NORFOLK, Va. (WVEC) -- According to the calendar, it is now officially spring, but we're still experiencing some winter-like weather. This all comes after getting through the third warmest February on record.
These big temperature swings have left some of our local plants a bit confused.
According to Les Parks, Director of Horticulture at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens, the warm February caused some flowers to bloom much earlier than usual. Surprisingly, he also noted that "it’s actually turned out to be a colorful spring because normally the flowers have a set time that they bloom but this cold weather’s actually prolonging that color."
Parks added, "A lot of them do respond to temperature, but there are quite a few plants that respond to the amount of light in the sky. So those are always going to open up at the same time."
It's also important to note that if you're going to start planting a garden now, look for plants that like the cooler weather such as lettuces, cabbage, and Kale.
Parks warns to be careful of planting anything like tomatoes, squash, peppers, or anything else that is a summer plant. It's best to wait until mid-April before planting those.