Where's Winter?
Warm weather has brought trees, shrubs and bulbs into bloom early
The unusually mild winter in the east of the country has confused many plants and shrubs into thinking that spring is here. The unusual conditions have been attributed to the El Nino ocean currents that herald milder but wetter conditions than normal. This year though the lack of winter has been manifested by many horticultural oddities: Cherry trees in bloom in Washington, Plum trees in bloom in Boston and daffodils already in bloom in Atlanta – all in January! Apart from the novelty of these events, there is some definite concern about what the long-term effect of this early bloom might be.
Bulbs that come into bloom too early will be the most likely to have problems. The bloom is not as cold tolerant as the leaves, and will likely be damaged by a return to winter, if that happens. However, as long as the leaves are uncovered and photosynthesizing, food is being created and the bulb itself will likely sustain little long-term problems. A different problem, however, will be encountered with some of the northern varieties of daffodils and tulips that require a longer dormant spell. These bulbs will be weaker, in general, this year and may not put out quite the brilliant show that you normally see. Most winter bulbs though will survive the occasional warm winter.
Trees and Shrubs in bloom early will probably not put on as many blooms as normal. These trees are putting out blooms that were formed last summer and when they have finished blooming, the leaves will be come out. A very cold spell will affect both the bloom and the early leaves, but the trees will generally have sufficient leaves for the effect to be virtually unnoticeable in the summer. More problematic though are those blooms that need pollination to set fruit. Early pollinators may not be around in what should be winter and this will reduce the crop yield. Early set immature fruit is also more vulnerable to damage from freezing temperatures, should they occur. This too will diminish the number of viable fruit that is produced from the tree.
Ultimately there is going to be little that can be done when a plant blooms out of season, but in the short term it will not have a dramatic effect on your landscape. If the mild conditions are repeated for several years then the effect would be more prominent and more troublesome for the landscape.
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