Our lilacs.
Our lilacs are not particularly impressive, and the bush isn't big. But they're ours, and they really are getting bigger. Recently, with our very early spring, they budded out, and the buds are opening. Little baby lilac flowers ...
Meanwhile, our weather has been going back and forth. On Monday, it was nearly 70F (21C) as I drove to lunch. Today, it only got to the mid 40s (7C). And the weather forecast gave us fair warning: hard freeze tonight, with lows in the low 20s (-5C).
Normally, a hard freeze on April 21 isn't a big deal up here. But this hasn't been a normal spring by any means. Not only the warm temperatures but the near total absence of any rain.
By the way, take another look at the baby lilacs. See that blue thing in the background? That's our snow shovel. It's late in the season, but not that late. Last year, we got hit with 8 inches of snow (20 cm) at about this time.
No snow this time, but the skies were clear this evening, the air were dry, and temperatures started dropping after sundown. So we took precautions. My wife and I wrestled with a big blue tarp and spread it out over the baby lilacs, getting it in position with some clothespins. Once it was over, this is what the lilac bush looked like ...
My wife is also planning to plant some delicacies this spring that we both enjoy: rhubarb and asparagus. Both are perennials, so they should be able to stand up to late spring snows and frosts.
Whether they can stand up to hungry bunny rabbits and white-tailed deer, however, may be a different story.
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