LEWES, DE -- With recent days of overcast skies and chillier temperatures, some gardeners with local beautification programs told WBOC it's been a rough start to the summer season for some of their flowers.
Bill Adelman, a frequent volunteer with the Lewes in Bloom program, told WBOC they've had issues with some types of plants this season. One example he gave was the vinca; Adelman said some of their flowers had yellowing leaves or growth stunts due to the recent wet and chilly weather. Adelman said they have had to remove some of their vinca from their garden at the Zwaanendael Park.
"Our plants are struggling because we have cold nights right now," Adelman said. "Most of our plants want warm days and warm nights. A warm night is like 70 degrees."
Adelman said it's unusual for them to have nights as cold as they have this late in the season. However, he said some plants are doing better than last year at this time due to an increase in rain. Adelman said he is hopeful that the upcoming higher temperatures, forecasted and sunny skies, will help perk up their plants.
"Some plants are just kind of stagnant. They're just holding on, they're not growing, and they're just waiting around for warmer weather," Adelman said.
The colder and more overcast weather is not just affecting local gardens. Ryan Moody, who works at Kings Homemade Ice Cream in downtown Lewes, said the weather has also affected their business.
"It's definitely been slower. I've noticed that in the past too. The cloudier and the cooler it is, the fewer customers we get," Moody said.
Moody said he's hopeful the lull won't last forever as warmer weather comes around the corner.
"When the weather is warmer more people want ice cream, it cools them down," Moody said. "So more people come in for sure on those days."
Adelman said the ideal weather for their gardens would see a compromise between warm weather, sunny skies, and roughly an inch of rain a week. He's hopeful the possible upcoming heatwave does not go too far in the other direction.
"If we could top it off with a little bit of rain that would be the ideal situation. If not, we do have some limited irrigation and we try to hand water too," Adelman said.
Officials with Rehoboth in Bloom also said they have seen some issues in certain plants with the recent weather. According to those officials, they are hopeful the incoming warmer weather will help perk their plants up as well.