Bloom-watchers in Denver keep their eyes on the magnolias.
“We’ve actually had two years now where the magnolias have bloomed almost undamaged,” said Panayoti Kelaidis, senior director of outreach at Denver Botanic Gardens.
“If we had three years in a row, it would be unbelievable. Usually, four out of five years, the magnolias get fried.”
As the city starts to pink up with blossoms, there are still those random frosty nights that can wreak havoc with the early bloomers.
Forsythias, which are blooming in spring-y yellow around town, are very cold-hardy, but the flowers will freeze if temperatures drop below 25 degrees.
“They usually bloom in early April, but last year they bloomed from mid-March right through to May,” Kelaidis said. “That was a miraculous year.”
The average date of the last frost is May 10, still six weeks away, but the advent of spring blossoms — and temperatures in the 70s — usually makes people go giddy.
“People think it’s time to plant tomatoes,” said Kelaidis, who invariably dispenses other advice.
Prune, spade, prepare new beds. Clean up winter debris from the garden.
For those who’d rather plant than clean, he suggests hardy annuals and perennials: snapdragons, pansies, Iceland poppies, or xeric plants, which have a lot of sugar in their leaves, which keeps them from freezing. This is also one of the best times to plant trees and shrubs.
Citywide bloom-fever gets going at this time of year.
“March is the season when the phone rings off the hook at Denver Botanic Gardens, and everyone’s a gardener,” he said.
“Not only is that a natural human thing, but it’s a really good thing. As we’ve discovered with this tragedy in Japan, the Earth is a very small place. Now we’re pouring radiations into the ocean, and this time of year, people are realizing that nature is something to be cherished and loved,” he said. “It’s a reaffirmation of the best part of being human.”
Colleen O’Connor: 303-954-1083 or coconnor@denverpost.com
