Check out the difference in spring color between this year and last

If you're wondering whether your magnolia or redbud trees will bloom this spring, just be patient. Don't fret much about your rhododendrons, azaleas and forsythias, either.

Despite a few cold snaps and snow this month, blooming for most springtime plants, bushes and trees should still happen this year, albeit a few weeks later, experts say.

“It's still winter, unfortunately, but it's not that far behind schedule,” said Kim Isaacson, the horticulture program coordinator at the University of Illinois Extension office in Grayslake.

Isaacson's office tracks growing-degree days, a system that determines how many days the conditions have been suitable for plants to grow.

So far, this year's count is only slightly below average across the Chicago area, she said.

Some plants, such as daffodils, had started blooming before recent snows. Those flowers could be affected, Isaacson said.

However, the fairly consistent temperatures have caused plants to hold off on starting the blooming process, and this has protected them from the harmful effects of cold weather, said Robert Bloom, the nursery manager at Platt Hill Nursery in Carpentersville.

If a stretch of warm weather had been followed by a hard freeze, it could be a different story.

“Plants in general are pretty smart,” Bloom said. “They've been holding back.”