Buckeye Yard and Garden onLine

What was quite apparent during this week's BYGL were the things BYGLers were not finding. All areas of the state reported a lack of things to report. Tim Malinich and Randy Zondag both found soils that were still frozen and snow could still be seen in sheltered or shaded areas. Northern regions of the state were showing little or no growth of the early bulbs. Ephemerals were beginning to make a show and daffodils were only a few inches above the ground. In the more central region of the state, Pam Bennett reported that though bulbs were up, elongation in tulips and hyacinth is less than normal with flowers opening close to the ground on shorter flower stalks. Illustrating the State's typical North-South differences, Dave Dyke reported Forsythia is just beginning to bloom in Southern Ohio.

In most instances, it is not that the weather was particularly cold, but rather that the area lacked the breaks of warm weather to give plants a chance to put on some early development. The result is a delay in what is normally expected in the landscape for this time of year. The upcoming weeks should provide ample degree-days to bring plants and pests up to where one would expect for April and May. Indeed, Curtis Young reported that during this season's few warm days he had found flies and other insects beginning to move around yards and gardens. So, fear not, we will eventually be at wit's end with pest problems like any other normal year.