Dahlia in Bud, June 1st
I’m sure the explanation is simple: climate change; a thirty-year weather cycle; a slight increase (or decrease) in the tilt of Earth’s axis. Whatever the reason is makes no difference. As far as I’m concerned, these glory-days of spring are an amazement my memory can’t duplicate.
Never were the rhododendrons ‘over’ by Memorial Day. Never have we had so many hummingbirds at our feeder. Never have the dahlias been in bud on the first of June. I’ve not had an opportunity to speak with our local Phenomena-of Nature guru, Kathleen Sayce, to get her (always reasonable) explanation for it all. And, perhaps more importantly, her predictions for what’s in store for us in summer, fall, and beyond.
Fall apples in May!
For, surely, there will be consequences. I doubt that even Mother Nature is immune to such a jolt to the balance of things without bite-back. Early snow melt, flooding, early dry-out, risk of forest fires – everything coming faster and being out of the usual whack. In fact, I imagine the flooding in Texas is directly related to spring’s early arrival.
Around here, people are already concerned about the summer’s fire risk – especially over the Fourth of July. Actually, the ‘Not a Ban a Better Plan’ fireworks committee has worked for an entire year on finding ways to minimize fire risk over the Fourth and, according to all reports has had great success in getting the various agencies concerned with safety and enforcement working toward a common goal. Yay! Maybe for the first time in recent memory the no overnight camping ban on the beach will actually be enforced, even on the Fourth.
Morning Breakfast Stop
My immediate problem, though, is just to keep from becoming obliterated by garden growth. Talk about “lush!” Usually by the first of June I’m still working on weed-pulling and haven’t yet considered bush-whacking at all. Not so this year. If Nyel hadn’t already trimmed the rhodies outside our north and east windows, we wouldn’t be able to see outside at all. And still they grow – inches a day it seems.
I’m trying to take my cues from the bees. Our ceanothus is literally a-buzz with pollen-laden worker-bees making hay while the sun shines, so to speak. It’s all about ‘now’ in the garden – especially when spring’s on steroids.
Well, I am glad for the bees since they are endangered. Yes, our rhododendrons are pretty well spent and I am deadheading (or trying to). Ours suffered from years of neglect so I hope the mulch we brought all the way from Peninsula Landscaping will help them. Ask Kathleen. I am thinking climate change.