January showers — and a stretch of warm weather — bring January flowers

It may still say January on the calendar, but judging by the eye-popping bounty of early blooms around Metro Vancouver this weekend, we can all be forgiven for thinking spring had sprung.

And if those early daffodils and crocuses prompt you to share your joy on social media — you might want to be prepared for some serious blowback from the rest of the country — who are experiencing extreme winter weather conditions, with no end in sight.

Meanwhile in Vancouver, the average temperature was a full degree warmer than normal so far this January, according to CBC meteorologist Johanna Wagstaffe — up from 4.1 C to 5.2 — which she calls "a substantial bump."

The weather lookahead for next month? "Above normal temps are likely to continue," said Wagstaffe.

So you have to wonder: Is Vancouver in January supposed to look like this?

We went to master gardener Brian Minter for some answers.

Are things blooming early this year?

They really are. This has been an exceptional January … getting up to 11, 12, 13 degrees in January with sunshine is remarkable, and it does have an effect on many plants — as in pushing them to flower quite a bit earlier.

Is there a danger to early blooming plants and flowers?

February can be notorious. The one thing we worry about in the nursery industry is that a lot of the buds on the early blooming perennials — and trees and shrubs — start to swell, and when you get a sudden frost with a dramatic change in temperature you're going to find some burning and some damage.

What can people do to protect their plants from a sudden frost?

There's one magical thing. There's a protective cloth called N-Sulate, and it has the cold hardiness rating of 10 C. In other words, that'll add 10 degrees to whatever you're putting it around. I mean, that is significant, and if you don't have access to that — mulching around your plants is very important.

Is there anything people should keep in mind during this warm, dry spell?

Your neighbours are going to think you've lost it — but watering in January is a really good thing to do — particularly under eaves where things are very dry and in containers as well. Keep them moist.