Friday, January 31, 2014

Dayton "Dirt" - January 31, 2014

Another week of cold, windy weather has gone away with the delightful realization that with the first of February tomorrow, spring is only 7 weeks away. While California suffers from drought from little rain and snow in the mountains, normally rainy Oregon is dry with above normal temperatures. Alaska too is experiencing a mild winter maybe as the result of the polar air mass visiting the eastern half of North America. At the nursery work has all but stopped in the unheated greenhouses because of the bitter cold. Of course the structures could be heated to allow the work to continue but the natural gas meters are working overtime on the normally heated structures. The insulation of the six inches or more of snow was a very welcome relief although it may have come a little late to prevent damage to some plants what were almost wholly uncovered last week with temperatures dipping to near zero with that all but relentless wind. A hunter at the nursery reported that he had seen eight deer huddled together under the neighbor’s grove of white pine. When searching for scarce food, the deer have been traversing the rhododendron garden by evidence of their hoof prints but again have been repelled by the scent of the liquid fence product on the plants. While spring seems only like a dream, soon this winter will be in the rear view mirror with the warm weather ahead. Jim Chatfield of the Ohio State Extension wrote in the Akron Beacon Journal last Saturday that as soon as the temperatures warm up just a little in February, the Witch Hazel (Hamamelis) will be blooming. How strange that such a flower would be able to withstand cold freezing nights as compared to the azalea blossom that will shrivel at just the hint of frost! Tomorrow is our first in a series of 6 seminars lasting into early March. This Friday we’re diligently clearing the remaining snow from the parking lot and remaining walk ways to the Owl Barn to make the trek safe. This surely will be a true test of the small boiler with the heating pipes in the floor of the seminar room to keep the room comfortably warm after the long prolonged cold snap. See you at the seminar. Tom

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