I’ll Take Weather Patterns for $200, Alex

What is going on with our spring weather?

With all the rain and unseasonably cool temperatures so far this year, I decided to look at the historical record for Utah. Last year on this day the temp was 89F with a low of 72F. Today’s range is: over night low of 44F with the expected high in the mid 60s. This was the lowest overnight low since 1995. Since I moved here to Utah in May of 2004, the highs on this day have been 2004-91F, 2005-84F, 2006-88F, 2007-89F. So this is what I have been expecting.

I moved here from San Diego, CA so these temperatures were pretty easy to deal with. But, since I started planting perennials last year after two years of digging beds and prepping the clay soil that I am not used to, I expected this year to be just like any other.

Wrong. The historical record shows that the average high on this date is 79F with a historical range of 55F to 91F. That is quite a range of temps.

I asked some long time locals about this weather and they tell me that it has reached has high as 98F on this day, so high temperatures are not uncommon, but none of them could remember this much rain. After the short time I have lived here even I know not to complain about the rain. Sitting in a valley between two mountain ranges, we depend on snow fall to fill up our reservoirs and lakes. This year we got a lot of snow and every spring with the drastic rise in temperatures there is a danger of snow melt overwhelming the river beds down through the canyons and it is not uncommon to have homes flooded out near the mouths of those canyons. So this gradual warming we are experiencing this year is a real blessing.

Since global warming is becoming a hot topic, I got to thinking about how we will be affected by it. Is this crazy change in weather the result of global warming? Could it be that this climate change does not mean higher temperatures everywhere? With the normal season changes, we are well aware of how the planet is warm on one side while being cooler on the other side. But when our fellow gardeners in Australia reported hotter than normal temperatures throughout their summer this year we in the U.S. experienced warmer than normal winter conditions. So I don’t think that would explain this current cold pattern.

And then to add to the mystery, the eastern half of the U.S. is currently going through temperatures in the 90s while we sit here on the west side of the Rocky Mountains in in the 60s. No wonder meteorologist have such a difficult time predicting the weather.

I went to the EPA Climate Change website which confirms that we can expect increased temperatures across the nation for the next century. But I cannot find anything that explains why we are experiencing lower temps when the temps are supposed to be going up. Conclusion, this is just a freak incidence and we should not get used to it and just enjoy it while we can.

On another, closely related topic, last year, after putting in the perennial garden I went in search of shade cloth to protect my plants from Utah’s hot sun. I was surprised to learn that the only thing I can find is the stuff you spread over patios to shade humans.

Even at the garden centers I could not find any of what I consider to be real shade cloth for plants. I guess they call it garden fabric or row covers. Maybe they don’t worry about the hot direct sun here. Could that be? Anyway, I had to order it online from Gardeners Supply. There are several garden supply websites that carry the same thing at comparable prices. I’m surprised these local Garden Centers don’t carry it.

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Weather rollercoaster

Winter just will not go away quietly.

Yesterday we had a beautiful day, sunny 58F, after weeks of highs in the 30's this constitutes a beautiful day.

All of the snow has finally melted and we are predicted to get another inch this afternoon!

Plus, wind gusts up to 45MPH!

Boy, the weather variations on this side of the Rockies can be downright drastic.

Here's a bright spot! First flower of the year. Crocus always seem to wake up earlier than everyone else by at least a couple of weeks.






According to the old saying "If March comes in like a lion it will go out like a lamb" and vice versa.

If the lion looks like this, what have we got to worry about?

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Winter garden watering

We are currently under a high wind advisory. This is not uncommon here in Utah. Pacific storms can throw a lot of nasty stuff at us. Southern California is experiencing very large amounts of moisture being dumped on them and this heavy rainfall creates a weather pattern that generates high winds across the western Utah and Nevada desert which means high winds for us.

Despite the fact that these high winds are the result of heavy rainfall, by the time we get these little blessings from Mother Nature, the wind is dry.

Too much dry wind can adversely affect plants that are not protected by mulch. Wicking action will dry out a plant pretty quickly, which brought up a question that I don’t know the answer to and probably won’t know until this summer. Do I need to water my outdoor plants in winter?

Everything has been mulched well with a blanket of bark chips and leaves to at least three inches thick. Plus, there is ten inches of snow on them, although this is temporary. Shrubs, however, are taller than the mulch cover so their branches are exposed to these dry, winter winds. Is plant moisture being sucked up away from their roots? I guess I would need to dig them up to know for sure. I doubt that I can do this, frozen ground being the serious obstacle it is to digging.

Beds on the south and west sides of the house, shed and fences are most at risk of drying out because of reflected heat. We get foggy mornings and heavy frost and I am sure they add some moisture, but I worry that it isn’t enough.

I really don’t want to start the spring growing season with stressed out plants. I want to do what I can to put these plants in a more favorable position to handle the dryness and heat that is already in store for them from the coming summer.

It seems really odd to me that there is such a thing as ‘winter drought’, but it is real and my research has shown me that winter drought conditions can lead to root injury or death. The worst part is that it could be happening right now without the plants showing any symptoms. According to my local county extension office I wouldn’t know until next season if the plants are dying. They may leaf out and flower just fine in the spring, relying on stored food reserves. Once that energy supply runs out plants weaken and start dying back. Even if a plant isn’t killed outright, it is made more susceptible to insect and disease attack.

With global warming rearing its ugly head, we can’t rely on receiving enough snow cover to protect our plants so it is becoming increasingly more important to mulch well. Shade trees with shallow root systems are especially susceptible to drying out. This includes Norway maple, silver maple, linden, Colorado blue spruce, Norway spruce, and many other evergreens. Shrubs are also vulnerable to winter drought damage, especially those growing up close to the house or in a warmer location. This includes junipers, Oregon grape-holly, and euonymus.

What I read is not encouraging for this year. Watering is supposed to be done when the air temperature is above 40F (some say 32F) with no snow cover and when the ground isn’t frozen. Yeah, right. Let’s see, that would be last month and two months from now. I’ll just have to keep my fingers crossed.

Our clay soil holds water, sometimes a little too well, so this might be a blessing. If you have a more ‘perfect’ soil you should already have watered. Horticulturists used to say it was good practice to insure dormancy by drought stressing plants in the fall and thus decreasing the chance of winter injury. Research since then has indicated that the reverse is true. What you know yesterday may not be true today. Great, another stress point for the gardener.

If the soil can stay slightly moist down to about 12 to 18 inches then plants should fair well despite winter’s drying winds.

Be especially mindful of plants under the eaves of the house. I have noticed a strip about 18 inches wide around the house that is dry after a good rain that I thought was watering everything.

One thing to look for as a sign of moisture loss is cracked soil where roots can become exposed. If you see this condition add some soil to fill in the cracks and add about three inches of mulch and then water, if the temperature is right. You don’t want to water late in the day when night time temperatures could freeze the water directly against the plant base causing more damage. Water early in the day so it has a chance to drain away.

Best methods for watering include: twin-eye or frog-eye sprinkler, deep-root fork or needle, soaker hose or soft spray wand. Give plants a good, deep drink of water letting the water run for 20 to 30 minutes in each area, then move to achieve good overlap. For trees, as a general survival rule, apply 10 gallons of water for each diameter inch of the tree. For example, a two-inch diameter tree, needs 20 gallons per watering.

Newly planted shrubs require more water than established shrubs that have been planted for at least one year. Assuming shrubs are mulched, apply 5 gallons two times per month for a newly planted shrub. Small established shrubs (less than 3 feet tall) should receive 5 gallons monthly. Large established shrubs (more than 6 feet) require 18 gallons on a monthly basis. Decrease amounts to account for precipitation. Water within the dripline of the shrub and around the base. Note: In dry winters, all shrubs benefit from winter watering from October through March.

So, the result of my research on the drying effects of winter winds tells me that it is important to mulch well, water deeply before the ground freezes, and I won’t know if my plants are okay until I see them growing or struggling this spring/summer. Life is full of surprises. Hopefully, this winter will be kind.

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On seed catalogs and weather

Weather seems to be the big news item these days so I’ll start off about ours here in Utah. During the past week we have ranged from 16F overnight to highs in the upper 20’s. Clouds have been regular guests here with no signs of going away anytime soon. The humidity is pretty steady at 28-29%.

We got 3” of snow last Saturday and another 1” on Sunday. There is more snow predicted this week with possible rain on Friday. But we here in Utah have learned that predictions usually turn out to be wrong, or at least put off a few days.

With nothing much to do outside due to the cold, I am happy that I started receiving garden catalogs and it seems next years garden layout will soon need to be worked out. This year has flown by pretty quickly.

I feel fortunate that the garden beds and tools have been cleaned up last month and now the only thing hanging over me is planning for next year and seed starting.

I have a very small seed-starting operation which consists of a small folding card table under two four foot long shop lights. I can fit four seed trays on it, with a little overhang. The ambient room temperature in this little store room is around 60F and it was warm enough for most of the seeds I started last winter to germinate. I still feel the need to go over my notes and quiz the experts to determine what I can do to improve the germination rate. The heat mat was placed under the warm-season seeds, like tomatoes and peppers, and almost all of them came up. I still have some sterilized seed starting soil left from last year and a bunch of peat pots and trays so the supply situation seems to be okay.

I am happy with the overall size of my gardening landscape and plan on adding to it slowly and I keep having to remind myself that the gardens I see in my fellow gardeners’ blogs are more mature than mine as they have been at this a little longer than I have. This is the first winter for my perennial beds and as such I am anxious about how they will fair. It is both a test of the plants ability to survive temperature swings from teens to middle thirties that Utah is known for and it is a test of how well I have both interpreted what to do for their survival as well as what I have actually done.

In deciding what I want to plant this year I am a bit intimidated by what everyone else has accomplished. So many garden blogs I read show garden spaces that are much larger than mine. I have to restrain myself from going overboard and remember not to start more plants than what I have space for. But then I think, if I grow the plants then I will have to expand the beds for them. This could be a dangerous way to go and doesn’t fit in at all with my overall garden master plan. I have containers I could put them in until the bed is ready. Holding back and doing a little each year is the most difficult part of garden planning. So I will have to keep my seed order small.

As far as that planning thing goes, I had written down ideas over the past nine months of blog reading and recorded my ‘wish list’ on my computer. The problem is that I recently suffered a computer crash when my motherboard crapped out on me and I had not saved the latest version of my wish list. So, I have to rely on my memory, a scary prospect at best. All is not lost however, because in going through the garden catalogs I am sure I will be able to find something I want to plant, whether it fits in with my plan or not. I really do try to be disciplined, but I am making no promises.

Patience is a virtue, so they say, but spring is still way too far away.

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New seedlings

Finally felt the time was right to plant some of the seedlings I had started earlier this year. I kept putting it off because of the weird weather patterns that has defined this Spring.

Last night we got frost! I couldn't believe it when when this morning I looked at the recorded 'low temperature' from last night and it read 32F.

I went out to the garden and one of my tomato plants had several 'burnt' leaves. The majority of the plant seemed untouched. Maybe it will survive.

One of my pepper plants is completely shriveled up yet the other five in the same bed are fine.

All of the seedlings I had left on the deck, as I have for the past two weeks, are all fine.

So, I figured that this is the last surprise that Mother Nature will throw our way and it is finally time to set the seedlings into their new homes and let them do what they will. I remain eternally optimistic.

I set out two cherry tomato plants along with a bunch of Marigolds 'Antigua Yellow' around them.

Set out this Astilbe 'Amethyst and

this Hostas 'Piedmont Gold'

and this Hosta 'Golden Tiara'.

I set out 25 sunflower plants along an ugly chain link fence that I hope to cover up, and then planted this Hydrangea 'Parzifal'. It doesn't look like much now but it is supposed to grow to 5' tall and 5' wide with lavender flowers.

I also scattered several packets of alyssum seeds around and then watered everything down.

Daytime temperatures are supposed to get into the 80's over the next week, so I believe we have seen the last frost scare until next Fall.

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Vacation, already?

I've been sitting inside today waiting for the rain to let up and it doesn't seem like it is going to. I was planning on setting out more tomato plants and my squash.

I've been holding off for several reasons, one being that we are supposed to get some unseasonably cold night time temperatures within the next few nights, it is already down to 52F right now at 8 pm. This Spring sure has been 'up and down' weather-wise.

Another reason is that we are taking off for a week to visit family in California. I'm always a bit ambivalent about leaving the garden in someone else's care when I'm gone. I can usually count on our daughter to take care of it but she and her family are going with us. I have asked one of the neighbors to tend to it and she has agreed, but still... This is the first year I have planted a full bed of perennial flowers and she is barely a rookie herself.

I'm trying to decide how to make it as simple as possible for her to just turn on the sprinklers at certain times and not worry so much about the lawn or weeding. We don't have an irrigation system installed. I made up this portable setup out of pvc pipe and two sprinkler heads that I move around the yard. It's a bit cumbersome but is the least expensive way to go for now. The real problem is that with the weather acting so unpredictably, I don't know if it will be warm enough to have to water twice a day or just once every other day. I would hate to have to call every day to check on things, I do want to enjoy my vacation and not let her think I can't count on her to do it without my nagging.

I have several trays of Marigolds, herbs and sunflowers that need to be planted and I suppose it would be best just have them in the ground before I leave. And then there are the bird feeders. I have five of them I fill up every morning (some people just don't take the time to feed the birds and so I can't really ask her to do it because she is one of those who doesn't feed the birds). I guess the birds will come back when I get back and begin filling their feeders again. The Hummingbirds will be okay because there aren't enough of them to empty the feeders everyday.

I'm going to wear myself out worrying before I get out the front door.

Just take a deep breath, let it out slowly and relax. Nothing will happen that cannot be fixed.

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A good time for projects

Haven’t done much in the garden itself the last couple of days because it is raining and cold. The rain is always welcome, the cold, not so much. I have taken this opportunity to work on some projects I have been trying to find time for. Such as reshaping chunks and strips of lumber into masterpieces I will call a tower trellis, a planter ladder, a mirror for the shed, water tower, and planter platforms. The 'masterpiece' claim might be pushing it a little but I am determined to turn it all into something useful.
This particular tower trellis is an idea I saw in Birds and Bloom magazine a few years ago. It looks simple enough, I found a note to myself telling me that I could do it so I must have had confidence in me at one point. I’m no master carpenter so I suspect the ‘short-cuts’ I will undoubtedly be forced to take to match my skill level will give the finished product some ‘character of uniqueness’ that I doubt will be found anywhere else. So, I am looking forward to seeing how the finished product will look. It will stand seven foot tall, according to the plans, and I think this should be tall enough for even the most aggressive cherry tomato vine. I’m growing ‘Super Sweet 100 hybrid’ again. Last year I grew it in one of those wire cage contraptions that you just push into the ground. It was no match for that vine. The cage repeatedly fell over and I would have to bend its legs into some indescribable geometric shape in hopes it would stand up strong enough to last to the end of the season. It didn’t really. I had to trim some of the top few feet of the vine off dooming countless future fruit to their deaths on the compost pile. But this year I’m banking on my great foresight and planning ability to get every last one of those deliciously sweet little tomatoes to either my table, the neighbors tables or my grandkids hungry mouths before they can get to the kitchen.

The planter ladder idea is one that I have seen in many places. I will use my five foot metal ladder as a template for the angles and make some legs for it, paint it and set it up on the back deck in full sun.

I will be able to use up some lumber than has been laying around in the wood shed and then I can paint it some bright color and set some of the containers I want to try growing this year.

I will need to make it a little wide than this standard sized ladder because the planters are 12"-14" long and maybe not quite so tall. It should look nice up on the deck in front the blank wall.

Mirror for the shed, an idea that has also offered itself from many different places. It just looks too easy to make to pay retail prices for it. I recently saw a blog from Melissa at Empress of Dirt use several mirrors throughout her garden, looks very nice, Melissa! I want to create a "window" on the side of one of my sheds complete with shutters that will have four panes of 12”x12” mirror squares that can be found at any home improvement center and a few strips of wood. The shutters will actually be the most time consuming part of building the thing. What could go wrong? I sound pretty confident, don’t I? Seriously, it’s got to be easier to make than that tower trellis. I can't seem to find a photo of one online but I saw it in Backyard Living magazine, Mar/Apr 2007 issue. The article covers a backyard makeover that took place in Seattle, Washington.

The water tower is just three tree branches tied together to form a teepee structure with a pvc pipe sticking up through the middle and a garden hose attached at the bottom and a sprinkler head attached at the top. Piece of cake, right?<\p>

The planter platforms will be made of 1”x1” strips of wood glued together in such a way as to form a ‘grid’ of four or five strips laid across two smaller pieces that will be the feet.

I’m feeling more and more confident all the time.
Maybe I should make the simple items first, sort of like confidence builders.

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Watering in the rain

It has been raining the last few days, which is really great, but today I realized the rain has been coming from the North and while this in itself is no big deal the foundation beds on the South side of the house are bone dry! I assumed everything was getting a good soaking and I could relax with the watering duties.
I had put a few new shrubs in this area last week just before it rained and had watered them a couple of days but stopped when the rains came. I can only hope the roots have not dried up while getting acclimated to their new locations.

So, just to make sure they get their fair share of water, I stood out in the rain with the hose trained on this dry area. I'll bet I'll get some ribbing from the neighbors for this one.
But, a gardener has got to do what a gardeners has got to do!

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Utah is in for longer, worse droughts than ever

Another article I found in the Salt Lake Times

"Drought in Utah: Learning from the Past — Preparing for the Future" was issued this month by the state's Division of Water Resources. A dozen experts from the division prepared the document, with Brian King as the primary author.

The report emphasizes the need to diversify water supplies in order to mitigate future droughts. It praises Salt Lake City for taking such measures, ensuring a reliable supply.

"Drought can never fully be mitigated and an element of 'coping' or 'living with drought' will always exist," it points out. But action can lessen the severity of coming dry cycles.

A surprising finding is that for more than a century, Utah has enjoyed an unusually stable climate.

That is the same period during which many scientists have claimed human-caused global warming has accelerated. But whether this phenomenon — if it actually exists — missed Utah or its effects aren't fully felt yet in the Beehive State — or if it is actually beneficial to the state — the fact remains that the past 111 years of instrumented weather records show unusually good water supply.

Dendrochronology, the study of tree rings, lays out tangible evidence of year-by-year weather conditions stretching back more than 2,000 years.

The width of tree rings, reflecting trees' yearly growth, tell of wet or dry conditions.

"Analysis of this record indicates that many droughts, before the advent of the instrumental record, were more severe, more frequent and impacted larger areas," the report states.

"On average, drought contained in the reconstructed ... record (roughly 1,900 years before the instrumental record) was approximately 10.9 years in length compared to the average drought duration of 6.8 years during the last 111 years (instrumental record)."

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Freaky weather

Not totally unexpected but freaky just the same. Just after 12 noon, huge snowflakes began falling in 40 degree weather. Thirty minutes later the temperature dropped to 38F.
45 minutes later the temp went up to 39F then down one degree. all the while the snow was falling and not sticking. The flakes are smaller now and by 4:30 pm the temperature was 41F and the sun was shining brightly.

This is pretty typical of Utah Spring, for those of you who don't know.

By this evening there won't be any sign that it snowed today.

Temps are to be in the 60s for the next several days, just perfect for transplanting.

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New growth is everywhere

Spring is really beginning to speed up. With the warmer temperatures, freaky as it may be, everything is beginning to green up. We can expect a few more frost days and I hope nothing gets killed by it but for now I'll take the welcome reprieve from winter's harshness.

The rose leaves are dark red and about an inch long,

the Hyacinth is open and fragrant,

Early Stardrift bulbs are open and bright white in their shady spot next to the front steps,

and the forsythia is a beautiful glowing yellow on long, graceful branches.

Today, I doused the few bindweed plants I could find with Round-up. Even though I know it won't make a dent in their numbers that will come next month, it is still satisfying to kill off a few when I can. There is about 10 plants sending up their first leaves. Some of the weeds have three and four sets of leaves already. Hopefully, the leaves will take the spray down to their roots and stop their growth. One can only hope.

Here’s what I know about Roundup, it's only present in the soil for 7-10 days (then you can replant the area), and you only need to worry about keeping your children and pets away while the foliage is still wet after application. The temps need to warm up, to at least 60F, and the plants need to be actively growing for it to be effective. It's only absorbed through the leaves (not the roots), so is safe to use at the base of trees, etc

I pulled the mulch away from the roses to allow the soil to warm up and to dry out a bit.

I trimmed a few low branches from the Dogwood tree and Catalpa tree so I don't get dinged any more when I cut the lawn.

The Starlings are watching me from afar because the suet feeder is in the Dogwood tree and they are usually all over it this time of day.

Next, I plan on putting fertilizer down in the brown spot in the back lawn and then sprinkle some grass seed over the area, and then sprinkle it good with water. I think I will cover the area with some newspaper to help it stay moist. New grass should be up in a few days and by the end of two weeks the area will be turning green.

I went to a bulletin board to see what was going on around the country as far as gardening and saw these problems/questions.
'Dirty fingers' in Northern California said they have aphids on their Iris in their pond. They have Iris already?
'Chryse' suggested using soapy water, away from the pond. That’s a good idea, on both counts.
'Jason T' of Houston wrote to say that large red boils are popping up on his oak tree.
Several people wrote to tell him that this is caused by scale. I never realized that scale would have this affect on trees. He included pictures and it really surprised me to see this. He actually chose to pick them off and squash them! This seems to me to leave open wounds in the tree that may not be very healthy.

'Joey MacDougall' of Florida wrote in to say that his/her Gardenias have a black sooty mold on them.
'AuntBee' wrote in with an article stating it is caused by scale. Here is the link: http://lee.ifas.ufl.edu/horticulturearchive/sootymoldongardenia.htm
'Dane79' of Washington says he/she has a problem with morning glory (bindweed) and tried everything to get rid of it. Everyone suggests Roundup repeatedly and lots of patience. Don't I know this to be true!)

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First entry

Temperature went a little crazy today, started at 6:00 AM at 45F and then slowly dropped to 36F as the day progressed and is predicted to be even lower, into the 20's by tonight.
Found Box Elder bugs crawling around the back shed so I sprinkled a little Carbaryl just inside the shed door, trying to keep them out.
I started prepping the garden for this years plantings by dumping some Nutri-Mulch over the Rose bed at the front of the house. It is supposed to help break-up the clay.

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