Abnormally wet winter delays spring planting

Every year, the months of March and April traditionally represent the time when the cold, rainy winter season transitions into the warmer, blossoming spring season.

As the mostly sunny weather returns, the aroma of the combination of blooming flowers and fresh-cut grass along with trees sprouting new leaves and plants awakening from their dormant state symbolizes the kickoff of the annual gardening season.

However, Northern California is coming out of its wettest winter season in years. The state has received more than 78 trillion gallons of water during the last several months of rainfall, more than 150% of the average rainfall California normally receives, and a statewide average of 27.6 inches of water, according to the National Weather Service. Consequently, the prolonged wetter winter has delayed the start of the spring gardening season, as the rain and uncharacteristically cool weather have prevented gardeners from heading out to restart, add, or maintain their yards and gardens.

“While we love the fact that all this rain helps us get out of the drought, being a landscaper dealing with this unpredictable weather has been a pain,” said Greg Horton, owner of Complete Landscape of Oakley. “Luckily, all of our clients have been understanding for any delays and our scheduling hasn’t been too adversely affected.”

Meanwhile, officials from retail stores like Home Depot say while the recent rainy weather has affected garden sales, the prediction is that since the worst of the storms is over, the gardening season is primed to take off once the weather begins to warm up. The upcoming weeks and weekends are projected to be the busiest for the gardening season.

The added caveat is that due to the severity of storms in some regions, it has necessitated some repair and additional maintenance work that will also bring out shoppers. March is traditionally the time of the year when sales begin to heat up, according to Todd Gonzales, a former operations and merchandising manager for Home Depot. This increases the need for seasonal employees to handle the heavy influx of garden product sales, which traditionally lasts through the end of July.

“The rainy season definitely impacts sales,” said Gonzales, who worked with Home Depot for eight years. “Shoppers are fair weather. When the sun is out, people are out enjoying the day and shopping at a nice garden center. You will still get some traffic – however much, much less.”

The abundance of rain and ensuing eventual melting of the snowpack has allowed the state of California to lift many of the drought restrictions that have handicapped much of the state during the past several years. Data graphs from the U.S. Drought Monitor show that only 2 percent of California is still in “severe” drought, compared to 44 percent this past January, and 41 percent experiencing “extreme” drought just a year ago. The recent drought conditions have led to the increasing popularity of succulents, which are easy to grow, are low maintenance, and require less water.

The heavy rain and reduced drought restrictions may allow for plant and garden enthusiasts to rejoice somewhat this season, though water conservation is still highly encouraged.

“The last seven years we have been in business, we may have only been rained out a couple times a year, but this year it has been over two weeks’ worth,” said Horton. “Also, with the large amount of water, it has saturated the ground so much it delayed some hardscaping projects as the ground is too soft to properly install new materials. The one good thing is the ground is really soft when it comes to digging the holes for all the plants, as digging in the hard ground has been a lot more work.”

According to home improvement website The Spruce, gardeners are advised to plant warm-season plants, add fertilizer to perennials, and add mulch around trees and shrubs. Additionally, the website urges shoppers to prioritize use of mulch, topsoil, fertilizers including weed and feed; lawn fertilizer with herbicide that helps feed

Sod lawns and controls weeds, irrigation and drip systems, along with pavers and garden wall blocks.

Going into the spring season, shoppers and garden enthusiasts are advised and encouraged to seek out help and ask questions at local nurseries or at retail places like Home Depot or Lowe’s, where knowledgeable associates can educate shoppers on how they can beautify or expand their gardens.

“Fertilize your lawn with slow-release fertilizer, and do not overfertilize,” advised local garden expert Francisco Vega. “Start using mulch around your trees and shrubs, and after all the rain and weeds, weed killer such as RoundUp is another popular item right now that kills weeds in unwanted areas.”

Gonzales noted that one of the highlights of the kickoff of every garden season is driving by any garden center or nursery and seeing walls of mulch and garden soil for sale. He further encouraged shoppers to plan, measure, and do some research on what they feel could work best in their yard depending on what area they live in.

“Most garden retailers sell what works in the area, and if you don’t know, ask,” said Gonzales. “People that love gardening love to talk about gardening, and are usually very informative. Customers will be out in force and ready to go.”

More spring gardening tips, ideas, and information can be found at https://bit. ly/3MoVyJQ and at https://bit.ly/40Y3SVg