It’s bloomin’ time. . .
But coming old could stunt some blossoms
Staff writer
Mother nature shed her winter clothes and put on a party dress this past week as warm temperatures coaxed fruit trees to flower.
The pretty blossoms have some growers wishing for apples, pears, and cherries, but a cold snap late this week might stunt the crop.
“We are hopeful,” said Pam Byer, a tree expert who owns a small orchard of about 20 trees. “Last year it got going really good, but a late frost damaged a lot of the fruit.”
A friend of hers has an apple tree that usually produces fruit, but had none last year.
Byers said none of her trees produced.
“I literally got nothing — not a single piece of fruit last year,” she said. “Normally, if apples do badly you will get something else.”
Cooler temperatures and rain are expected at the end of the week, with Friday and Saturday offering the best chance for temperatures that “flirt with freezing,” forecaster Roger Martin said.
“We are not looking for a widespread killing frost or freeze,” he said. “But there is some potential for chillier temperatures.”
He said the cold is not horribly unusual for April, but admitted it is a little late for temperatures to drop this low.
Martin said he understands why gardeners and growers might be concerned as warmer weather has caused plants to “green up and get growing.”
Byer said she will be covering her plants at night to protect them, but in the meantime she is enjoying the lovely blossoms.
“Everybody’s trees are blooming,” she said. “We are looking forward to the food the flowers could bring.”