Thursday, Jan. 18, 2007

Warm temperatures bring out spring blossoms

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Raphael Talisman⁄The Gazette
Hyattsville resident Joe Buriel’s apricot tree, shown here Tuesday, is now in bloom thanks to the unusually warm weather that has brought temperatures in the area above the average.
Sunny skies and warm breezes have wafted throughout the area over the past couple weeks, bringing with them the signs of spring before its prime.

Blossoms on Dean and Miriam Stackler’s peach tree showed up in the beginning of December. Camellias in their yard on 41st Place in Hyattsville are now in bloom.

Dean Stackler, a gardener who moved to Hyattsville from Florida, said although peach trees are one of the earliest of the fruit trees to bloom, flowering in early December is extremely unusual.

‘‘There are things that we’re growing here now that I would’ve never thought of growing,” said Miriam Stackler.

The gardenias in the Stacklers’ garden are putting out their new leaves, something that usually happens in spring, Miriam Stackler said.

‘‘I’m a little concerned if we get a freeze,” she said, adding the peach tree will only bloom once this year.

‘‘It needs pollination so if the bees aren’t out you won’t get the fruit,” she said.

The location of the Stacklers’ plants prompts early blooming. Their peach tree is blocked on the north side by their home, so it is largely protected from cold winds. It is exposed to a lot of sun on another side.

Jon Traunfeld, state master gardener coordinator with the University of Maryland’s Cooperative Extension Service, said a plant’s immediate surroundings are integral to its survival during extreme weather swings.

‘‘A lot depends on which way your plant is facing, the micro-climate around your plant,” he said, adding if the higher-than-average temperatures persist, plants like blueberries, raspberries, peppers and tomatoes will be best grown this year alongside a garage or wall to soak up the afternoon shade.

‘‘[If there are] a lot of warmer nights, plants can just die if the weather is hot during the day and night,” he said.

However, plants like spinach and arugula could fare better than usual this year, since green vegetables grow better in warmer climes.

Warm weather lovers like daffodils are often seen popping up in gardens earlier than most bulb plants, because weather in mid- and southern Prince George’s County tends to be warmer than in other areas of the state, he said.

The warm streak poses a threat to plants that have bulbs, especially if a plant’s buds begin to grow, Traunfeld said.

‘‘The real damage can happen when buds that aren’t open but are swelling ... could really be damaged if a freeze comes in late spring,” he said.

As far as guarding garden growth, Traunfeld said gardeners should not make major attempts to save developing blossoms until spring.

‘‘It’s just not worth it,” he said, adding the hotter weather may be an outgrowth of potential global warming and is not likely to change.

‘‘Just sort of enjoy what you’re seeing. Learn from it,” he said.

Gloria Felix-Thompson is a gardener and a member of Hyattsville’s Shade Tree Board. While global warming is a concern to her, there are also trends in gardening that play into the odd growth seen in some of the city’s historic gardens.

‘‘Plants, like clothes, have fashions,” she said. ‘‘What you will see in Hyattsville ... is some of the more old-fashioned plants. Hollyhock — you hardly ever see it anymore.

‘‘Now, you’re seeing more tropical plants — banana plants, canna lilies ... there’s a definite trend toward gardens that don’t need a lot of water, anything that survives these really hot summers that we’ve been having.”

Hyattsville gardener David Roeder has seen blooms on his apricot tree and camellia bushes. The early blooming in his eclectic garden, full of shrubs, perennials and wild flowers, does not worry him.

‘‘Things aren’t coming up as early as maybe people are thinking,” he said. ‘‘I don’t worry as much as a lot of people do. I don’t find that worrying about those things makes gardening much fun.”

E-mail Sarah Nemeth at snemeth@gazette.net.

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