Spring's here, but is winter really gone?

Byline: Paul ROGERS 

COLUMN: ROOTS OF WISDOM

Today, March 20, spring officially arrived at 1:48 a.m. Can you expect to experience markedly different weather from now on? If past years provide us with any indications, the answer is no! Our weather can change radically from hour to hour but meaningful change occurs at a measured pace. Temperature averages will creep upward; daylength increases two to four minutes a day - every day.

If suddenly the spring season will not burst upon us in a blaze of sun and warmth, why should notice be taken of the vernal equinox? It is because the vernal equinox is a milestone, a signpost alerting us to the march of the seasons. To gardeners, it is a reminder that little time remains for us to prepare for outdoor activities.

Have the grapevines been pruned and retied to their supports? If not, these essential operations should be accomplished at your first free moment. Grapevines are so deeply rooted that their roots occupy unfrozen soil all winter. The below-ground portion of the plants seldom enter deep dormancy. The first warm temperatures of March cause sap to arrive in the vines (like what is happening in sugar maple trees). Excessive vine pruning in April will result in extensive "bleeding" of sap from cut stems. The loss of the nutritionally rich sap is a waste of stored plant carbohydrates, but results in little harm to the plant. It will not bleed to death.

Do you have plants in bloom in your yard? You can, you know! Plant a witch hazel this spring and enjoy February and March blooms for years. Upright growing multistem shrubs reach 15 to 20 feet high and as broad in full sun in moderately rich soil. The flowers are composed of four ribbon-like petals that unfurl on sunny days, as early as January, and roll up tight on cold nights. Expect the display to persist for four to six, even eight weeks in the spring.

"Arnold Promise," a lemon-yellow flowered witch hazel, is easy to grow, readily available and a joyous addition to any spring garden. Introduced years ago by the Arnold Arboretum, the plant provides a secondary display in the fall with red, orange, yellow autumnal foliage.

"Pallida" is a fast-developing shrub to 15 feet tall that flowers with soft, yellow blooms during February and March. The plant was recognized with a Cary Award from the Worcester Country Horticultural Society in 2001. Look for plants at the Tower Hill Botanic Garden plant sale on May 31. "Diane" is similar to the above varieties except the flowers bloom coppery-red. Other varieties are offered at local nurseries. All are similar in plant form, time of flowering, and hardiness. If the witch hazels have any detracting features, it is that many hold their old, dead leaves all winter.

Note also that Hamamelis (the botanical name of the witch hazels) offer a limited number of late-fall blooming, native plants that fit well in natural plantings. As with all the witch hazels - spring and fall types - deer seldom damage the plants.

Before "Arnold Promise" completes its springtime show, Cornus mas, the Cornelian Cherry, covers this dense, rounded, upright to 15 feet high and wide tree with tiny yellow flowers in great abundance. Plant two trees and enjoy a second display in the form of scarlet fruit in early fall. The fruit is edible, as you will observe when birds quickly clean the tree of fruit. The cultivar "Golden Glory" is also a Cary Award-winning selection.

Today can mark the start of a flower parade in your yard.