You had 60 degrees yesterday?!
I'm also in central jersey but we were cold and nasty yesterday.
Maybe you were referring to a day or two ago when it was in the '60's.
yes, I love it, but - confusing for the plants.

I could use another warm day or two to get the outdoor Christmas decorations up.

Monday was balmy, but we had a pretty unpleasant day Tuesday and today, as well. Cold, gray and damp. Ech. Hoping for a better day tomorrow so I can get the winter container done at work. Got the wreath and Christmas tree done today - decorated with ribbons and natural materials. Winter's coming in quickly this year ... Let's hope it also makes an early and hasty exit!

I agree, gardenstate, about winter coming in quickly this year. I feel like I've already endured 3 months of winter, and the calendar winter hasn't even started yet. I dislike the gloomy gray skies even more than the cold. But I heard we are sup'd to get sunny weather for 3 days staring Fri. hope so.

For what it's worth folks, winter doesn't commence until Sunday late afternoon. To this writer, it's been a fairly 'normal' late fall - temperature wise. A bit more mild than it was last year, but nothing out of the normal. Love that we're getting a decent amount of precip every 4-5 days to tide over any of the recently transplanted items in my garden. Oak leaves all blown/raked into the beds. Still having some rogue flowering to rh. mucronulatum 'Pink Panther' & Rh. Faisia, but that occurs nearly every fall (I live along the Jersey coast). What I'm really happy about is the amount of growth many of the oak saplings put on this summer. As I scan the gardens, I have about 2 dozen throughout the property and they're now anywhere from 8-15'. Trimming up all of the lower branches to encourage the leader. Before long, they'll be joining the stratified understory of my dogwoods, redbud, serviceberry, sassafras. Have a nice holiday. Oh, btw, don't let the snow fool you. It's from a past winter :-)

No, this is not normal at all. We have not had many days below freezing. Now we are 50F at Christmas time. It is nice for people, but still not normal weather.... We've had so much rain. Rain, rain, go away....

Redsun. Be careful for what you wish for and to this writer, it's hardly been too much rain. And if you are a gardener, you should know that rain is great for the the shrubs, the trees even when they're dormant.

As for normal, it's been barely 'above' normal this fall. Then again, last 'late' fall, it was below normal. Deal with it. That's the weather some time.

Many complained about this past summer - when was it going to arrive (remember last June?). It was cooler - when it actuality it was near normal, just not the uber heat we've experienced these past 6-7 years.

birdsong72, I do not understand that you kept denying that we have a "above" normal winter. Take a look at the December average temperature. I do not think it is even close to freezing.

Excess rain is not good for anything. Trees and shrubs can die in standing water for a long time.

It is just meaningless to argue.....

I don't want to argue with anyone - just relish having dialog with other Jersey gardeners. No one in my neighborhood "gardens" and this is a great place to exchange thoughts.
I can't say I've noticed excessive rain in northern NJ this year. Maybe RedSun has experienced more than us. But it's Mother Nature. Can't control it. As much as I worry about it, I am always surprised at how my plants make it through seemingly harsh conditions. They are more adaptable than I am.
An observation - 25 years ago I recall trick-or-treating with my son, walking through knee-deep leaves. Now, there are few leaves on ground in October. The big leaf drop occurs late November. What's up with that? Is this climate change I wonder???

For Somerset/Somerville (central NJ) area, the average high temp for December, up to 12/28/2014, is 46 degree F. This is 4.14 degree warmer than normal of 42 F.

The average low so far is 32 degree F, 7.14 degree warmer than normal low of 25 F.

You can check other cities and you can have similar results.....

I'm not saying I like or want colder temperature, etc. But just state a fact.

4-7 degree warmer is not just "barely" warmer.

I believe your stats. My heating bill tells me this December is a bit warmer. But I'm not worried about my plants. They will figure it out and make it through.
I do worry about one thing though - harsh, cold winds in Jan. and Feb. with little snow cover will kill hydrangea buds. So I made a cage around it and stuffed with oak leaves. Let's see what happens. Are you protecting anything in your garden this winter?

Abnormal temperatures are not good for many plants. Fruit trees need enough chill hours to set fruits properly. Some of the insects are not killed. Early spring plants, like spring bulbs and garlic etc. may start to grow and can be damaged when the harsh weather comes.

I do not grow much tender plants. I only have one fig in ground that is covered. I can lose some garlic. Fruit dormant spray becomes more important with the warm winter.

My big concern would be a late cold winter/early spring when the trees put on some buds.

Redsun freaks because she grows fruit trees (and which require a lot of spraying to prevent premature bud break and to keep insects away all growing season ) so her frame of reference is a bit narrower and myopic than most of us. I stated that temps for December werel slightly above normal in my first posting here. It's NOT ABNORMAL to have a spell of above seasonal temps - it happens just as BELOW NORMAL temps will occur. That's the vagaries of our weather systems be it spring, summer, fall or winter. Bottom line, most gardeners realize that aberrations like this are factors in what we do, when we do it, when we hold off. No black magic to that. None at all. I suggest that you begin dealing with the reality that with climate change, your fruit and nut trees are going to see 'swings'. FACT

Sorry if I harshed the sensibilities of the other poster as to using the word 'gardens'. How about 'toils the soil', works the earth,rototill, or digs/transplants/weeds. I have both a woodland garden, and a vegetable garden and I use any and all vernacular to describe what I do.

As for bulbs (flowers as well as the previously mentioned garlic) being damaged because you see their crowns, nothing could be farther from the truth. Garlic spikes are up, as are hyacinth crowns. You know what? I'll be enjoying the hyacinths come April and harvesting the garlic come July.

Just sharing my thoughts, my experiences of 'gardening' for as long as I can remember. Can't believe the blowback I'm getting from you ladies whose panties are all in a bunch as to someone's comments. In closing, last year's extremely frigid temps via the vortex was such an aberration (as opposed to these slightly milder temps and which are now history - is all right with the world NOW Redsun?) that it resulted in many plants taking big hits. Most figs down the shore died all the way back, just like the snowball hydrangeas (I didn't lose any, though I prefer the lace caps),, but I did have a few casualties. (from transplants of 2 years back). The OP's problems were of newly installed plants which hadn't hardened off properly and probably didn't have root systems that had enough time to grow into the beds they were planted into.

A one time event, and no reason to wring one's hands and worry, nor get hissy at another poster who's not being confrontational nor argumentive. Just calling it like I see em', and enjoying whatever weather comes down the pike,, rain or shine, cold or mild.
Hope all of you Jersey Gardeners have a wonderful 2015.

This post was edited by birdsong72 on Tue, Dec 30, 14 at 9:39

Well, birdsong72, I'm ready to surrender. If you call 7 F degree above normal as "slightly" or "barely" above normal, then there is not much to discuss.

You always reference my personal concerns about my plants. This is not true. I'm just stating a fact or observation, which has been accurate. I grow many types of plants, but not the very cold tender plants. So I'm relatively worry free. I do not remember I've lost any plants of my big concerns. But you did agree that we had abnormal cold winters, the vortex. So you still have some common sense with that regards.

Please just stay with what we've stated and do not use your imagination of something you do not know of.

We've seen what abnormal temperature can do with the plants over the past a couple of years. If we have a mild early winter, then a very cold winter may be in the picture. Then I bet "birdsong" will stop singing and mourn your plants more than I do.

Again, I do not remember having any plants damages from the past few years.....

I don't lose plants sweetheart (as much as you infer and wish that for me),nor do I have a myopic mindset as to the outside world, my choice of plants for the garden, or that in dealing with others in this world.

As for losing plants due to weather extremes, I typically plant natives and their cultivar cousins whose plant hardiness is known to be compatible in our planting zone and any of the attendant temperature 'swings', 'aberrations' or 'prolonged embedded periods of cold/hot weather'. I also plant ornamentals as well. Those plants that are 'leaners' as to cold weather hardiness, I'll occasionally purchase for their uniquness and see what I can do with them, planting them in protective nooks, and perhaps layer some evergreen boughs from the Christmas tree for protection in winter - and knowing the 'caveat emptor'. There's one or two in my gardens that are 'test' cases as to hardiness and adaptation. But the gardens stand on their own as they've done for years. Oak leaf litter as mulch, using planting screens of my neighbors, using the house's features as well. That's what gardeners do. They use what's available to them and make the most of it. We're OPTIMISTS at heart. We know that our passion coupled with some 'smarts', 'creativity' will result in success regardless of the sentiments of some.

Thanks for your educated insights Red.

Do not even have time to read your long article. Enjoy your own yard :-)

But it is just insane to repeating that 7F degree is just "barely" or "slightly" above normal. Use some common sense please.

If you have nothing to say about December weather, start your own thread....

Very funny.

You said once:

"but I did have a few casualties."

Then:

"I don't lose plants."

You can't even get your own story straight... Confused?

Revisiting on a rainy Friday morning and I see Ms HoityToity posted after midnight one cold January evening lmmfao. For someone who said my post was too long (to read), you sure did read it and make a some half assed extrapolation and cherrypicking it. Didn't lose a rhodie nor an azalea sweetheart. Lost rosemary. Had some die off from some hydrangeas but nothing to speak of. Typical See You Next Tuesday stuff here by some old fashion school marm who has a stick up her ass most of the time. FACT

How did you like this past December RedSun? Yupper, it was above normal - alot more than the prior year. But on the whole, it's been a very normal winter tempr and precip wise. I see an early spring coming. Black earth live again.