The Warmth of Spring ‘26
Yes, this will go down in weather history as a true record-breaker. Phoenix with the first recorded temperature over 100 degrees before the Spring Equinox. Other temperature records broken all over our state and others. Is it a fluke, or the new normal? Probably a combination of both, meaning yes, this is extremely rare, but things are warming up in general.
I would not suggest running out and buying tomato plants and warm-season bedding plants just yet, but then again, I don’t own a retail nursery. Retailers are happy to sell you plants you may have to replace, should the weather return to normal before summer. Speaking of which, this past week has been summer. With temperatures in the 90s for several days, yes, summer. And don’t be fooled by the National Weather Service reports. The temperature at your house could be warmer or colder, depending on microclimates. The NWS thermometer is likely located on the tower at the airport, far above where any of us earthlings spend our time. My thermometer is located in the shade about a foot off the ground, so my temps are 4-5 degrees cooler in the winter and 4-5 degrees warmer in the summer, sometimes more.
Nevertheless, this is why I always refer to the date in March as the Spring Equinox, because the First Day of Spring is pretty fluid around here. We had some spring weather for a few weeks already. You remember, those chilly mornings in late February and early March when it would warm up to what my dad called “shirt sleeve weather.” Bulbs burst from the ground, fruit trees began blooming on bare branches, and the early mustards popped up from the ground. A light frost a couple mornings caused this all to pause, but the warm days proved too tempting for the plants to go back to sleep. BAM! 90+ degrees for a few days and the redbuds began to wither before they opened completely.
So, we’ve already had a taste of spring and summer before the end of March! We still have all of the months of April and May before we’re out of the woods completely. So, what do I suggest? Cool your jets. We will most likely have another light frost or two. Hopefully not hard enough to nip the newly formed fruits. Prepare yourself for the possibility by investing now in some frost cloth. If the overnight temps will be in the 30s, cover the tender plants. I recommend using the white cloth because you can safely leave it on the plants for a day or two of cold weather as it lets the light through. Be careful though. If the daytime highs are getting comfortable to you and it’s sunny, it could get a little warm under the cloth, and we don’t want to go the other direction.
If you really want to get the tender veggies and bedding plants in, that’s okay as long as you are prepared to cover them as well. Remember, never use plastic to cover your plants as it actually conducts the cold causing more damage. Once fruit trees have actually set their fruit, they seem to be a bit more resilient. It’s the flowering stage that’s most at risk from frost. There’s a reason why the early blooming fruits like apricots rarely produce here. They bloom so early they nearly always get a hit from Jack Frost.
This single most important thing you can do for your plants right now is irrigate! They probably don’t need the full summer dose yet, but at least give them a Spring drink once or twice a week for your woody plants. The two biggest irrigation mistakes in this area are: turning the system off completely all winter and, leaving the system on all winter. Sounds crazy, right? Watering must be done periodically all winter here because we just don’t get enough falling out of the sky on it’s own to support plant hydration in the cold weather. The below-ground parts of the plants continue to grow while the tops are sleeping. Evergreens especially need a little boost because the tops continue to lose moisture through winter even though they are not growing. As for the second mistake, the primary reason to shut the water down or reduce the quantity, has to do with conservation. It’s a colossal waste of water to continually water year round like in the heat of summer. Secondly, too much water can be just as devastating as not enough, especially if your landscape has some of the more drought-tolerant varieties. They will rot! So please, don’t just set it and forget it. Adjust for the seasons. If you don’t know how to make the adjustments yourself, hire a knowledgeable irrigation expert to either make the adjustments for you, or teach you how to do it. I know at least one such person. The HortiCoach!
See you around the Spring blooms!
The HortiCoach