An unapologetic plant geek shares advice and opinions on gardening, the contrived and the natural landscape, as well as occasional topics from the other side of the gate.

February 27, 2009

Spring Break

We have been having, what is for us, unusually cold weather. Night time temperatures in the upper 20's and daytime highs barely making 40. Normally we are enjoying the mid 50's by now with regular trips into the 60's and possibly higher. The chilly weather has put the normal spring progression on hold for many plants. However, today it reached 70 and in the space of 24 hours, spring made an attempted break out. Many of my daffodils that have been swelling for several weeks, chose today to open up.




In spite of suffering from a cold my son brought home from school, I was able to go outside and enjoy some of the warmth. Good thing - the weather man is saying that both Saturday and Sunday will be wash outs, not good for people in the garden center business. On top of that they are calling for a potential snow storm for Monday. There is a slow moving low pressure system hovering off the coast of the Carolinas and the Jet Stream is dipping southward.

Historically this weather pattern sandwich has brought Tidewater some of its deepest snows. In 1980, also around the 1st of March we had the same weather pattern, and it dumped so much snow on the area, so quickly that the area was paralyzed. People who went to the circus at the Norfolk Scope that night ended up being stranded and had to spend the night with the elephants and clowns. I was still attending Old Dominion University then and it was the first day of our spring break. Fortunately my friends and I left town early headed to Long Island for Pink Floyd's performance of The Wall (one of only two in the States (thanks again Denise!)). People who decided to leave in the afternoon spent most of their spring break in snowy Norfolk. I feel fairly certain we will not be having any such event, if we do I'll be sure to let you know.

20 comments:

  1. Please, please, please snow! I want at least one snow this winter!

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  2. I remember that snow storm in 1980!!! It was the one where York County schools were closed for almost a week I think...I was a teacher then. My car was almost covered completely with a snow drift- at Ft. Monroe. Had moved back in with my folks to save $$ before we got married that June. My mother made my wedding gown and that storm kept me available for fittings. That was some snow storm.

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  3. Erica Glasener was in Virginia Beach on yesterday's episode of a gardeners diary. I enjoyed the show very much. Lovely area you are in. It will warm up soon.

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  4. I had MrD go get bread and milk. I have to have my cereal in the morning or I'm a grump head. I'm so sorry about the loss of business days. It will probably come and go quickly.

    I knew this was going to happen or we live in that fear that there will be the big one in March. When I was a kid growing up here, it snowed every Wednesday in March. We missed the whole month of school.

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  5. No snow please, I could live without one of our freak late winter snows. The Daffs are lovely I don't blame them for picking today to show off their stuff. ;)

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  6. It's pretty bad when one is so out of touch that he only reads about the local weather forecast in a gardening buddy's blog! I hope it's wrong - not only will the garden object, but the school system has no more snow days in the schedule, and I really hate making up snow days on days in spring when I should be gardening!

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  7. Phillip,
    It can snow, but only in Williamsburg.

    Janet,
    What a great memory. I am sure with you being so available for the MOB seamstress, that the dress was perfect.

    Tina,
    She happens to be one of my favorite customers - a nice lady and a true plantsperson. I was glad to see the episode.

    Anna,
    Thanks for the condolences. We decided to have a winter garden festival at work this weekend and the rain will not help.

    Racquel,
    I am with you on the snow, it doesn't sound as if it will amount to anything, and you know the weather guys rarely get it right here.

    Jeff,
    Who says blogging is a waste of time? Now you know the weather forecast. I try to keep an attitude of "the weather will be what the weather will be", but one must make plans.

    Les

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  8. I thought there'll be no more snow. I'm too far away in Malaysia but people are talking about spring. Anyway, I love those daffodils. I spent 6 years in California and daffodils have been my fave since. (No daff in Malaysia - sigh)

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  9. Calling for snow here as well but raining like Cats and Dogs now! I had wanted to see snow the past two months but ready for spring now!

    Have a good weekend!

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  10. I was wondering if you knew her! Didn't catch the name though so too embarrassed to ask you. She moved into her new house because she outgrew her old garden. Gotta love it!

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  11. Blossom,
    Thanks for traveling half way round the world to visit my blog. No daffodils in Malaysia, and I bet you probably have no snow either. There are trade-offs for everything.

    Skeeter,
    I agree with you. I do not want to see any snow at this point.

    Tina,
    Don't be embarassed, her name is Mac. Even though it is a lovely home in a great wooded neighborhood mere blocks from the ocean, she will tell you it is not all sweetness and light. Living on a golf course is not without drawbacks, and she can also see the rivets on the bottom of the jets roaring into Oceana Naval Air Station.

    Les

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  12. Hi Les, this is the time of the most outrageous weather for us too. There can be flip flops one day and snow boots the next! I loved seeing your daffs, but was slightly disconcerted by the clump within the Yucca? was it? Poor little daffies. Hope you feel better soon too, and see some warm sunshine to speed the healing.
    Frances

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  13. First Pink Floyd and now Radiohead...
    Hmm.
    We spent three years downwind from the latter with Friday nights being a bit of a burden ;-)
    I suppose they've grown up by now.
    Having said that, them that swim to work will stay forever young.

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  14. ...
    Next time you find yourself downwind from one of my favorite bands, call me, maybe we can house swap. You could hear the tugs in the harbor, the coal trains banging around or the occasional bouts of gun fire.

    Les

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  15. Frances,
    Yes that was a Yucca, but I have not figured if it is a happy pairing or an act of agression.

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  16. I'll swap any day:
    You will also get low flying jets and petrol tankers between 5 am and 11 pm, every four minutes, helicopters from the posh set that can't possibly travel on the ground, RAF training planes with two stroke engines, shooting pheasants in the fields around, canons to keep the pigeons off the crops every 15 minutes, plus an assortment of power saws, lawn mowers, motor bikes, revving Mazeratis and Ferraris ( 30 minutes once a week, because they never get driven), and of course cooing pigeons.
    Still interested? :-)

    I'll start packing.

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  17. Ok, I'm getting here late, and I forgot to tell you that Phillip M is MAD (as in, "Mad, I tell you!) But he got his wish--I and my daffs are sitting under 5 inches. Yours are lovely--I hope they're not broken. Of course, my camellia decided to open yesterday. Happy Snow Day!

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  18. Jo,
    Please don't do anything else to ruin my image of the Mother Country. I can get any of those sounds here, except maybe the posh set helicopters.

    Cosmo,
    My blooms are not gone, but I won't say they look happy. I took a few shots this morning and will try to post later.

    Les

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  19. Les, the snowstorm of 1980--I remember it well! I had just gotten married and moved to VA with my husband, who was stationed at Ft. Monroe. We lived in a quadruplex on the Seawall there. The snow blew into our house, through the windows that obviously weren't sealed (at all!). It was literally 'drifting' into our living room and bedroom, which faced the chesapeake bay.

    Funny--Janet was there then too--fun to think many of our paths have crossed before;)

    Thank goodness this little snowstorm was nothing like 1980's!

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  20. Jan,
    Your honeymoon home sounds very cold. Although I bet it was nice being so close to the water. Did you know that Ft. Monroe is closing? According to a centuries old agreement it reverts to Virginia if the army ever leaves. There is big talk about what to do with it, but not a lot of money. Hopefully it can be turned into a historic destination with responsible commercial development. As you know, it is a diamond in the rough.

    Les

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