Saturday, June 5, 2010

A Michigan May

Mother's Day Weekend:
Friday - 80 Degrees, Sun.
Saturday - Hard Frost, Heavy Wet Snow,
                 Over Night 29 Degrees.
Sunday - Sun, 75 Degrees.

We were warned about the cold.  But none of us really believed it could be true.  It had been the warmest Spring my mother could remember.  She kept tellng me it was too early to plant, but I kept purchasing all the color and beauty I could.

We kept the tender plants in the garage, raised the garage doors to let in the sun by day, and closed at night against the evening chills.  I planted the shrubs, and the new White Cedar Trees, the Dutch Iris bulbs.  And then this:  a snow so heavy bushes hugged the ground. 

We lost no tender plants.  The Iris bulbs have yet to come up, and its June.  The Cedar Trees had been doing well, but were frost burned.  Only one of the ten Vibernum was killed.  A person couldn't tell we had such a May Snow, looking at the flowers in bloom, or the shrubs back to their normal upright stance.  But I learned a valuable lesson about A Michigan May.  Don't plant until after June 1st.  (Though I have to admit, I put everything in by about the 20th of May.)

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