Spring Comes Creeping Into View
We think of Spring as a season that springs into our lives. It is supposed to be a youthful, energetic season, one that is bursting with new life. The year’s Spring, however, is one that approaches timidly. It does not spring, it slowly creeps.
A creeping Spring is better than none at all. For instance, this past weekend I was able to work in the garden both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday was cloudy and rather cold, but warm enough to be outside. Sunday was sunny but still rather cold – the temperature never reached 50 degrees (Fahrenheit, which is 10 Celsius). Even so, the ‘Early Harvest’ Tulips opened wide to enjoy the sunshine.
It seems that all the Tulip pots have overwintered with great success, though it will be a while before we see any flowers. I underplanted the Tulips in some pots with a variety of Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima) called ‘Easter Bonnet Lemonade’, an odd name but an excellent variety.
In other pots I combined Tulips with Crocuses. The Crocuses were supposed to fill in around the Tulips and extend the blooming period. However, they have been a disappointment. I had wanted a mass of blooms, which is not what I got. Also, the Crocus leaves were grazed by rabbits – I had thought that being in pots would protect them. (Why???) Next year, I think I’m going to try Glory-of-the-Snow (Chionodoxa sardensis) with the container Tulips.
I had thought that during my absence the Daffodils might burst into a mass of bloom. However, there were just 7 Daffodil flowers, all in the Parkway Bed . I would estimate that there are about 600 Daffodil bulbs in the entire garden, including containers.
Many did look like they were getting ready to pop. Maybe next weekend.
The Daffodils in containers seemed to overwinter very well, though they will bloom later than the bulbs in the ground. I underplanted these pots with white and yellow Pansies.
In terms of other bulbs, there were some Siberian Squill (Scilla sibirica) in bloom. I’m still waiting for them to spread into a glorious mass of blue.
And the first Hellebores (Helleborus orientalis) had also flowered.
They haven’t bulked up as much as I had hoped, but perhaps they’ll fill in over the coming weeks.
Among the shrubs, the Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) looks thisclose to blooming.
And I really should cut some Forsythia stems for forcing indoors.
Has Spring been springing, or just creeping, into your garden?
gardeninacity 
I am glad to see, you get some of spring now, too. Don’t wait on the Daffodils this year – over here, they kind of missed out entirely. Even at a spot, where the city Berlin has planted them in abundance and I have witnessed them year after year they went missing this year, just some tulips made it. But even those are a tad smaller than usual.
I haven’t given up on our Daffodils just yet!
We’ve had very strange weather here. A long, cold, wet spring with one week of summer weather where the temperatures climbed by more than 15degC for several days. The garden has raced into leaf and flower, but it means I have a lot of plants with sun scorch and plants are flowering together that normally wouldn’t, it’s also compressed the flowering time too (the Amelanchier lasted less than a week). It’s cooled off again but I think the garden is still in a state of shock.
All of a sudden we got a hot day here – 85F/30C! The plants must be dizzy!
i’m glad the weather is improving for you. We’ve had a prolonged spring here, with many cool and wet days. Flowers that quickly wilt in warm years have lasted for weeks and even the camellias are still blooming.
There are advantages to a cool spring.
Incidentally, Marian, I think my comments on your blog are going into the spam folder.
Thank goodness your spring has finally arrived! Early Harvest never fails, does it! 🙂
It’s looking better this year than last.
The early tulips look so striking, such a lovely colour! Your daffodils in pots are looking very healthy, perhaps the daffodils in the garden will come out at regular intervals, rather than all at once? But who knows?? Good to know the rabbits are consistent anyway!
I think the Daffodils in pots will be very successful this year.
A few daffs opened yesterday, but one bunch has no flowers at all. All the roses had to be cut to the ground, a first for me. It was a rough winter.
I cut one of the roses to the ground, I might have to do a second, we’ll see.
Definitely creeping. 🙂
We had a leap today – all of a sudden it’s 86 degrees!
Spring here is a creeper too. The only good thing about it is that once things started blooming they lasted a long time it seems. I lost two shrubs that were in containers this winter.
Really? I’ve tried growing blueberries in containers, they all died. What kind of shrubs were yours?
Oh my goodness, I can see your spring is not very springy at all. It is positively dawdling. Let’s hope that now it has arrived it will show a little more enthusiasm. And you have all the pleasure to come.
That’s the optimistic approach – so much to look forward to! I like that.
We had a blast of summery weather last week and over the weekend which brought loads of blooms out and now have the odd situation of daffs, tulips and bluebells, plum, pear and cherry blossom all out at once with apple blossom on its way. Weird. Hopefully you’ll have a wonderful delayed display of daffodils soon.
We had a blast of summer today – all of a sudden it was 86F/30C! I do wonder what odd combinations of bloom we might see this year with the strange weather..
This is lovely! Those daffodils will be a sight to see when they are all in bloom! I like the hellebores, too. Things are starting to happen fast around here (finally!). Half of the garden is still under snow, but there are crocuses, tulips and some perennials coming right up even through the ice!
Maybe they are as impatient as we are!
Glad spring has arrrived for you–I’m sure you’ll miss the snow and cold. 🙂
The snow and cold will be back before we know it.
Creeping doesn’t begin to describe how slow spring is this year, but at last she is here. What great progress we have made cleaning Winter’s debris from our backyard and garden. Now, onward to the front. Wonderful to see your lovely blooms!
Even a creeping arrival can bring great relief. Actually, the tardier the arrival the greater the joy – combined with exasperation.
You bet! Tonight, we heard the first hermit thrush of the summer. Magical!
Spring slowly drizzled in here but this week summer seems to be making an appearance with highs in the 70’s and 80’s. Temperatures are predicted to go back down this weekend (of course.) It’s interesting to see the differences in our bloom times. For us hellebores and spicebush are winter bloomers and are fading by the time the bulbs start to open. Happy slow spring.
We had a sudden cameo appearance by summer today – all of a sudden it went up into the mid-80s.
Sneaking in here in Ohio. Everything is happening slowly. It is an opportunity to notice the differing changes instead of them happening all at once. Slow motion.
There is some benefit to slow motion – as long as there’s SOME motion.
Slowly, slowly, slowly
You can say that again.
creep…creep…KaPow! Suddenly blooms are everywhere.
Still waiting for KaPow around here.
I think it’s going to go all the way now here, but they say we might see 80 degrees next week and that isn’t spring. We have a lot of wildflowers up now so I hope 80 doesn’t wilt them.
We had 86 degrees today, but things are supposed to cool down in a day or so.
Definitely creeping around here (including the creeping phlox!) I had put a cage around my spice bush, but the dogs knocked it down – looks like a rabbit dined on the poor plant – just a short stick in the ground now. 😦
And suddenly it feels almost like summer!
Lovely weather here but everything is really slow as you say. The lack of flowers and greenery in the garden is striking compared to last year at this time.
And as of today there are flowers everywhere!
As Linda says, same here. Last year at this time, the Crabapples were in full bloom. Most of the flowers you mention, however, are blooming here now, too. I have noticed that the Daffodils–knocked around by our freeze-thaw-freeze-thaw, snow-ice-warm-snow-ice-heavy snow April–are not as full and lush as in previous years. Still, the fact that they’re blooming at all seems like a miracle after what they went through! You have some tall rabbits over there!
When I got home today I thought the Daffodils were looking pretty good. It’s actually uncomfortably warm.
Spring never really leaves.
In California, maybe.
Glad to see that spring has arrived for you, too, Jason! It definitely has been creeping this year, and I’m wondering if there will be some blooms missing. All my crabapples are starting to leaf out, but I don’t see any signs of blooms. Last year they and all the redbuds had already bloomed by this time.
I saw the beginnings of buds on ‘Donald Wyman’ when I got home. Haven’t had a chance to inspect ‘Golden Raindrops’ yet.
Definitely creeping – I think we are just a tad behind you. In one of the south facing beds, the daffodils look to be a few days away from blooming. I transplanted some bulbs into the west border but don’t see any green yet – I’m hoping they are ok and it’s just the thick layer of mulch in that bed that is keeping the ground cooler.
I definitely am seeing big variations in dormancy break depending on the exact spot in the garden.
Glad that spring is creeping along and unfurling — we’ve experienced unfolding here in Umbria, even as at home, it’s still been cold and rainy (although spring is happening, too). Home again on Monday. It’ll be great to see the back forest!
How wonderful to experience spring, even a cold one, in Umbria.
We haven’t even reached the creeping status. I think winter is holding our spring hostage and all we’ve received is a few ransom notes.
Spring has definitely been liberated around here as of today!
The reluctant spring hasn’t seemed to bother all the things I consider invasive that I keep trying to remove every year. 😦
Invasives are adaptable generalists, that’s how they do so well.
It is good to see that spring is putting in an appearance, albeit creeping, ours was the same, it was like watching a pan boil on a low light, finally it’s here, you seem to be about three weeks behind us although our temps are still between 9-11c. Was that a peony I saw poking through? I’m sure next week will be a different story for you.xxx
Yes, there are two peonies in the Parkway Bed, both single whites called ‘Snow Swan’.
Spring came in spurts this year in NC with retreats back into winter, but it finally is here to stay. Love your Siberian Squill.
We just had a blast of warmth – generally a good thing, but it did whither the Squill a bit.