Spring is Sprung
This past weekend was the first to really feel like spring. Saturday started cold and cloudy, but improved when the sun came out. And Sunday was even – dare I say it? – nice.
The snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis and G. elwesii) are blooming and it was warm enough for them to open up their little white tepals.
They are forming a nice drift near the old silver maple (Acer saccharum) stump.
The bees were all over the snowdrop blooms, in fact I have never seen so many bees on the snowdrops. Poor little guys, there is hardly anything else to forage on in this late, cold spring.
Judy had a hard time getting pictures of the bees because they were mostly up in the flowers themselves.
Other bulbs are also emerging. You can see daffodil leaves poking through the soil, looking a bit jaundiced from being covered with snow until recently.
Early tulip foliage is also up, both in my containers and in the beds.
I actually dug up five of the ten containers planted with tulips (cracking one of the fiberglass ones in the process). I’ll get the rest next weekend.
Spring clean up got off to a good start. I had hoped to clear the parkway, driveway border, sidewalk border, and island bed in the front garden. It all got done except for the island bed, which I wasn’t able to finish.
The ‘Northwind’ switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) managed to stay mostly upright through this horrible winter. It looks so good now, burnished with tones of red, that I had to leave it up for another week or two. Please ignore the sight of me standing on the porch with my shirttail out. Judy says that was an accident. Uh huh.
Did you get to spend some quality time with your garden this weekend?
It’s a good feeling to get outdoors – so glad your spring has finally arrived. I spent a few hours weeding, but it has been very dry so there aren’t many weeds and I was able to inspect what is coming up and look for some old favourites…. 😀
We don’t have weeds yet either and the ground is often muddy.
Happy Springtime and sunshine in your photos! After the winter you have had you are allowed shirt tails out at the very least.
Thank you, julie !
Isn’t it great to finally get outside and do some tidying? Those first few days of warmth are always the best – especially as the weeds haven’t got into their stride yet so there is no sense of urgency. It is always good to see where you have been – and encouraging to see a grass which can withstand the worst of the weather.
Yes, it is definitely great! The mild weather is a real pleasure and it feels good just to be outside working.
Glad you’re finally getting a break. Did you hear that ‘Northwind’ is the 2014 Perennial Plant of the Year?
No, but I think it deserves many awards.
We had a beautiful Saturday, rain on Sunday, snow on Monday. 😦 I envy you your spring cleaning because it is always exciting to see what is coming up. I’m afraid I still have feet of snow on the ground and it will be a while longer for us. I did get my seeds planted. 🙂
We’ve been known to have snowstorms in April. I hope your snow melts soon.
It seems so strange to see your snowdrops when they have finished everywhere else and I have wisteria and roses flowering. Happy Spring Jason!
You are on such a different seasonal cycle. Hard for me to imagine what gardening in your climate would be like.
This weekend was crazy for us with snow, rain and sleet. But yesterday was great. Went out in the evening after work for weeding and some sunshine. Snowdrops look very happy. I hope for now on we are sunshine and spring weather!
You and me both!
Still no blooms here, not even the snowdrops yet. The weather is finally getting warm enough to melt the snow and ice though. We had snow Sunday, but this week looks pretty good going forward. Snow predicted next week unfortunately.
Hope your snow melts and your snowdrops are blooming soon!
I love the photo of you with your shirt-tail out. You seem to be looking up at the sun with a quite satisfied expression on your whole body. It feels so good to get all that clean-up done. I’m glad spring seems to have sprung for you. I did get quite a lot of work done this past weekend, it was dryish here on Sunday (just a few passing sprinkles).
I was feeling pretty contented at the end of the day.
Love your drifts of snowdrops and looking forward to seeing those tulips.
Me too!
I’ll bet you are just so glad Spring has arrived Jason. You’ve all had a tough time of it!
Good to see you making a start and of course having those snowdrops on offer for the bees. Enjoy your week 🙂
We have had a tough time, even if I say so myself! The mild weather has been a relief.
It’s still too wet here to walk in the beds or do much of anything else. We need a few sunny days in a row, rather than one or two each week.
At times here it is also too wet but I am too impatient to stop myself.
Yes, it was a beautiful weekend! Actually, yesterday (Monday) was incredible–65F here in Madison. It was so tempting to spend the day outside, but I couldn’t afford it because of pending assignments. I had to settle for working in the sunroom with the windows open (world’s smallest violin, right?). Anyway, Jason, we’ve been through one of the worst winters I can remember. And I used to live up near Green Bay. So we deserve a beautiful spring, right? 😉 You have an amazing collection of Snowdrops! I think the chipmunks (or some other critter) dug up all of mine. Oh well, soon the Daffodils and Hellebores will be blooming. Oh joy!
We definitely deserve a beautiful spring! We’ve finally had a good beginning, but I am impatient for more.
Looks like spring has arrived at your house! Glad you were able to get out into your garden. I’m aiming for next week to start to get mine In order.
Hope you get a good chunk of of quality time in the garden this weekend.
You have quite a lot of snowdrops and they must cheer you a big time, Jason. Why do you bury the containers? Is it because of the cold? Our garden is beautiful right now so I spend as much time in it as I can…lots of mowing has to be done 😉
I do have to bury or otherwise insulate the containers with bulbs because otherwise the bulbs would freeze.
Freezing is not really an issue with tulips etc., is it? I used to have bulbs in pots in the Alps and believe me, it’s winter for 5 months of the year.
Your poor bees, the must be desperate to find food after such a dismal winter. How lovely to see your snowdrops though and hear your other bulbs have survived the frozen ground…here’s to you getting cracking now and everything developing a little greenery.xxx
I’m eager to see what’s leafing out when I get back to the garden at the end of the week.
We got your warm weather here today, and let me just say thank you.
I have never seen so many sad little bees looking at the same old flowers for honey. I hope something else opens up for them soon!
You’re welcome! I hope the bees can hold out for the crocus, forsythia, spicebush and other early blooms!