El Nino/La Nina (Monday, November 9, 1998)

It's a consensus -- it's been a really weird year, especially for roses. El Nino is no joke and no invention of the media. It is a very real, very noticeable phenomenon here in Northern California and the repercussions are still reverberating around here even as we head into another winter. Last winter it rained -- with a vengeance. My roses stood with their feet in many inches of water for long, dreary weeks. Contrary to popular wisdom, they are OK. I've read over and over that roses can't stand to be in standing water -- but they were. There was nothing I could do about it. Except pray. They came out of it just fine and made some pretty amazing growth spurts this summer. In fact, they seemed to like it! However, the dreary, grey weather persisted into the springtime; the rain refused to dispel; the spring bloom was seriously affected. Roses with lots of thin petals balled pitifully and turned brown on the bushes, never opening. The lack of sun seemed to convince many varieties that spring hadn't really arrived and they didn't even produce buds until months later than their regular bloom period. When a few early bloomers like Fortune's Double Yellow ventured to flower on time they were pummeled by heavy, driving rains and their poor blossoms were battered and lost. The conditions created a heyday for all manner of fungi -- blackspot, mildews, and rust reigned supreme and roses which had never seemed prone to these scourges suddenly developed serious cases. Needless to say, frustration reigned as well. I waited for summer. It never really came. While our inland valleys were sweltering in record-breaking high temperatures, my coastal garden remained swathed in dense fog. The sun did not show its face ONCE during the month of July -- no exaggeration! The rest of the summer wasn't much better. I languished, along with my roses. Finally, finally, in October (!) we began to enjoy a little sun. Not much, of course, because the days were shortening quickly. But the long Indian Summer has stayed with us and now, in early November, I have roses. Some of the once-bloomers which had a poor showing in June are giving me some anomalous (but welcome) fall flowers. Pretty strange. The Teas, Chinas, and the modern roses are blooming beautifully right now. I'll have sumptuous bouquets for Thanksgiving! The El Nino warming of the ocean is now reversing and we are being promised a "La Nina" winter of colder-than-usual temperatures with a dry pattern. So far, we've had no signs of this but winter is just beginning to settle in. I wonder what lies ahead?

Previous Rose Wraps Many Changes (Monday, April 17, 2000) Where's Alice??? (Monday, August 16, 1999) Ah, the Celebration...... (Wednesday, May 19, 1999) Long Time, No Wrap.... (Tuesday, April 6, 1999) Is It Spring Yet??? (Wednesday, March 10, 1999) Mothers Day in Mendocino... (Friday, February 26, 1999) Old Blush (Tuesday, February 9, 1999) Plum Blossoms (Wednesday, January 27, 1999) The Dead of Winter (Friday, January 15, 1999) The Old Year Passeth.... (Monday, January 4, 1999) Alba Madness! (Thursday, December 10, 1998) The Weather Again (Thursday, November 19, 1998) El Nino/La Nina (Monday, November 9, 1998)

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White Rabbit Roses
P.O. Box 191, Elk, CA 95432
Proprietor: Alice Flores
Colophon