2023 Spring Gardening Outlook in Cincinnati
The weather and your gardens have looked a lot like spring in recent weeks, but the official change of season is just under two weeks away. But is it too early to see flowers blooming?
Updated: 8:56 AM EST Mar 7, 2023
The weather and your gardens have looked a lot like spring in recent weeks, but the official change of season is just under two weeks away. But is it too early to see flowers blooming?WLWT learned it’s not a dramatic difference from years past, but yes, some flowers are blooming a bit earlier than normal this year. Daffodils are among some earlier-than-usual bloomers, but our cooler nights have been helping to keep them looking vibrant and beautiful. You’ll also find blooms like snowdrops, crocus, and winter aconite in Cincinnati right now, but those are considered right on time. Star magnolia blossoms also popped out this week.As far as what to expect from flowering plants as we go into what we think of as “traditional spring,” Kris Ebeling, an employee at AJ Rahn Greenhouses, said, “So like our tried and true spring bloomers –things like tulips, any of those bulbs that you put in in the fall. The larger magnolias, they’ll start blooming. Serviceberries. Fruit trees will start blooming. Now if some of those fruit trees like peaches and cherries, they’ll start to bloom before some of the other ones. If we get a late frost or a late snow, it could actually affect our fruit yield.”It’s important to remember to pump the brakes and to hold off on putting summer annuals in the ground until later in the year. Things you can do safely right now include starting seeds and prepping your garden tools. If you’re worried about early spring cold snaps and how that could affect this year’s bloom, we learned it’s best to be patient and let nature take its course.”There’s not too much you can do about it. So you just kind of have to roll with it. One thing that gardeners should keep in mind though is that our fall was super dry. And if you didn’t water and keep things well hydrated even at the end of last year even,” Ebeling said. “Even though our winter was super mild, you might have some tree and shrub loss. But we’re definitely still in a wait-and-see period. So just kind of keep an eye on things, give them a little extra time before you start thinking, oh maybe I should re-landscape that part of my yard.”Flowers that are safe to plant right now include pansies and ones of the cold hearty variety. Pansies can withstand temperatures as cold as 15 degrees. If they get snowed on, it’s best to just leave it because it actually acts as an insulating blanket.
CINCINNATI —
The weather and your gardens have looked a lot like spring in recent weeks, but the official change of season is just under two weeks away. But is it too early to see flowers blooming?
WLWT learned it’s not a dramatic difference from years past, but yes, some flowers are blooming a bit earlier than normal this year. Daffodils are among some earlier-than-usual bloomers, but our cooler nights have been helping to keep them looking vibrant and beautiful. You’ll also find blooms like snowdrops, crocus, and winter aconite in Cincinnati right now, but those are considered right on time. Star magnolia blossoms also popped out this week.
As far as what to expect from flowering plants as we go into what we think of as “traditional spring,” Kris Ebeling, an employee at AJ Rahn Greenhouses, said, “So like our tried and true spring bloomers –things like tulips, any of those bulbs that you put in in the fall. The larger magnolias, they’ll start blooming. Serviceberries. Fruit trees will start blooming. Now if some of those fruit trees like peaches and cherries, they’ll start to bloom before some of the other ones. If we get a late frost or a late snow, it could actually affect our fruit yield.”
It’s important to remember to pump the brakes and to hold off on putting summer annuals in the ground until later in the year. Things you can do safely right now include starting seeds and prepping your garden tools. If you’re worried about early spring cold snaps and how that could affect this year’s bloom, we learned it’s best to be patient and let nature take its course.
“There’s not too much you can do about it. So you just kind of have to roll with it. One thing that gardeners should keep in mind though is that our fall was super dry. And if you didn’t water and keep things well hydrated even at the end of last year even,” Ebeling said. “Even though our winter was super mild, you might have some tree and shrub loss. But we’re definitely still in a wait-and-see period. So just kind of keep an eye on things, give them a little extra time before you start thinking, oh maybe I should re-landscape that part of my yard.”
Flowers that are safe to plant right now include pansies and ones of the cold hearty variety. Pansies can withstand temperatures as cold as 15 degrees. If they get snowed on, it’s best to just leave it because it actually acts as an insulating blanket.