Late bloomer

[randy_byers]

I happened to note last year that the forsythia was already blooming on President's Day, which was February 15th in 2010. The forsythia is just now beginning to blossom this year. According to UW meteorologist Cliff Mass we did have an unusually cold stretch for a few weeks in late February, although I don't recall that we dropped below freezing

Comments

[don_fitch]

Many years, here in Southern California, it never gets cold enough for roses to go fully-dormant, but I'd agree that Presidents' Day is about as good a time as any to prune them if you're going to operate on the basis of some specific date, rather than the (actually impractical) Ideal of "a few days before they start to break out in vigorous new growth".

[randy_byers]

"Actually impractical" seems all too true, although if I shot for MLK Day instead that might get me to at least look at where things stand at that point.