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This is a plant that blooms in May. In MAY. It had no business putting out buds in January, and it got zapped.
I'm sad. This plant is in the apple family (genus Malus), which tend to have one strong flowering year followed by a weak flowering year. This was to be a strong year.
I haven't been brave enough to walk across my icy lawn to investigate the Magnolia stellata buds. I can only hope that plant is sitting tight. Crazy weather.
Putting it into perspective:
Digging: Diary of an Austin Gardener
And this roundup doesn't include the good folks in the Vancouver area that got hit with hard snowfalls last month. Me whining about my little bud is better put in perspective. It is winter. And others are truly suffering when they look out the window at the ice that SHOULDN'T be there.
Thank you all for your commiseration; I'm sending a blast of warm thoughts to those south and their iced up gardens!
Oh no! Nice pic, though. :)
Posted by: Rurality | January 18, 2007 at 11:56 AM
Brrr! Maybe the ice will act as an insulator and keep the buds from dying. Luckily the quince around here in NJ actually bloomed although for some reason ours did not. In fact there are no buds on the shrub yet though it bloomed last year. Maybe we have a smart quince.
I think your stellata buds should be just fine unless they started to unfurl. Ours are getting quite large and we were afraid they were going to bloom but luckily they held off as the cold came in.
Posted by: Ki | January 18, 2007 at 12:42 PM
Back in IL we'd sometimes see our lilac buds covered in ice - they frequently bloomed anyway - hope your Magnolias are okay, Jenn.
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Posted by: Annie in Austin | January 18, 2007 at 01:21 PM
I hope your magnolias are okay... I know that you're bummed about the quince, but at least you got a very cool picture out of it.
Posted by: kim (blackswamp_girl) | January 18, 2007 at 08:51 PM
I feel like "odd gardener left out" since we have not had any really bad weather *yet* this winter. We are almost holding our breaths waiting, because eventually we know we will get something... some ice, perhaps snow. But for now, I am happy not to be on your list of crazy weather links! I've been checking them out and offering my sympathies.
Posted by: Carol | January 18, 2007 at 09:30 PM
I know as much about gardening as I do about thermonuclear engineering (less than you'd think. No, really). What I can say authoritatively is that that is one cool picture.
I may have to lean on you slightly for help come spring, when I get started on the outside of our place. I hope you don't mind.
Posted by: Chris | January 19, 2007 at 10:45 AM
Be happy to help, Chris. You are in a more severe climate - but I can point you to plants that will do well and other people's sites that are in similar conditions.
The starting point is determining what your 'zone' is - The USDA map is in general use even through the Provinces that share borders with the States, although I have heard that Canada puts out it's own version, so watch for some confusion on that front. Here is a map that shows Canada.
Depending on where you are located - you look to be in zone three.
Posted by: jenn | January 19, 2007 at 11:33 AM
I can sympathize with you regarding frozen flowers. I hope yours pull through like some of mine have.
Posted by: Pam/Digging | January 19, 2007 at 01:13 PM
The photo is lovely. We finally got several inches of snow this week, so are beginning to look like Maine in the winter.
Posted by: Sandy | January 20, 2007 at 12:27 PM
Beautiful photo! Seems like it's been a strange winter for so many gardeners.
Thanks for thinking of us Vancouver folks. It's starting to warm up here, finally. But who knows if it'll stick? What a weird winter.
Posted by: Andrea | January 21, 2007 at 10:23 PM
That's one really astonishing photo!
Posted by: pablo | January 22, 2007 at 09:18 PM
That is an incredible picture. But, oh...the agony!!!
Maybe it's just testing the waters in readiness for it's big season??
Posted by: Stuart | January 22, 2007 at 10:37 PM
Poor buds -- but a fab photo. I saw Narcissus in bloom here today (WAY off schedule) and now Winter-Come-Lately has finally decided to make an appearance. Found your blog through Garden Rant, along with some others. Thank God. I blog on Livejournal and have spent hours looking for fellow garden bloggers there, without much success.
Posted by: ladysmantle | January 24, 2007 at 08:13 AM
Awww. Poor thing. I took a photo of some crocuses coming up a few weeks ago, and the irises were starting to emerge in my front yard.
Posted by: Carina | January 24, 2007 at 05:00 PM
Ladysmantle:
You might check out the LJ community on The Gardener That should give you a fair start at finding us.
Posted by: jenn | January 24, 2007 at 08:03 PM
Carina: I've been afraid to look at it since the ice came off. I think I'll wait and look come spring... call me coward!
Posted by: jenn | January 24, 2007 at 08:04 PM
yep, 3b is us.
Posted by: Chris | January 25, 2007 at 03:23 PM
Great photo - the poor tree :( I'm visiting via the Festival!
Posted by: Heather in Beautiful British Columbia | February 02, 2007 at 01:42 AM
Welcome, travelers from the Festival! Have a comfy seat, grab a cuppa and above all, stay warm!
Posted by: jenn | February 02, 2007 at 09:05 AM
Lovely photo, I hope the buds are okay through the bad weather - but you're right they shouldn't be budding like that yet anyway.
Posted by: Crafty Green Poet | February 02, 2007 at 09:50 AM
For Mark:
The Festival of the Trees
Posted by: jenn | February 02, 2007 at 10:14 PM