Warm weather could affect Augusta's famous foliage

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Will the flowers still be in bloom for Masters Week?

That’s the question that has been asked around Augusta the last couple of weeks because of unusually warm winter weather. The early spring has caused an explosion of color throughout the city.

“It’s been a huge topic of conversation with everything we’re doing,” Richmond County Extension Agent Campbell Vaughn told The Augusta Chronicle earlier this week.

Azaleas and dogwoods are already in bloom, and those are prevalent at Augusta National and provide much of the natural beauty found at the course. Pollen is everywhere, too.

While Augusta National and the Masters folks would prefer to have their plants in bloom the first full week in April, there are a few things they can’t control.

And, no, don’t expect them to pack the whole course in ice to keep the buds from blooming.

A professional horticulturist once shot down that theory. He said to think about the logistics involved. Augusta National is 365 acres big and filled with thousands of flowers and plants. The 13th hole alone contains more than a thousand azaleas. It would take a small army to perform this task.

And ice melts, which would make it tough to keep the ice on the plants in heat.

Typically, Augusta experiences a frost or even a freeze before Easter. That holiday falls on April 16 this year, a full week after the Masters.

Slideshow: Augusta in Bloom