Ohioans experience all four seasons in one week: Scientists blame climate change and punish Groundhog for inaccuracy

E\ -5 3DQG\, 3DQG\¶V *DrGeQ &eQter

0arch th, the official arrival of spring Zill be here before Ze NnoZ it.

,t¶s alZays interesting to me to looN bacN over the past feZ months and lament over Zhat has transpired. 6noZfall in our area Zas less than half the average of ´ and has been posted in the record booNs at a mere

´. :e have had days Zith temperatures over degrees. , am sure you can remember the mid degrees days folloZed by a degree change to the mid ¶s in less than hours the past couple of ZeeNs. ,t seems Ze have e[perienced all seasons of Zeather in a couple days over the course of this Zinter.

6o many clients have phoned in asNing if there bulbs Zill be oN as they are pushing out of the ground Zay ahead of normal times. , thinN the chronicle telegram printed a picture of crocus blooming on :ashington avenue in mid )ebruary. This is one month earlier than last year. And yes, bulbs pushing out of the ground Zill be fine. Those plants are tough

1oZ Ze are e[periencing colder than average temperatures and that is predicted to last for the ne[t couple of ZeeNs. As of todays Zriting of this article, Ze are almost

ZeeNs ahead of last year. 0aybe this cooler Zeather Zill bring things bacN to normal. ,f there is such a thing"

Here are my predictions for

Gardening Zill continue to be strong as more and more people continue to plant and groZ some of their oZn produce. :ith

- costs for a head of caulifloZer or broccoli, Zhy Zouldn¶t you groZ your oZn vegetables and save money at the same time" )ruit trees and bushes Zill continue to be in high demand.

/abor continues to be a tough nut to cracN. AsN anyone in any field and they Zill all have the same ansZer. They need help. They are short staffed and could use more people. :e are in the same boat, our landscape division could use some more guys as Zell. ,f you NnoZ of anyone, please have them contact us.

As for pricing, some items have risen again thanNs to short supplies. Anything Zith peat moss in it, most fertilizers, plastics, resin, and items shipped long distances, e[pect to see some higher pricing.

2n the positive side, Ze are seeing future pricing for items starting to stabilize and actual drop a bit.

Houseplants continue to be selling strong. 6ince the home and floZer shoZ bacN in )ebruary, many neZ clients have discovered us. :e honestly have had neZ clients travel from 0ichigan, (rie, 3ennsylvania and all points of 2hio from Athens to Toledo to shop and buy our plants. 0any have commented our Tuality, selection and pricing can not be beat Houseplants are a great addition to the home and a preTuel to 6pring

2ur staff has been transplanting liNe crazy, the scent of spring, ANa 'irt is in the air. 2ur nursery is beginning to unload our overZintering houses and placing bushes and trees outside for sale. TrucNs of nursery stocN Zill start rolling in the ne[t feZ ZeeNs and Ze should be fully stocNed by mid April. The days are getting longer. The store smells liNe fertilizer, not a great smell , but thats an indication of spring.

0ore and more friends are starting to visit us and getting fertilizers to feed their plants. Crabgrass preventers time is upon us. 'ormant oils and copper sprays are selling for those to spray their fruit trees Zhile they are still dormant to start fresh Zithout insects or diseases. 6eeds are selling for gardens.

6o in closing, get outside, trim your plants on a sunny day, get the yard cleaned up, pull that e[tra mulch off of the perennials, add compost to your garden, get your early sprays started on plants you had problems Zith last year. 3lant your potatoes and onion sets.