Mid-April Blooms
April had a rather wild mood swing during this past weekend. We transitioned abruptly from cold and surly to sunny warmth. Plants went from shivering in their foliage to galloping forward to catch up with the growing season.
Actually, I would say these mid-April blooms fall into three categories. First there are those, like the Daffodils, that are just at their flowering peak and seem quite at ease about it. Perhaps even a bit cocky.
Although a few of the Daffodil stems never picked themselves up again after the freezes of early April.
Tulipa biflora, an early species tulip, didn’t mind the cold at all. This is a wonderful tulip for naturalizing. It seems to be spreading quite happily in my garden. Though since it has three flowers to a stem, why isn’t it called Tulipa triflora?
Tulipa praestans ‘Unicum’ is following right on the heels of T. bifloa. Some are not quite ready to open.
The Hellebores are blooming. This is their second spring in my garden and I look forward to them bulking up.
I love the blue Siberian Squill (Scilla sibirica). An incredibly easy small bulb. Spreads with abandon, but disappears politely a few weeks after it blooms.
Here is more evidence that my new Lamppost Border gets more sun than the rest of the front garden. There are clumps of Grape Hyancinth (Muscari armeniacum) in the Driveway Border that are not even close to blooming – and yet the ones I planted last fall in the Lamppost Border are strutting their stuff. The light blue ones are ‘Valerie Finnis’. I was relieved to learn this name does not mean “Valerie is finished”.
The pink flowers of Praire Smoke (Geum triflorum) are just starting to bloom. They will look their best later, when the wispy seedheads make their appearance.
A second category of blooms are like overeager kids rushing ahead of their peers. For example, this clump of Great Merrybells (Uvularia grandiflorum) looks like it has flowered before it was quite ready. The other Great Merrybells aren’t in such a hurry, but are still sending up stems and growing leaves.
Ditto this Siberian Bugloss (Brunnera macrophylla). Does this little cluster of blue flowers feel like the guest who arrives before the party has begun?
The third category are still in bud, not flowering at all. But is it my imagination that these Virginia Bluebell (Mertensia virginica) buds seem to be straining to grow and bloom? This picture shows nicely how the buds go from pink to blue.
And the buds of Common Lilac (Syringa vulgaris), holding in their sweetness until May.
I am out of town on business all this week, then Friday I am dashing back to Chicago to catch a plane. I’ll be flying out to meet Judy and visit friends in the DC area. Looking forward to the trip, but fretting about what I might miss in the garden. I’ll be back in Chicago by the middle of next week.
gardeninacity 
Safe travels!
Thank you!
Oh, what a pity to be out of town, when all this flowers are ready to show off. Have a safe trip…
Hoping for the weather to turn cold in Chicago until I return.
The garden is looking gorgeous, and there will all sorts of surprises when you get home!
All of them good ones, I hope!
Will you see the cherry trees in flower in SC? It’s lovely to see your spring flowers as mine head into summer. I like the Great Merrybells.
Cherries are blooming right now, they are beginning to drop their petals.
It must be a wonderful sight
Love you little Tulipa biflora, that is so sweet! Springtime in the garden is such a wonderful time, I’m sure there will still be plenty to greet you when you return!
Tulipa biflora spreads really well. Looks great in masses.
It’s the time of year when there are almost daily developments in the garden, so I sympathise that you’ll be out of town. But the garden can quietly get on with doing its thing and present you with some lovely surprises when you get home 🙂 PS Your lilac is ahead of mine and I love those little T. bifloa.
I suppose you’re right. Still, it’s hard not to fret.
A nice show. Love the Virginia Bluebells.
Aren’t they great? Can’t wait until they are blooming.
One thing about traveling while spring is in full swing is that the garden will have all sorts of surprises for you when you return. Love those tulips. I hope I can remember their names when I go to purchase some next fall. I have lots of sun now that they have removed a big ole tree from the garden.
That is one advantage of losing a big tree.
Agony to leave the garden at this time of the year. I love those little species tulips.
Valerie Finnis is finished. She died in 2006. She was a great gardener and married another great plantsman, David Scott, at the age of 46. She probably felt she was destined to marry him when, before she even met him, she heard his voice in her garden exclaim: ‘ Goodness, she’ s got Gillenia trifoliata!’ Clearly a match made in heaven.
What a great story!
Wow!
Thanks!
Thanks for the tour. It looks like you are catching up with us Southerners quite well.
We’re doing our best.
Such pretty early spring bloomers. Well, early for you, mid/late spring for me. Love,love that last photo–gorgeous.
Thanks. Judy caught the light really nicely in that one.
Beautiful, Jason! Have a great trip. My daughter and her husband will also be in DC this weekend for a friend’s wedding.
Sounds like fun!
How interesting: I usually think of your area as being ahead of Madison by about a week or two. But this year we might actually be a bit ahead of you. Our Daffodils and early flowering bulbs are fading and the Hellebore flowers are now forming seeds. I was at the Arboretum yesterday and the Prairie Smoke, Virginia Bluebells, and many other ephemerals are in full bloom. What a stunning time of year! Safe travels!
It does seem like Madison is ahead of us for at least a week. Your hummingbird sightings are way ahead of ours. We were really slowed down in the first half of April.
I’m glad you didn’t lose anything to the cold. We lost quite a lot of different flowers here.
Really sorry to hear that.
Toadshade! What a delightful name! I just loved seeing all you tulips….eek! I do hope I haven’t angered the daffs! You really do have a lovely spring garden, I’m so glad the cold snap hasn’t done any real damage.xxx
It’s also called Wake Robin and Red Trillium – Trillium sessile.
Oh such treasures – Mertensia, Uvularia…do you find them easy to grow? Your tulip display is fab, they must like you! I find they prefer the heavy soil in my garden and come back more reliable then in the free-draining sandy soil which is a bit strange.
Yes, where we live Mertensia and Uvularia are very easy to grow. The Mertensia seeds itself around and the Uvularia makes spreading patches.
I would say you are about 2 weeks ahead of us. Great Merrybells are just coming out of the ground here.
Good to be reminded there are colder places than Chicago.
Hello Jason, our weather seems to be heading in the opposite direction, from warm sunny days to cold, dreary and wet days with colder nights. It’s great to see the plants and flowers emerging in your borders.
Hi Sunil. I’m hoping that your weather improves.
Beautiful picture of the Va. Bluebells. One of my favorite wildflowers.
Same here.
You’ve coined a good new term: “bulb rivalry”. I’ll never get to use it though, because of the dreaded gophers. This is one time to wish for cool weather to put things on hold until your return. Hope you don’t miss to much of the display.
“Dreaded Gophers” is also a good new term. Also a good name for a band, especially if they’re from Minnesota.
Safe trip to you!
Thanks!