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Winter Botany at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden

Recent record highs this winter may have you seeing green in your garden long before you should.
 

Salvia is a sage plant with bright purple flowers, that usually doesn’t bloom until the middle of summer.

“So it’s really strange that we see it still with some green foliage and those beautiful flowers,” says Grace Chapman Elton, director of horticulture at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.
 

Elton says there are lots of plants she’d expect to be dead this time of year, but aren’t -pointing out another type of Sage, Pineapple Sage.

“This is a tropical plant, it would take a really mild winter like this for it to still be blooming and to really make it through the winter,” says Elton.

These sages aren’t the only plants fooled by this year’s record highs. At Lewis Ginter, crab apple and cherry trees are blossoming now -- 10 weeks earlier than normal. Elton says to enjoy the blossoms while you can.

“Things in the rosaceae family, so that’s cherries and plums and apples they’re only going to bloom once,” Elton says. "So they won’t re-bloom when our true spring comes.”

Elton says you may also see your bulbs already poking up green -- but not to worry, they’ll be able to withstand the frost whenever it comes.

“That’s not really going to hurt a bulb, because most of its energy is stored down in the bulb, underground and that’s where the flower bud is,” says Elton.

There is an upside to the warm weather. For those who’ve put off fall mulching and planting, the mild temperatures mean it’s not too late.

One more additional bonus? You’re probably still seeing leafy greens like kale and chard at your local farmer’s markets.

Optional outro: Gardeners who want expert tips on how to adjust for this year’s weather can find free advice from Virginia Tech’s plant expertsonline.

Mallory Noe-Payne is a Radio IQ reporter based in Richmond.