EARLY SPRING? Flowers begin blooming in the Ozarks

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - Noticed flowers blooming? The types of flowers and plants budding and blooming grow prematurely when temperatures rise. They include daffodils, crocus, and jonquils.

It’s been a nice surprise during the so-called dead of winter, but they will likely pull back by the weekend due to the cold air moving in.

“You’re at the mercy of nature any time you’re dealing with any plants,” said Kevin Grzybowski, a Nursery Manager.

Kevin Grzybowski is the nursery manager at Wickman’s Garden Village. He says early bloomers tend to take advantage of the warm weather but are burned off as soon as winter rears its head again, which is inevitable in February. He says not to worry.

“Even if it does get damaged by the winter temperatures, it doesn’t mean the plant is necessarily going to die,” said Grzybowski.

He says there’s a good chance the blooms will return later in the spring when it warms back up.

Once we reach the middle and end of March, a sudden temperature drop becomes dangerous to fruit-bearing trees and flowering plants.

“Trees will begin to swell and have their green tip points, more flowers will start emerging, and at that point, as it approaches its natural time to flower, that is when you’ll have more damage to those leaves and flowers,” said Grzybowski. “That will take a little more of the health of that plant in the long term.”

He says the colder it is, the more damage is done.

Once we get into spring, it becomes essential to cover plants when temperatures are forecast to drop below freezing suddenly. At that point, a frost blanket or bucket can keep the plant warm enough overnight. Remember that you will have to remove the covering the following day to give the plant the sun and airflow it needs.

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