Spring has been postponed

 It wasn't this cold all winter.  Jeez.

That's too many days (nights) in a row that will be well below freezing.  I'm assuming the ground will even freeze.

In years past, I've often had plants ready to go out into the garden well before the garden was ready to receive them.  The last couple of years, I've adjusted that, and this year was going to probably be my best effort to time it right.  With that in mind, I started loads and loads of poppies.  They were big enough to go outdoors into my "cold frame," leaving me needed room in my seedling chamber for newly germinated plants.  Now I've had to bring everything indoors under less than ideal conditions.  They won't get enough light, but at least they won't freeze.

I also had my rose cuttings outdoors, and they might have been okay in the cold frame, but after seven years trying and finally having some success last year, I'm loath to take the chance.  One of them even has a bud.  I had the pot marked "South Africa", and that could be correct, but it looks like it could be "Razzle Dazzle".  Perhaps it will be more evident when the bud opens.  

In the garden, crocus were already blooming.

'Ruby Giant'

'Jeanne D'Arc'

I don't know why 'Ruby Giant' is named giant.  It certainly doesn't look like a giant.  Especially next to 'Jeanne D'Arc'.

I've done what I can to protect the plants already up and thriving, which includes the oriental poppies, daffodils, alliums, and some tulips.  Fingers crossed.

I (re)spread bald cypress needles over much of the tulip beds because I didn't have enough garden fleece.  We'll see what difference it makes.

And I've had the rhubarb under row cover for several days already.  It's been freezing a few nights in the last week or so, and rhubarb's large leaves don't do well in those conditions.

A few of the rose bushes have started to push out new leaves, and the climbing rose is further along than all the others.  I haven't removed the cypress needles from around the bushes yet anyway, but the climbing rose has leafed out all the way along the climbing branches.  I figured I could just cut it back when the leaf babies died but finally decided I'd try to save those tender shoots from the freeze.  Hopefully this works.  If the sun shines too brightly during the day, it might just cook those shoots, in which case I'll still have to cut it back.  Like I said, I'm out of fleece.  I've never had to cover this much area before.

Perhaps one year everything will work out perfectly.  You may call me a dreamer.

See you on the other side of winter.  (Lord, I hope this is the last of it.)