First Blooms

Desperate times require desperate measures. Who is more desperate than a cold climate gardener, who has been bombarded with images on social media of spring flowers in warmer climates blooming?

I’m glad my “desperate” measures are already in place. Since several years, I have planted early-blooming bulbs in the places where snow first melts. Every time the snow begins to melt, I look for sprouts.

It’s true that I look at the green tips of the leaves to come during every defrost, including those in January and February. We had a true thaw this week, with temperatures reaching the 60s on the last two nights (16C). I was rewarded by blooms everywhere. It all started with just one blossom several days before.

First flowering bulb in 2019.

When I first started to use the program, I felt a bit embarrassed. Post this on Facebook Kath, you beat me! “

This is what I planted over the septic system!

The only place where the snow melted was here. The snow was enclosing the tiny flower. It gave me hope too, and that’s why I planted the mix. Aladdin’s Carpet You can also find out more about the following: Woodland Blend Both from Colorblends Over the horizon Septic tank last fall. The flower bed is not traditional, but it’s where the snow melts first and the grass grows sparsely, so you can delay mowing until the early bloomers go dormant.

Three winter aconites were blooming by the end of the thaw.

They also bloomed up against the house. There are still many more to come.

When I say that I am “up against the wall,” I mean under my cabin-fever window.

In several places, I had also the early-blooming galanthus “S.Arnott” blooming. These are growing at the base an Incrediball Hydrangea.

Black-eyed Beauty My earliest flowering crocus was also opening.

The vernal Witch Hazel has continued to unfold.

A patch of snow that had been covered in snow began to melt at the end of last warm day. This revealed several Cyclamencoum which must have begun blooming.

The lawn was covered with leaves that promised flowers in the near future.

This Double Fantasy hellebore, which is one of many in the Cabin fever bed showing big buds.

The thaw did not last. We’ve seen temperatures drop back to the 30s (1.5C), and more snow has fallen, though it has already melted. This weekend, another thaw will be predicted. The thaws are going to run into eachother and soon the snow will be a distant memory. But not yet.

Inside the house, meanwhile. . .

Two of the five stalks are finished. A sixth stalk is emerging!

The same one Here is a picture of me with a friend .

The flowering quince buds that I forced inside are still not the size of small peas. I hope that they will flower indoors before the shrubs bloom outdoors.

I’ve never forced flowering quince. I had cut forsythia earlier in the year and it bloomed in a week. The quince is in the house now for two weeks, and it looks like another week or so (at least), before it blooms.

It’s fun to experiment with forcing branches inside, in between the hunt for the earliest blossoms during mud season. If you want to add more plants that bloom early in the spring, take photos of where snow melts most quickly and order “desperate measures”.