I agree it has been a very cold and weird spring in the UK and probably similar over the channel also. There was such a long delay between the very early varieties like 'Kotohime' and 'Katsura' leafing out and the rest - everything went into slow motion with many half leafed out. I have been repotting many JM's this spring and only in the last couple of days have I started to notice new white roots on any of the rootballs. Also, I must be lucky with frost because I just ignore it and it ignores my maples in return. I have been following this policy for 20 years and have never had any problems associated with spring frosts. I had a pet theory some years ago that frost damage in JM's occurs when strong early morning sunlight hits the leaf while frost is still on it but my gardens are not exposed to early morning sun so no way to test it. (Obviously Pseudomonas will encourage frost damage if trees are infected). I live in a town so not exposed to the same type of super-hard frost you might see in an open field well away from buildings and hedges and fences. Sorry for the off-topic, had some showers today but also a fair bit of sun - certainly not warm yet though!
The same down here in Hampshire M, I think we are at least a month behind this year. I wonder if this will mean a late Autumn show !!!? Or lots of catch up in June...
Wow! Here, it's been 8-9 at night and 15-18 in the afternoon. Rain and sunny spells, yesterday, there was thunder and lightning in the evening, with heavy rain for 1/2 an hour or so, mainly sunny this morning and I went to a garden centre I hadn't been to before this afternoon. It was mainly sunny, but the sky suddenly turned black and it was raining when I got to that garden center (about 25 km, 16 miles or so). Half of the maples had frost damage, a few healthy leaves at the lower part, shrivelled or brown leaves at the top. I was going to go out, it was rather sunny a few minutes ago, but as I was typing this, it got dark outside, there was a flash of lightning and soon after, I heard thunder rolling nearby. Not very practical when you want to go outside, but... I love this kind of weather ! ;°) Before the rain : There have been a couple of pidgeons building a nest in my Zelkova. This year, it seems their kids are living with their parents. When the first thunder booms were heard, 4 left the tree to perch themselves on my neighbour's TV aerial : Then it rained, I could hear tthe rain pounding on the window panes : It became less "violent" : 15 minutes later, the sun is back : I love this weather... <SMILE>
I think France and England are getting the very same storms. Just had thunder and lightning, plus hail stones in the last few minutes. It's a little warmer than yesterday though , but only by 4°. On the way up so that's a good thing. And another plus, is that we can now meet our families indoors. So it's now time to be cheerful.
Thank - er... nature, so far, no hail. Years ago, I had a car that stayed under a hail storm while we were visiting friends, hail as big as golf balls, some nearly as big and hard as pool balls. We shouted to the kids "Run inside, now !", it happened so unexpectedly, all of a sudden. My car didn't suffer much damage, just a few bumps on the roof, but others a few hundreds metres/yards away were battered and looked like corrugated iron, some even with broken windshileds.
Have you seen the film, 'The day after tomorrow' Alain? Your true story reminded me of this. 'Pool ball size hail stones'. Not that size here by any means, but the way everything is changing, who really knows whats next !!
I haven't. But that reminded me of a cartoon about after a nuclear disaster, I think it was by Raymond Briggs, I'm not sure. So far, I only found this, which is a film that was so close to my dreams when I was a kid that I loved to show it to my sons when they were young, such a beautiful story, it really reminded me of when I was 5 years old and living in the mountains :
Oh yes what a lovely little film. We have also sat and watched it with our children and grandchildren. 'TIMELESS '.
I've just had the weather forecast for two days time. Now we have strong winds to batter any new growth our maples have only just made. We are definitely not catching a break this year weather wise!!
More contrast here : 4 at night, 16.5 this afternoon. But wind, rain and sunny patches, a sort of "Breton" weather.
T-storm with hail!! Les giboulées de mars! And more wind. The larger maples are loving all the water, though some heat would be nice, I guess it's around 15 which is more than we've had. But the little pots and young grafts are starting to have a really hard time. I'm very concerned for a large A. davidii 'Earnest Wilson' that hasn't leafed out yet. We lost 3 other davidiis last year, but this is a big and well established tree, our best davidii. It would be a sad loss.
Here in western Canada, about 500 kms from the coast, it is an unseasonably cold 5.8ºC right now (7:51 a.m.) under heavy overcast and light rain. Forecast for later today is 15º and partly sunny. Yesterday we had some high winds, but it's flat calm this morning.
I'm hearing more and more sad cases of people losing trees this year than ever before. Yes we all expect a loss now and again, but this Spring has made quite a difference to so many trees. Our local woods where we walk has so many that have not leafed out yet. It's getting a bit late, but fingers crossed they will do.
We had 4°C last night, far too cold for the little pots. If this is going to become the norm, then I think some better projection is required next year and onwards.
This morning here at Anglemont in the North Shuswap in B.C. it is currently 6.9ºC at 7:25 a.m. Forecast today is nothing but sunshine. Forecast high is only 20º though. Tomorrow more of the same, all sun with a high of 24º, at least that's a bit better. Here's the view we have to put up with, from the driveway. Better from the top deck, maybe another day for that one.
