Over the weekend, while I was in Halifax having fun at the Saltscapes Expo (and meeting a delightful woman who LOVES goutweed!), my garden was bathed in warm sunlight. Things woke up, yawned and stretched, and got blooming in a hurry. These pink Glory-of-the Snow just keep spreading beautifully every season. 
This is Puschkinia, or striped squill, which I love for its cool blue and white flowers. It too spreads, flowers for a fairly long time, and isn't as common as I think it ought to be. 
The blue Chionodoxa, or Glory-of-the-Snow, are spreading beautifully. I love their china blue flowers, facing the sun and beaming their happy colours for everyone to see. 
Ivory Prince hellebore is putting on a fine display. As many of you know, I've had my hellebore challenges in the past, but this plant has settled in really well and now my confidence is being bolstered, so I AM going to add a variety or two or three...
With this week's surprise onslaught of really warm temperatures, we can almost see and hear things growing. Including the weeds, but we won't dwell on those. There have been a great outburst of daffodils, and yeah, while I know some of you had daffodils weeks ago...I'm very happy to see them.
There's been a race between two perennials in my garden, both striving to be the first non-bulb, non-hellebore plants to get into bloom. It's almost neck and neck, but I'm going to call it for the Hepatica, just because it's such a rare, lovely thing. This plant has flowered faithfully for years, growing slowly into a largish clump.
And the pulmonaria have begun their blooming. Their enthusiasms always delight my heart; some of them are hardly out of the ground before their happy blue, pink, red or white flowers are opening. I really have to do a post on these as one of my 'must-have' plants, although I think we'll wait until more of them are open and you can enjoy the foliage (which I adore) as much as the flowers.
Today, the temperature is supposed to soar into the mid-high twenties. Tomorrow, who knows. We'll take this warm welcome as a way to ease out of April, thanks very much.
Lovely plants and more so after a long, long winter. I don't have any
ReplyDeleteGlory-of-the Snow or Hepatica but I'm tempted to search for some after seeing yours.
Marnie
Good to see you came home to warm temps and the garden really coming to life. I like the Pulmonaria, it has it's own charm but the Hepatica will always come out ahead as my favorite. I haven't really gone native but they are my obsession and love finding them in their natural settings.
ReplyDeletePink, whites and blues, Oh my! I feel like I'm skipping down a yellow brick road this morning! LOL Jodi, The mid 20's? I couldn't imagine...
ReplyDeleteWhoa, we've been having temps in the hundreds here and with my heat intolerenace, I'm just dying! But how inspiring to see hepaticas---one of my favorite wildflowers and one I haven't been able to establish successfully here---in beautiful blue bloom! Maybe I'll give it (yet) another try...
ReplyDeleteJodi, it is lovely to see some of my favourite spring flowers again, the only one I don't have is Hepatica. Is it difficult to grow? I rarely see it but that doesn't mean it is difficult, possibly expensive! I am fond of pulmonaria and really must get some more varieties as they like my garden.
ReplyDeleteI hope you are able to spend some days at home after all your traveling. Best wishes Sylvia
Do you know what variety that Hepatica is - I've got a white one, a pink one...and now I'd love to have a blue one like yours.
ReplyDeleteIsn't the waking garden amazing, Jodi, especially in record breaking heat (80s) like we had over the weekend ~ can barely keep up, in fact, I can't! I'm also passionate about my pulmonaria ...
ReplyDeleteYour hepatica is so, so pretty. I love it, but like Sylvia, have rarely seen it on sale here in the UK. You really have to go to a specialist nursery to find it. I love pulmonaria too, but find it irritates my hands, so I've stopped growing it. (I can never remember to wear gloves...) It's wonderful to see your flowers blooming now. I feel as if I've had two springs.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how quickly things come to life in the spring! I was beginning to think we had completely skipped spring and were headed straight into summer. I'm thankful for the rain an a bit of cooler temps.
ReplyDeleteGood morning to you Jodi and to your garden. It is amazingly wonderful when you step outside to see those sweet first blooms. Lucky you that pulmonaria likes your garden...it is a sweet flowered plant. It doesn't like it here! I think the same. I am ready for a return to normal temperatures, but for you that might mean another cold snap...Glad you had a good trip and met another gardener. gail
ReplyDeleteAfter all the snow you had you must be so happy to see so many flowers already! I love the blue Glory-of-the-Snow.
ReplyDeletePulmonarias are a real favorite of mine. One in my garden has been blooming since mid January and is still going strong.
I know exactly what you mean about being able to almost hear things growing. Isn't that the truth in early spring. Your world has indeed woken up, and I'm so glad.~~Dee
ReplyDeleteI'm with OFB - as much as I look forward to spring and nicer days, I detest HOT days like this one (it's 88 here in Windsor as I write this and no AC in, of course...). Or perhaps it is just the suddenness with which it appeared. Back to 50's and 60's for the rest of the week. But I digress -- your garden has SPRUNG into bloom, jodi! I especially like those Glory-of-the-Snow and Puschkinia plants in your first two photos. Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteIt appears that spring has really arrived in your garden. Happy Spring.
ReplyDeleteDear Jodi, I knew it was coming, and now it is here. Your garden has welcomed spring, skipped right to summer perhaps? The plants you are growing are all so healthy and colorful. The hepatica is a beauty and congrats to her for being first! It seems to all be coming along so fast, is this normally how it goes? I am so happy for you and the hellebores. :-)
ReplyDeleteFrances
The warmth is nice in the evening. Must plant Hepatica.
ReplyDeleteHappy Spring! Love all the blue flowers you have in your garden they compliment the other colors so well.
ReplyDeleteHi Jodi~~ Nothing changes the mood more than SUNSHINE. I'm so glad you're finally seeing spring. Never mind that our daffs have faded, yours are lovely. I too love pulmonaria foliage. As I learned with one clump planted in an exposed area, they can take a lot more sun than I thought. I have to keep an eye on the soil to make sure it doesn't dry out but it's a small price to pay for such eye candy.
ReplyDeleteIt looks so grand. I know you are thrilled to see so many blooms.
ReplyDeleteBecause of you, I have three Poppy varieties I started from seed. they are only up about 3 inches but that is a start.
Jodi, so great to see yo have some spring blooms to enjoy-and share with us. I love the pink and blue of the Glory in the Snow, but the Puschkinia is gorgeous! I have never seen that before(you have many new to me flowers0, where can I find it?
ReplyDeleteI am determined to plant pulmonaria this year. I looked at some today and was enchanted with it's blooms and spotted foliage. Hope your temps warm a little more as 20's still sounds very cold to me.:)
Hi Jodi;-) Your colors are glowing...it's all lovely. I love hepatica and planted some rhizomes (or something in a pkg I got from Home Depot)...well, it never grew up from the ground so I'm assuming it's dead. I'd really love some...I also just bought 2 pulmonaria plants and although they are small, they're very cute and I look forward to them getting fuller and prettier! I really love that white daffodil w/the peach center, how sweet;-) You are ONE BUSY GAL...wow, your schedule is exhausting. But it sounds fun too...and interesting. Have a wonderful day, Jodi...both in, and out, of the garden!! Jan
ReplyDeleteJodi- I love that striped one! Great spring time colors with all of your photos.
ReplyDeletePulmonaria are my favorite this time of year. Even more so than daffodils & early tulips. But in another two months they'll be on my bad list cause they'll look so poor as they decline–then bounce back again.
ReplyDeleteJodi, I'm so Relieved that you're enjoying Spring and the beautiful flowers that thrill the heart! Your hellebore is very distinctive. Looks to me as though you'll be getting a few more. :-) Your pulmonaria (a favorite plant of mine, too) has developed into a beautiful colony!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the peek into what's happening at your house!
It's fun to see early spring again through your eyes, Jodi. That said, I think if I see just one more gorgeous clump of hepatica on another blog, I shall sit right down and cry. I just have to have some! I did buy two very small ones when we went to Cincinnati, but it may be a couple of years before I ever see it bloom. Must find more!
ReplyDeleteI love the flower pictures in your garden! It must be glorious at this time of the year!
ReplyDeleteNo worries about your daffodils. I have yet to see the green shoots of mine come up out of the soil. Oh what lovely spring flowers you are now getting out there! I wish you more unseasonably warm days (with rain in between).
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