First Snowdrops and Pending Nuptials
It’s been a whole week since I’ve written a post. I have good excuses, though. First off, work has been much busier than normal. Second, and much more exciting, our oldest son’s wedding is this coming Saturday. (!!!) We have only limited responsibilities in this regard, even so there are tasks for us to check off and errands to run.
As if in celebration of the pending ceremony, the first Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis, I think) are blooming. There are scattered clumps that bloom early in spots favored with lots of spring sunshine. We don’t have glorious broad swaths of these little dangling white flowers, at least not yet. There is a corner where the Snowdrops have naturalized in their hundreds, but that is a shadier spot that blooms later.
In our garden the Snowdrops are cautious colonizers. First one pioneering Snowdrop makes itself at home. Then this founding Snowdrop gradually becomes surrounded by new arrivals, like a little village.
Perhaps in early summer I should dig up the Snowdrop bulbs and scatter them around.
Mid-March is a bit late for Snowdrops around here. We frequently have them 2 or 3 weeks earlier, assuming the snow is mostly gone.
Other signs of spring: the green shoots of Daffodils are poking up out of the ground. Also, the extra early Tulipa kaufmanniana variety ‘Early Harvest’. The rabbits are already noshing on ‘Early Harvest’ leaves, so I spread around some animal repellent. Oddly, there is no sign of Crocuses.
Among other chores, I cut back the old leaves of the Hellebores (Helleborus orientalis). I should really start using the common name “Lenten Rose”, sounds much better. As you can see, there were plenty of fat little flower buds under the tattered leaves.
We are hosting a brunch on the day after the wedding. It would be wonderful if the Hellebores were blooming by then. Seems pretty unlikely, but I can dream. Either way, we are anticipating the coming weekend with delight.
gardeninacity 
I hope the day of the wedding is as beautiful as your snowdrops!
Mazel Tov for weddings flower villages and the beauty of gardening you share.
Best wishes for a wonderful wedding and a very happy spring! Your snowdrops are delightful.
What beautiful flowers, how suited to an impending wedding! Congratulations and have a wonderful family event!
Your snowdrops are perfect for the wedding brunch, they will be lovely in all their spring finery. Have a wonderful time!
Congrats on the wedding day, Jason! I wish your lovely snowdrops suit well the brunch table!
Amazing that you have almost caught up with my garden – only one snowdrop out of a whole pack of bulbs came up, and crocuses are slowly flowering in dribs and drabs. I can feel spring coming though now. Such lovely news that your son is about to get married – a Spring wedding. 🙂 Good luck with the preparations, and I hope it is a wonderful day for them and for you too of course. Hope those hellebores make it till then!
Weddings are such joyous occasions, I hope the sun shines on your family and your garden, with all your snowdrops and hellebores ringing their little bells.
Congratulations to you & your family on your son’s wedding. Your snowdrops looks wonderful, and may your hellebores bloom too. Best wishes for a lovely day.
My very best wishes to the young couple. Have a wonderful day.
Congrats, congrats! Yes, best wishes to the young couple. Have a joyous day, a tasty brunch, and may those flowers bloom.
Oh, I really love when the first signs of spring are visible in the garden. All my best for the young couple and wonderful garden days for you
Elisabeth
The nice thing about a child getting married is you get another member of the family. In your case, you will realize what you missed by not having a daughter. My best to all.
Judy is very happy to have another girl in the family.
Congratulations, an exciting day ahead. Your snowdrops are best moved in the green ie when the flowers are just over. Dig up a fat mother clump, tease a small clump from the mother clump. Leave part of the mother clump in situ and find a new home for the rest. That’s the most successful way to increase the numbers and doesn’t cost a penny.
Thank you for the tip – now I have to remember to do it in time.
I suspect you’ll be busy this year! Enjoy such s special time
Great to see the snowdrops. They’re far ahead of ours.
I always thought we had the longest winters.
Ours can be pretty long.
Spring wedding! How lovely! Lenten Rose is a prettier name. I have some and have been thinning them out to put in other areas. They did so well during the winter. All kept their leaves and now are blooming profusely! 🌸
Still waiting for ours to bloom.
Congratulations on welcoming a new member to your family, and I hope the brunch is a lovely affair. The snowdrops are beautiful.
Love those snowdrop photos! And why FB didn’t pick the first one – that’s what seems to be normal for me –who knows? All the best for a lovely wedding ahead.
Lovely snowdrops and wonderful news for your family. Have fun at the wedding and congratulations to the couple.
Beautiful snowdrops and many mazel tovs!
Mazel tov! Hope your brunch is a smashing success. “Arise my love, my beautiful one, and come away, For lo, the winter is past…The flowers appear on the earth. The time of singing has come.”
Song of Solomon! Perfect!
Jason, Judy, all the best for the wedding. Peter (above) seems to have captured the mood. The snowdrops are charming.
Those snowdrops are such a welcome sight! I don’t have any in the garden yet, but did finally get around to planting some crocuses last year…really looking forward to seeing them come up (which will be a while as they are on the north side of the house and it’s still icy there). But no matter how wonderful it is seeing those first flowers, the excitement pales compared to the impending nuptials this weekend – I’m so very thrilled for you and your family, Jason!
Thank you, Margaret!
Congrats on the wedding and the snowdrops. We had a brunch with both families the morning after our wedding and it is one of my favorite memories.
Congratulations on getting a new daughter. May the flowers in the garden and in the family bring much joy.
The garden is blooming right on cue. Best wishes for the family! Weddings are so much fun.
Those colonies of snowdrops look just like our snowflakes. They are doing the same thing. In fact, they are doing it so fast, I am concerned that they may become a weed. They showed up here only a few years ago.
The Snowdrops here don’t spread fast enough to be weeds.
I love the clumps of snowdrops, and especially that little line of them in the little crevice between the wooden beam and stone wall. I hope you all have a wonderful time this weekend!
I hope the sun shines, the birds sing and that the whole weekend is totally joyful. Congratulations to your son (and you both)!
Thank you!
Enjoy yourself at the wedding. Nothing much happening in my still freezing garden.
A wedding? How wonderful!!! I hope all goes beautifully. Love your snowdrops, all mine have gone over now.xxx