ALBANY, GA -
No matter what the calendar says, Spring seems to have sprung. Warmer than usual temperatures have many plants blooming ahead of schedule.
South Georgia doctors say their offices are busy, but not with the type of patients they normally see this time of year.
The signs of spring are everywhere, from azalea bushes, to Japanese Magnolias, to Camellias, they're all blooming despite the date on the calendar, January 31st.
"Mother nature's a funny thing, it's got all of the plants fooled," said Brian Wright, Mark's Greenhouse.
Fooled into thinking it's time to put on buds and pollen, but it's likely those flowers could eventually fall victim to frost.
"It's not necessarily bad for the plants, it's just going to kill the blooms, but it won't overall affect the health of the plant," said Brian Wright, Mark's Greenhouse.
In the mean time, it's filling doctor's offices, but not with the typical flu cases they see this time of year.
"Not at all I haven't seen one in months. Which is good for us," Dr. Dennis Robinson, Allergy & Asthma Clinics of Georgia.
Instead they're seeing patients with all the signs of allergies, although much earlier than expected.
"If it's itchy, runny, drippy, sneezy, watery nose and itchy red watery eyes, I would assume it's allergies, take you allergy medicine early," said Dr. Dennis Robinson, Allergy & Asthma Clinics of Georgia.
Already they say pollen counts are up, during a time when there's hardly any allergens.
"Pollen counts have come out much earlier than we've seen this year," said Dr. Dennis Robinson, Allergy & Asthma Clinics of Georgia.
Plant experts say plants blooming early could be a bad sign for fruit trees which could still see frost into March.
They recommend covering those blooms if the mercury drops in an effort to protect them, and say allergies may be worse this year, with an early start for many.
Gardeners say now is a good time to plant bulbs, although it may be a little early to put out annuals which must be replanted every year.
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