Another First

• Posted on 3 January 2019
• 0

Winter Hours: Monday – Friday 8:00am -4:00pm; Closed Saturdays & Sundays until March

Another first has come and gone.  2018 is now forever in the history books.  As with every year, there were things that were good, some things not so much. Every year brings us all new beginnings and optimism for the new time ahead.  Often by the end of the year, we are ready to be done with it, and again repeat the cycle of starting a new year again.  All said, 2018 was a fairly uneventful year, in a good way.  The most significant thing that will stand out in my mind regarding 2018 is rain.

If you look at the data from the National Weather Service, 2018 doesn’t look all that rainy.  The only month that is radically above normal is February.  According to NWS, it was pretty normal, only a bit above normal for the year.  Perhaps it is microclimate differences or that I am simply delusional, but here at the nursery, we got a substantial increase above normal.

When I subtract the week of bad data my weather station put forth in late January/early February, I still come up with over 66 inches of rainfall we received here at the nursery.  The National Weather Service official total for 2018 was a bit over 45 inches; which represents about 6” of rainfall above average. By contrast, we received about 27” of  ‘above average’ rainfall. We had seven multiple-inch rain events over the last year, where we received more than two inches on each of those days.   Those seven days accounted for 24.96 inches of precipitation we received. 

So what does all of this mean?  Hell, I don’t know.  I just think it is interesting.  I do know this: We planted 20 Green Giant Arborvitae on our property line last January.  I only watered those plants one time, in August, for the entire year.  So what does that mean?  It means that: planting in the winter can be a very good time; that by doing so, maintenance can be minimal.

Happy New Year!

David Bates