Technically, it’s Spring… but by the looks of our wacky central Virginia weather, one would not think so! A few cheerful, blooming daffodils are trying their hardest to announce spring, but other plants and trees are really confused!! Spring officially arrived in the Northern Hemisphere with the vernal equinox at 7:02 A.M. (EDT) on March 20, 2013. I never realized it was an exact moment! Yeah, she’s here all right. But where is she?? It’s still a might cold.

Is spring a “she?” I suppose she can be called “SHE.” After all, she is full of flamboyant color, extravagant excesses, and amazing examples of the life force jumping out right before our eyes! Spring is a wake up call for all living things, including humans.

‘Round here, the typical spring weather jumps from extremes of 70’s to 20’s, sometimes on day to the next. The freezing/ thawing cycles wreak havoc on just about everything! It’s tough on plants and humans, as well as the built environment.  During this period of up and down, the cold days seem even colder, and the warm days that much sweeter.

The next few days are cold rain with wet snow. I love a good snow storm, so this is not my favorite weather. The good news- it’s been cold enough that most shrubs have not started to leaf out yet, so there has not been widespread foliage damage. That said,  lows in the mid 20’s this week were not kind to the blooms of magnolia soulangiana. Many years the blossoms are burned by late frost, and this year was no exception. It is such an amazing tree, however, it is still worthy of planting. The years it does bloom without damage are also the grander! It is still one of my favorite spring blooming trees!

Magnolia salougiana, alias- saucer or tulip magnolia. Nothing less than spectacular!

http://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/2553/saucer-magnolia.php