rot. If you want to ensure a good year next spring, I would recommend digging up your bed when your tulip foliage is almost dead and checking the bulbs. If they are firm, divide them and replant. if they are soft or spongy, discard them.
I am afraid that climate change is real. Because of this, your winters are likely to become less and less cold. In order to have a reliable show of tulips in the spring you may have to resort to what we in Zone 9 do for our tulips; dig them up every year and store them in the refrigerator!
Thank you again for such a lovely story and great question. I truly enjoyed my visit to the Linneaus. My wife and I absolutely love Tulsa and we will be back this summer for another week. Hopefully our paths will cross again while we are there! Happy gardening!