Spring growth update # 6 Flowering Pear, Tulips, Redbud in bloom. Tree canopy leaf out. Strong storms this afternoon

Redbud and Flowering Pear April 28th 2014

Another week has past and another week into spring we have progressed! This week featured some warm days and we had lots of rain. Between last week and this week here in the Fairmount Park neighborhood of Des Moines we have seen 2.67" of rain, and temperatures have been in the 60s and 70s.

Flowering pear along Easton Boulevard April 27th 2014

This week Flowering pear grace the streets area cities and farmlands with beautiful clouds of white flowers and is making for a beautiful sight. A nice area to walk right now is Park street in Downtown Des Moines which is lined with Flowering Pear.  Neighborhoods and parks all over the city are beautiful at time because everything mentioned in this post is blooming along side Magnolias from last week!

Backyard Flowering Pear April 27th 2014

I chose a Flowering Pear as my backyard tree for my house because of its large size but graceful blooms and simply because  I knew it was something I could not grow in Northern Wisconsin and I wanted to embrace the southerly latitude. Warning though, Flowering pears are beautiful to look at but the flowers do not smell nice! However if you ask me personally I don't think its as bad as some may suggest. Newer Cleveland Select varieties are good choices for lawns. However old Bradford varieties are weak branched and should be avoided.

Frontyard bed Tulips April 27th 2014

This week Tulips are in full bloom! Gardens that are planted with them are colorful and bright at this time. Tulips being in bloom now is great news for the Tulip festival in Pella, which I will be attending Thursday. I will be posting more photos of tulips at that time. The tulips above I had in the fridge over the winter and planted a couple of weeks after I moved.

Tree green up April 27th 2014

Our urban tree canopy has really pushed into green this week with the above mentioned rain and warmth. All early and mid season trees are now flowering or leafing out. Early trees like Crabapples and willows are completely leafed out. Most trees are leafed out to the point where shading is starting to occur. A look across the canopy as a whole you can see lots of green starting to become dense. Only very late trees such as Oaks, hickories, and Walnuts have yet to leaf out.

To come into bloom very shortly will be Crab apples and Lilacs both of which are actually just starting to flower now. My Magnolia is also starting to flower, I will have photos when full bloom occurs. The next few days cool rainy weather is expected, which will likely slow down our growth a bit.

Hailstones from strong afternoon storm April 28th 2014

Today strong storms hit the local area as a couple fronts sat right over the area. Storms developed by 1pm this afternoon and produced mainly hail of non severe thresholds. Here in Fairmount Park we actually had 2-3 storms push over and the 2nd one produced the hail above. Heavy downpours were also seen. There was no severe weather reports anywhere in the area.

Spring growth update # 5 Featuring Daffodils, Magnolias, Other Spring favorites!-Todays temperature report

Magnolia blooms of Saucer Magnolia April 20th 2014

Today was a beautiful day in Des Moines. We had a high of 85.F here in Fairmount Park and many people were taking advantage of Easter Sunday and spending time outside! Much progress has been made this week in terms of our season as temperatures have been very warm the past couple days in the 70s to middle 80s and we have gotten much needed rain last week. The combination of the nearly 2" of rain and summer like warmth has lead to very fast progress in a short time frame. We are now sliding into mid spring growth/bloom in the sense that grass is lush green and mowing has started and trees have really started to leaf out.

Daffodils in full bloom April 20th 2014

Plants in bloom this week include, Daffodils which is not a new addition but have reached full bloom earlier this week and Forsythia ( continuing ) New to this week are Magnolias, Grape hyacinths, Wood violets, Tulips, which I've seen blooming along the sheltered south side of peoples houses, Siberian squill. Cherry trees are also blooming. In tree leaf out species that are leafing out or flowering include, Crab apple, Hackberry, Elm species, Maples and Willows. When looking across the urban canopy in the city there is a spotting of green along with brown. Summer perennials are up and leafing out. Most plants at this point have broken dormancy accept for late trees like Oak species.

Spring garden April 20th 2014

Above is a beautiful mixture of spring blooming bulbs and a forsythia shrub I put together, which includes 3 different colors of daffodils. Across south central Iowa, gardens are and parks everywhere are beautiful and full of blooming plants. Magnolias trees grace the city and country landscape with flowers and wonderful fragrance. People should take the time over the next week to enjoy the beautiful landscape!

Daffodils, Grape hyacinths and Wood violets April 20th 2014

Above is a photo of some interesting plants. The grape hyacinths came with the house which are really responding well after I pulled the grass and cut the huge weedy tree that was shading them out earlier this spring. While weeding I left some wood violets and I have really come to love the combination of the 2 blooming together!  Also I had to find a place for my home states state flower in my garden, the Wood Violet, Wisconsin state flower.


Royal Star Magnolia April 20th 2014

Above is the Royal Star Magnolia I planted in my front yard this spring. I really fell in love with this Magnolia in 2010 when I planted one in my hometown yard. The flowers are pure white, smaller then Saucer Magnolia and very fragrant! I found out squirrels unfortunately also like Magnolia flower buds and one ate some before they opened. I had to fence the entire tree off to protect the remaining buds.

Saucer Magnolia April 20th 2014

Above is a photo of a beautiful Saucer Magnolia tree in my neighborhood. This is the first time I've seen one in person as I now live in an area that has a warm enough climate that they can grow! The flowers on these are pale pink and fragrant, the blooms are also very large. The tree its self is larger and stunningly beautiful when covered in flowers! Some day I would love to add one of these this to my lawn.I have a Susan Magnolia in the lawn that has deep purple flowers which has yet up bloom. I will post photos once it flowers.

Coming soon to bloom are continuing Tulips & late Magnolias, ornamental pear, Redbud and Crab apples, all which cover the city and will make for beautiful photos when that time comes.

Today the area saw low to mid 80s for highs. This made for an above normal day. This is the 2nd time parts of the area has seen middle 80 degree highs.

High April 20th

Fairmount Park- My Sta. 85.F
 Perry 85.F
Des Moines International 84.F
 Pella 84.F
Ankney 82.F
Ames 82.F
Boone 82.F
 Newton 82.F
Marshalltown 81.F
Knoxville 81.F

Near record high yesterday-April 13th Severe weather write up and very healthy rainfall amounts seen today

Green up after morning Thunderstorms April 13th

Yesterday was a summer-like day with high temperatures that got much warmer then they were forecasted to reach. This was followed by a severe weather outbreak along the cold front that started late in the afternoon as several storms broke out and produced lots of hail damage. The two main areas of severe weather were in the Story City area in our local area, however most areas got hit with strong storms as the front went through. A potent weather system pull warm air from the south which pulled in very warm moist air and pushed temperatures in the lower to middle 80s. Dewpoints for the 1st time this season were in the mid to upper 50s which brought a touch of humidity to the air. The high at Des Moines International was 86.F which was 1 degree shy of tying the record high. Below are yesterdays highs

HighsApril 12th

 Fairmount Park ( My station) 87.F
Des Moines International 86.F ( 1 degree from tying record)
 Pella 86.F
 Urbandale 86.F
Perry 86.F
Ames 85.F
 Norwalk 85.F
Madrid 85.F
Marshalltown 84.F
Newton 84.F
Knoxville 84.F
Ankeny 84.F
Boone 84.F
Indianola 84.F

In the afternoon with a boundary that was set up near Highway 30 and later on a cold front, storms developed and quickly starting producing severe hail. Golf ball to tennis ball sized hail was reported in several areas of Northern Boone and Story counties with several different storms that formed, with tennis ball sized hail reported in Story City. Storms continued to re developed and trained along the boundary over that same area for several hours many of which produced their own areas of large hail. Torrential rain was also reported with estimated of 3- 5+ inches of rain around Story City, Marshalltown and Albion. Later in the evening a cold front pushing in from the west caused storms to erupted in Western Iowa and pushed east through the evening. These storms mainly produced strong winds, with the worst of the severe weather in this cluster to the south, but did effect the Knoxville area with 60MPH winds. Around 10pm one of these strong storms passed through the Des Moines area producing 50+ MPH winds from its gust front. This was likely felt across much of Polk and Warren counties. I witnessed this from my house around 10:30pm last night, there were very strong gusts that lasted for about 10 minutes. There was no severe reports from these around Des Moines, however I did see an uprooted tree in West Des Moines. Isolated storms developed all through the night and then Sunday a large area of rain blossomed over much of Iowa delivering a widespread 1-2" of much needed rain. This will help aid in the drought conditions we have been under. Below is a list of reports and rainfall amounts

April 13th Severe Weather Reports

Story City Tennis Ball 2.50" sized hail
Gilbert Golf ball 1.75" sized hail
Roland 1.50" sized hail
9 miles NE Boone Golf ball 1.75" sized hail
Ogden Gold ball 1.75" sized hail
State Center Quarter 1.00" sized hail
Knoxville 61MPH wind gust

Non-severe reports
Des Moines international airport 50MPH gust
Ankeny 44MPH gust
Grimes 51MPH gust
West Des Moines, Small tree down along 63rd Ave

Rainfall Reports

 Marshalltown 3.89"
 Knoxville 3.30"
Ames 2.25"
 Perry 2.06"
Newton 1.83"
Des Moines international 1.73"
 Fairmount Park ( My Station ) 1.71"
Ankeny 1.31"

Severe weather risk today

Image from storm prediction center

The Storm Prediction Center has issued a Slight Risk for severe weather for southern and eastern Iowa today and tonight. This includes everywhere southeast of a line roughly from Stuart to Ames, this includes Des Moines. The best chance of severe weather will be after 5pm mainly, and it will move in from the south and west and move east. Large hail, lightning, high winds, and even the chance for a tornado is possible today. Heavy rainfall will also be a threat, but will likely be more of a thing that is needed then that would cause issues. People in the highlighted yellow area should be prepared for the threat of severe storms today.

Temperature report warm day, highs reached just shy of 80.F

Spring Scene April 11th 2014

Today was a very warm day across south central Iowa, so warm in fact that it felt summer-like as temperatures warmed to the upper 70s, just shy of 80.F. South winds were strong today, but not as strong as the past couple warm ups. Lots of people took advantage of the warm temperatures and went outside to enjoy the weather. I worked in the lawn removing weeds. My spring bulbs really took off blooming especially with how warm the night time lows have been. The high at my station was 79.F degrees. Below is a list of highs today. We have another warm day tomorrow when we have the chance to be warmer then today was before it really cools down for the weekend.

 Highs today

Fairmount Park- My station 79.F
 Urbandale 79.F
Des Moines international 78.F
 Pella 77.F
 Altoona 76.F
Ames 76.F
 Indainola 76.F
 Perry 75.F
Ankeny 75.F
Boone 75.F
Marshalltown 75.F
Newton 75.F
Knoxville 75.F

Warm 75+ degree day-Spring growth update #4 1st Daffodil of the season, Forsythia, Crocus, Early shrub/tree leaf out

Green grass below Woman of Achievement Bridge April 9th


Today was another beautiful but windy 70+ degree day. We had wall to wall sunshine with highs in the mid 70s. Warm strong southwest winds up to 30-40MPH aided in blowing in the warm temperatures. The official high at Des Moines was 76.F with a highest wind gust of 35MPH

Des Moines International Airport 76.F
Fairmount Park-My Station 75.F
 Norwalk 75.F
 Perry 75.F
 Altoona 74.F
 Clive 74.F
Ames 74.F
Ankeny 73.F
 Indianola 73.F
Boone 73.F
 Pella 73.F
Newton 72.F
 Knoxville 72.F
Marshalltown 71.F

Crocus Downtown Des Moines April 8th 2014

Horticulturally speaking there is a lot to talk about. Due to the increasing sun angle and warm temperatures we had for the last week, we have really made progress in the spring-green up. Early and mid spring flowers and shrubs are blooming across area cities and rural areas and it is becoming beautiful, but the major thing people have noticed is grass green up, the grass has really greened up in the past week and it may be soon time to start mowing. This week in flowers, the 1st Daffodils and Hyacinths have bloomed, Crocus are blooming as well as Siberian Squill. In trees and shrubs, Forsythia is blooming, Lilacs and Willow species are leafing out and earlier trees like Crab Apple trees are budding. Magolia's are also showing signs of breaking dormancy. Pictured above are Crocus blooming along Grand Avenue in Downtown Des Moines.

Daffodils opened April 7th 2014

Daffodils along foundations near buildings and peoples houses are blooming this week. This is the 1st daffodil of the season. These officially opened April 7th. Both standard daffodils and miniature daffodils are blooming.

Forsythia April 9th 2014

Forsythia began opening 1 day ago and is now in full bloom.

Weeping Willow leaves April 8th 2014

Weeping Willows are the 1st tree to leaf out in the spring. This tree is located along the Des Moines River.

Young Lilac leaves April 9th 2014

Todays 70+ degree day really helped to speed up the green up process, but what we really need to perk things up is rain, and we have a good chance of that this weekend. There are still multiple plants/flowers ahead to show signs of breaking dormancy and many more beautiful flowers to show.

Later on I will discuss problems gardeners might be coming across right now in their gardens/lawns.