The strong Polar Vortex is keeping polar air north of here…so buds are popping and things are blooming. 20+ days early.
(But again, it has happened before here).
I guess that means the cold sticks around north of about the 40th or 45th parallel. Sorry. 
I don’t have any blooms or open buds yet
78F in February (Peach) :shakes_head:
Too bad the nuts (Hazel) are so small they’re not really worth harvesting…
One thing I must get done in 2023, like soon(!), is completing the fence. Sigh… (deer)
Deer, rabbits, whistle pigs. I like seeing them, but they need to “social distance” from my plants. At least two meters.
I did wander around my yard and look at everyone today. The only thing with any green is an autumn olive, and my peach and flowering almond are still only thinking about blossoming; my sloe may actually beat them, but it’s in a pot next to asphalt. There are a few random bulbs breaking ground, but the daffodils are a bit behind themselves. Lots of green, but only a dash of yellow. Everything else is still about where it should be, although this heat is still worrying me for eventual bloom set, because I know Old Mr Frost isn’t done with me yet, even if he is mad at some of the rest of you for some inexplicable reason.
Alas, I didn’t take any pictures of the plants, but I did get this one:
Quite a few of last year’s grafts are showing signs of some bud-swell, so I am satisfied I did some right. Only definite goner was on my peach, and I haven’t met a peach yet that likes it around here. I was hoping this land would be better for them than where I was renting. But, c’est la vie. The flowers are pretty.
I trimmed up some autumn olives today, which I likely should have done earlier as there was already green emerging. I stuck the trimmings in aged soil to see what comes of them. I don’t really want more of them, but it’ll be informative to see the take and I’m sure I can give them away.
I also found flowers on my blackthorn. I forgot how small they are. A pleasant sight despite already expecting the current weather to be a blackthorn winter.
I wanted to do some editing of my monster pear tree’s upper levels today, but as it was rather windy to be doing something I probably should not do myself anyway.
The sun is finally here, I took the opportunity to graft 2 Sumo scions to 2 different trees. And I redid the graft for GA-866 and bud grafting for Violeta fig. All last ditch effort to save these scions.
Sumo graft on the Orange tree
Sumo graft on a mandarin tree, not sure what variety
Bud graft on Violeta
Cleft graft on GA-866, sorry not in focus
That looks great! I could use your skill here at my place!
Noticed first blossoms on black Currant. Black September cultivar in pot.
Some have 6 inches tender shoots…the 19 degrees 9 days ago didn’t do any apparent damage.
Had light frost this morning I suspect…noticed a couple fig leaves touched up some.
Had Red Gem Goumi and Coltsfoot show up on my porch today. May not be the most exciting plants for most folks, but I was tickled. Heading back outside now to play in the dirt. Then I guess i’ll have to feed myself before my stomach catches on that all it’s gotten so far tonight is a half-sized Dr Pepper and a handful of generic potato chips.
What happened today… Got my TAXES done … thank God that is over.
Getting a small refund. Ok with that.
TNHunter
A wet, heavy snow last night, about 8 or 9 inches, with the bottom couple inches solid slush. Lots of branches and trees down everywhere. Power outages common. Ours was out overnight, which very seldom ever happens here.
Lucky you! I have a huge tax bill.
Today I up potted all of my fig cuttings in the ground, almost 8-9 varieties, I’m glad I did it because I stuck some of them near the peony roots, they are coming up, some were near the yams, let’s hope they survive.
I also move my fertilizer bags to somewhere more nice and neat, right now they are all over the place.
Tremendous wind today during grandkids Easter egg hunt.
Today I watched 3 wild Mallards swim through part of my orchard. Spring melt-off, it’ll be gone soon.
I think tonight/last night was the last freeze here. frost will go on here and there until May but no more freezing weather. putting out jujube, pear, peach trees and a few nootka roses this afternoon. yesterday I was filling the raised beds, shoveling horse manure, putting spinach seed out (might be early or late, who knows)
Plunging back toward freezing at night around here the next three nights.
I’ve got a three day weekend, and so of course, not only is it going to rain, but it is going to pour for most of it. I may be able to pull in some stuff to graft, and I’ll have to move a few things to the garage I was hoping to leave out until winter.
I mean, I needed the rest too, but I was hoping for the relaxation of three days in my yard.
Lots of new to me plants arriving today: a passiflora, several kiwis, a drimys, bunchberry, and assorted honeysuckle types are the highlights. A few will go into pots, so I guess I can put some more potting soild into my carpet. I can always graft a few things indoors.
Am I trying to get outside stuff done or avoid doing inside chores?
I’m officially a glutton for punishment. I just mapped 144 trees, shrubs, vines, and rhubarb in-ground on my property.That doesn’t include other herbaceous stuff or St John’s Wort (which I simply forgot to check on). 108 of those I planted in the last three years or so. A small handful are on neighbor’s lots if they either affect my efforts or I have a maintenance investment in. Most of that prior existing bunch is of bordeline edibility.
I have 92 more in a container patch that I checked in on this afternoon. I don’t want to think about what’s in the actual project patch, although that is mostly herbaceous, or grafts I just want to see if I can do for later scion before I give them away. There is about a quarter acre I can’t really get through and have no effort into yet that is full of maple, black walnut, cherry, and other volunteers in assorted stages of development. Some of that will go, but most of it will be ignored.
I love my little foodforest, and the bees are loving it too this week.
