Had you even had bloom in April before this? I'd guess not, I never had any until a couple years ago. This year, I think I'll just miss getting a March flower.

Me? I'm too new to testify....lol. In the 8 or so years that I've been garden-obsessed, no. But for the other 30+ years of my life, I can't say that I noticed.

I'd say that as a wide generalization, I have blooms on my 1 OGR on Mother's day, and the other modern roses come about 2 weeks later. So no--I think even April would be unusual.

No blooms here but buds that will definitely open in April. The earliest I've ever had a rose bloom outside before is the first week of May. Usual first bloom is Memorial Day weekend. My show is June 16th and I may well be bloomed out by then!

All of the knockouts have flowers opened here already. This is about 5 weeks early as I typically see my first flowers in the first 1-2 weeks of May. The Austins are budded out and showing color but not yet in full flower--I expect Chris Marlowe to open flowers in the next several days.

It does feel like living in a parallel universe to go outside where it feels almost like we skipped spring and are right along to summer. 86F temps predicted on Sunday! Pickering is sending my bare-roots this week (hopefully they are there when I get home) and it would usually be on the early side but feels way too late this year. I spoke with the other vendors (Heirloom/RU) and they are sending potted so it will be okay--they said everyone is really confused this year as to timing because it is way off of the norm.

Well, you folks are ahead of my warm zone 9 garden this year! It has been COLD here lately, even worse than January and February, when I did lots of work in the garden. We are ready to burst forth if it only warms up here. Usually our first blooms come the second week of April.
Sounds like we are in a different universe, too.

You Midwesterners are really irritating me. For the second year we are having a cool, wet spring that seems more like western Oregon than our desert. I can't get my bareroots planted, and it will be weeks before any roses bloom. What on earth is happening? Have the states done a musical chairs switch in geography--something out of the Twilight Zone, maybe? Well, Twilight Zone (I mean the rose) just arrived yesterday, quite appropriately. So maybe that is what is causing some giant hex in the universe. Diane

I usually don't even GO OUTSIDE until Easter, that's been my first day in the garden for YEARS. It's cooled off a bit now, but for the past few weeks I've been working my butt off out there!

We were just commenting, as we sat outside at a restaurant having dinner last night...in March...that it was as we are living in Northern CA at the moment.

I'm used to it being muddy, wet and cold when I go out to plant the bare-roots, but this is like mid-May easily, with everything in full leaf and bud out there. I think I'd better get the drip watering system going with a high of 91F on Monday. That is usually a job for June, once all of the new ones are going well. At the moment I'm hilling up the new bareroots with topsoil and wonder if I should also protect the exposed tops from dessication for a few days with clear plastic bags or something.

OK, I do have a March flower, a Prospero that dropped its sepals yesterday. Generally the shrubs all have large buds, but the modern bush roses that I cut back substantially have only 3-6" shoots.

yeah, well it is back to normal for us in the UK. -2C tonight, and bloody cold easterly winds. As usual though, the insanely optimistic have been planting tomatoes on the allotment plots, forgetting that it is still only March. Mostly toast already (read a book or at least the labels, for heaven's sakes). Yep, I know all the bulbs have been really off the wall this year.....but the rose, even though they are leafing out like mad, look as though they are not going to be fooled by a couple of weeks of June sunshine (unlike the sudden rash of exposed and pallid flesh on show, all over town) We have a term, here in the UK for bulging wads of tummy, squeezing out above too tight trousers - 'muffintops' - enough to put me off baked goods forever.

haha, we call them muffintops here too, and the human version is enough to make one give up the baked goods version indeed!

Boy, does it seem strange to be planting bare roots in a garden that is already in full leaf with temps in the mid-80s. I hilled the new plants up with soil a bit and have just put clear bags over the canes for this first couple of days to prevent dessication. I recall taking this approach once when a grower shipped me bare roots in late April and we had a hot spell. Here I was worrying all spring about roses springing into action and then freezing and now I'm worrying about new plants frying. I really hope there is some temperate weather between now and June.

stlgal, if it's warm and sunny, I'd recommend white rather than clear bags--clear bags would raise the temperature inside maybe 20 or 30 degrees. I treated my new bareroots with Wilt Pruf.

no wonder I'm so cold and moss-covered. check this out ...

Here is a link that might be useful: nasa earth observatory map

I was worried because so many I'd my roses had or were starting to leaf-out, then we had a few nights in the 20's. Surprisingly, the new growth as not been affected at all. I could not fond wilt-pruf anywhere.

Thanks for the advice Michael--Wilt-Pruf is a very good idea. Today and tomorrow feel like an immediate leap into summer (upper 80s-low 90s) then back to 60s and 70s later in the week. I did Wilt-Pruf new roses once, years ago, when it was warm after planting. But most years there is a long cool stretch afterward and you can just water them well and leave them be.

The new ones appear to be immediately putting out leaves from the little red stumps of new growth they had when they arrived from Pickering. I had bags on yesterday but think I can take them off today. Wilt-pruf it is, and then to get the drip watering system additions made to account for the new plants and to get the timer set up...something I wouldn't usually do until late May, but I think I'll be needing to give them all a drink between now and then, the way this is going.

Lol, as far as I'm concerned, Flaurabunda, I would love to continue living in this parallel universe. Sure don't recall the weather ever being this warm so early here in Spokane...I could easily get used to this! :)

And, Harbor Rose, thanks for the NASA Earth Observatory map link! :)

Things have cooled down considerably around here now and the roses have slowed down too. I did get a little frost bite on some leaves this week but nothing serious. The rest of this week looks to be about normal for highs and lows at this time of year. Personally I wouldn't at all mind those warmer days!

Look at mine; blooming today in Kansas. Hard to believe and at least three weeks earlier than ever.

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Musings blog on roses blooming.

Well, it was another gorgeous weekend on "Planet X". I went out snooping, and nearly everything has buds. They are so cute & tiny right now!

I usually don't have a nice tan until June; I remember 4 years ago when I was working at a local swimming pool that we were unable to open on Memorial Day because it was too cold.

Well, hopefully this means a lack of pallid flesh running amok.

Here on the Central coast of CA I don't usually get blooms till mid April, so you got me beat. One rather unusual thing this year was that Duchesse de Brabant never went dormant and bloomed all winter long. We did have a rather mild winter.
Clare