A witty friend of mine once said "Climate is what you expect; weather is what you get." agreeing to the experts, 47 of our 50 states had a milder than normal winter. In some cases, the winter weather was very mild... Even record-breaking.
So, what will this mild winter weather mean for gardeners?
Kill Mosquitoes
Bugs
Most observers suggest that there may be a larger population of insects, and that they'll be nearby earlier, this spring. Prolonged freeze cycles will kill some insects, and many parts of the country didn't have any Prolonged hard freeze period this winter. The very mild March weather throughout the country suggests that some harmful organery insects - as well as fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes - may be problematic a puny earlier this year.
However, the mild winter has also been kind to beneficial insects. So, those of us who are meticulous not to harm the beneficial bugs in our gardens may not suffer any primary growth in insect damage. Nature has a overwhelming way of keeping things in balance.
On the flip side, a new cold snap in parts of the country may have helped control some of the insect population that became active earlier than usual because of the mild winter.
Lawns
The absence of a normal long term freeze cycle that most of us in the North, Midwest, Middle Atlantic, and New England states are accustomed to experiencing may have some adverse affects on our lawns.
The normal icy and thawing cycles cause a natural fracturing and aerating of the top layer of the soil. Also, long term freezes tend to kill harmful lawn fungi that may have bloomed while a very moist fall.
And, to the extent that a mild winter meant more of us were exterior puttering nearby in our unfrozen yards may have contributed a puny bit to soil compaction. Of course, the mild spring caused lawn weeds to germinate much earlier than normal.
This may be a very good year for an early season aeration of your turf.
Perennials and Fruit Trees
The very mild winter and an unseasonably warm March caused many perennials and fruit trees to bud earlier than normal. Unfortunately, some of those buds were susceptible to a late March cold snap that killed some of the tender plant tissue. This hydrangea had started budding when we got hit with two consecutive days of overnight frost.
Most plants and trees can survive this kind of weather cycle; but, it might not be very pretty for a integrate of weeks.
Some additional early spring pruning may be primary this year.
Compost
One of the benefits of the highly mild winter will be that compost will be ready sooner. Most of us in the upper half of the country are used to our compost piles icy solid for all or most of the winter.
I for real turned my compost bin on Groundhog Day and noticed a salutary and active population of worms in the top layer of my compost! They were eating and multiplying like they ordinarily do in May or June.
What have you observed?
Let us know what you have observed with regard to the mild winter and very warm March. Have you had any problems with plants budding or flowering too early? Have you seen any bugs that you ordinarily wouldn't see for any more weeks?
How 'Bout This Weather?
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