Spring Is Buried Under A Blizzard: Garden Bloggers Bloom Day March 2017

When a cold climate gardener gets a string of spring-like days in February, he or she gets a feeling of foreboding. We’re going to pay for this, somehow. So I was not surprised when the snowstorm of the century decided to arrive mid-March. Consequently, any flowers that were blooming in late February or early March are now buried. But you know what? Flowers actually blooming outdoors this time of year are so special that I am going to show you what you missed. If you don’t know any of these plants, you really should make their acquaintance, because the very first bloom of the year is a powerful mood enhancer and cabin fever alleviation.

The very first bloom this year was Colchicum munzurense.

Yes, a spring-blooming colchicum. Yes, it bloomed before any of my snowdrops. I concede that it was in my warmest microclimate–but so were some snowdrops, and they weren’t as quick. I planted it last fall with my fingers crossed, because Odyssey Bulbs described it as hardy to USDA Zone 6. The average annual extreme minimum temperature for Zone 6 is -10°F to 0°F (-23.3°C to -17.8°C), so despite my thinking I have a Zone 5 garden, this winter has been a Zone 6 winter. Meaning, my gamble paid off this year.

The winter aconites (Eranthis sp.) were blooming next.

‘S. Arnott’ snowdrops are the earliest blooming.

Of course, I plant them where the snow melts first. They emerge from the ground sooner than the winter aconites, but those yellow flowers are quicker to bloom by a hair.

This is what a Christmas rose looks like, freshly bloomed with no damage from previous cold.

Okay, I don’t expect you to plant this one. But seeing a bright sunny yellow dandelion on February 24th lightened my heart.

This is a hybrid witch hazel called ‘Birgit’. It may have bloomed earlier than some of these other flowers, but I forgot to check.

The spring snowflake (Leucojum vernum) bloomed March 8th.

‘Velebit Star’, another spring-blooming colchicum, bloomed next.

All of that is buried under snow now

Spring is buried under all this snow.

I am writing this Tuesday evening and the last measurement we took before dark showed 33 inches (~84cm) and the snow is still falling. Snow up to my waist! Currently blooming in the house:

My “lucky” Christmas cactus on its third flush of bloom this winter.

An orchid–I think I’ve had it three years now.

A clivia that came from my mom a couple of years ago.

A hyacinth that isn’t too sure it wants to see the light of day.

And a pot of chyrsanthemums as cheerful as daffodils.

Snow in March melts faster than snow in January, I tell myself. This is actually not as bad as those sub-zero temps with a mere dusting of snow, I tell myself.

Will it ever stop, I wonder? It has to. It must.

P.S.–The snowstorm known as Stella is not actually a blizzard here. The National Weather Service defines a blizzard as “a storm which contains large amounts of snow OR blowing snow, with winds in excess of 35 mph and visibilities of less than 1/4 mile for an extended period of time (at least 3 hours).” And it’s not that windy here. Yet.

Inspired by the words of Elizabeth Lawrence, “We can have flowers nearly every month of the year,” Carol of May Dreams Gardens started Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. On the 15th of every month, garden bloggers from all over the world publish what is currently blooming in their gardens. Check it out at May Dreams Gardens.

from Cold Climate Gardening http://ift.tt/2msMe95