Warm weather has business blooming for a local greenhouse

Jo Ann Dewar works at the family-run Fairview Garden Center in Raleigh. She says the higher temperatures have both the flowers and business blooming.

"It's a different world this week. It's warm. The sun's out. It's been beautiful," said Dewar.

Compare the warm temperatures to the gray skies, cutting wind, and colder-than-normal temperatures two weeks ago. 

“I have never seen it swing as drastically as it has this year,” said Dewar. “This March has been much colder than we’ve had in several years – at least as far as I can remember.”

WRAL meteorologist Mike Moss says the state has 69 years' worth of weather data from the Raleigh-Durham International Airport, and this was the eighth coldest March in those 69 years.

“Our business is 100 percent dependent on the weather,” said Heather Rollins, a third generation employee at the Fairview Garden Center.

With the cold temperatures there were no customers because they could not plant.  "Everybody was waiting for spring and it popped last week," Dewar said. 

Rollins and Dewar hoped the cold weather would break for the sake of the blooming process and both got their wish.

Customer Sean Slaven admits this warm weather is perfect, but wishes spring would last a little bit longer before temperatures rise to 80's and 90's.

Customers are encouraged to take advantage of the spring and plant now before the southern summer rolls in. Dewar says right now is a great time to plant perennials and most annuals.