Recent mild temperatures and lengthening days have enticed Japanese magnolias, camellias, daffodils and other plants to bloom early, but record-low temperatures in this week's forecast threaten to cut short the lives of the fragile blossoms.
"With camellias and Japanese magnolias, you're just sort of at the mercy of God," said Michelle Shepherd, an avid gardener who holds an agriculture degree from Mississippi Valley State University and formerly ran the garden center at Farmer's Supply Cooperative.
"They bloom, and if it comes to freeze like that, it's just sort of our bad luck," she said.
That bad luck could come in the form of an arctic air mass originating in Canada and dropping far south. Forecasters at the National Weather Service in Jackson are calling for high winds and record lows between 15 and 20 degrees Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
Low temperatures this time of year normally stay around the upper 30s and lower 40s. This week's highs should be in that range, reaching the upper 30s Wednesday and jumping into the 40s by Thursday. Normal highs range from the upper 50s to lower 60s.
The cold spell will bring the potential for a hard freeze early Wednesday morning, according to Lynn Burse, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Jackson. Burse advised residents to winterize or cover any exposed water pipes that tend to freeze.
"One good thing is that even though it will be cold late at night and early morning, temperatures will climb during the days," Burse said.
Shepherd, who raises perennials, annuals and vegetables, suggested that gardeners bring their house plants inside until the weather returns to normal. Gardeners should use sheets or plastic sheeting to drape over shrubs, small trees and other plants that might be difficult to move, but any kind of covering should be removed during the day, she said.
"As soon as the sun comes out, take it off because it will have a greenhouse effect on it, and you don't want to burn any of the foliage," Shepherd said.
Cold, freezing weather shouldn't affect azaleas, which hold buds throughout the winter, she said. Azaleas usually start blooming around Easter.
Andy Braswell, 4-H/Ag Agent for Leflore County Agriculture Extension Service, said azalea owners who are concerned about their plants can cover them overnight.
A freeze would probably damage some of the larger fruit trees that have already begun budding and blooming, Braswell said.
Farmers, however, shouldn't have too much to worry about. "Wheat is the only winter crop we've got growing right now. Depending on how cold it gets, wheat farmers could receive damage to some of their older wheat, but most wheat in the area is okay," Braswell said.
He said fickle weather is common in Leflore County this time of year. "It's just a fact of nature and weather," he said. "It'll fool the trees into thinking it's spring time, and they'll go ahead and bud out. But winter's not over yet."
