In all fairness, just because we get a week of odd warmth for early April doesn't mean there isn't a nasty hard frost just around the bend.
Was it two or three years ago that the April frost burned off all the young leaves of deciduous trees?
Best can be said for the welcome warmth is it will bring up the temperature of the soil so it will be easier to work.

too funny!
I've actually been seeing a lot of salvia at the "big box" stores around here (ex May Night), but I've also been able to purchase Salvia Nemorosa "Pink Friesland" and "Sensation Rose" at my favorite local nursery. Other perennials such as cat mint, daylily and coneflowers are also starting to pop up at the nursery.
I know it is possible to get a freeze in April, but I don't think it's going to happen this year. Right now I'm more concerned that my spring plants don't all burn up in this heat!!

Dottie - Thank goodness the leaves on most of the trees here took it okay but the dogwood out front looked bad all year. I'm workin' in the beds but I ain't puttin' nuttin' in the ground for a while yet... and I have my hosta covers ready lol.

I'm concerned about my winter sowing containers because, even if I take the covers off, the trees are not fully leafed out, so too much heat and sun for them and too many to move. I watered them every day for the past week, and now hubbie says it will 90 today!! I will have wilted sprouts!

I hope this doesn't ruin the azalea show. My daffodils and hyacinths were doing beautifully too until the heat started and then they went downhill fast.

I don't have any daffodils, but the ones in my neighborhood do look terrible. I jumped the gun and got my salvia out this past weekend. While I know there's a chance of frost, I just don't think it will happen this year.

That being said, I am being cautiously optimistic and am waiting to put my vegetable seedlings out in a few weeks.

Just everyone, especially the newbies, remember that if you bought that flower/garden plant from undercover(a garden center with a roof or sunscreen netting) don't put it out in full sun right away. Set it in some bright shade so it has a chance to adjust to the higher light level. Plant it on a cloudy day if it's to go in full sun.

Of course I'm aware that it is not uncommon for gardeners to grow citrus trees as houseplants or greenhouse specimens; however, I thought it a little bizarre to find literally scores of Meyer lemon, kumquat, grapefruit, orange, and other citrus trees for sale at the newly opened Lowe's in Clemson, SC--Zone 7b. One would think they were serving gardeners in the Florida Citrus Belt. I almost bought a Meyer lemon but resisted the temptation. After all, I've taken a vow that if a plant cannot live outdoors twelve months of the year, it should stay in the nursery.

After lugging about ten brugs in and out of the greenhouse for two years straight, I am about to adopt that attitude.

I need to check out that Lowes. I'm always hoping I'll find something unusual but I don't want any citrus for sure.

Freeze warning for tonight for us Swain County folk..maybe it is the last one

Lowes currently has Salvia on sale 3 for $10.

I didn't check the variety (I have all the Salvia I need), but I'd guess it was Indigo Spires or May Night, since that's all they ever seem to carry.

I ran by the Clemson Lowe's a couple of days ago to pick up a couple of lavender/purple 'Congo' azaleas to plant alongside the standard, or tree, wisterias on either side of our front pathway and noticed that they have some kind of perennial blue-flowered sage for sale but don't remember the variety.

I haven't seen anything except May Night so far. I'd like to have some more Mystic Spires...last year they had them in the Bonnie vegetable area.

My favorite annual is angelonia and I would have liked to have had some weeks ago. Still haven't seen it in the stores.

I saw some angelonia at my nursery on Saturday... they definitely had a few purple ones. I'll be looking for the pink and white versions in a few weeks - I hope they some in between now and then!