Wednesday, April 1, 2009

To Everything There Is a Season



It's April 1st already and I can't remember when we've had a March like the one we just had. Unless you count the flurries we saw swirling in the air on Sunday that melted the instant they hit the ground, we didn't have any snow the entire month. It all went north to Nova Scotia.

Temperatures were above normal, too. I've never sweat so many days while working outside in the gardens in March. I'm not even sure I worked in the garden in March in past years. I completed cleaning the leaves and twigs out of the gardens at least a week ago.

Perhaps the most obvious sign that we are enjoying an exceptional spring is by looking at what's in bloom and what is showing signs of life. You really can mark time by the flowers, because they each have their seasons. And while I'm happy that we're well into spring, I'm also a bit sad because part of it is over.


The snowdrops are turning to mush, and some of the crocus are laying down on the job, never to be perky again. There are still some crocus blooming though, because even among those, there are early ones and late ones. Only the giant crocus are still looking good though.

But not to worry - now it's the daffodils' time to shine! The first one opened up on March 27th, with several others following closely on its heels. 'Jetfire' is one of my favorites, because of its recurved golden petals and orange trumpets. When I first planted them, I was surprised at their size; I expected them to be larger than they were.

'Jetfire' in Max's Garden

Next to show was an unknown variety that I didn't plant, that is located beside the crocuses that I also didn't plant. I think the garden fairies are joining me in my efforts at brightening the corner where I live! There's only a very tiny clump of these and I plan to move it to a different location when it's done blooming.




'Sagitta' is preparing to bloom, as are a few other varieties.


The first 'Tete-a-Tete' daffodils that I planted last year just before Jenna's bridal shower are opening. I had bought several at Walmart, just to brighten up the landscape and now they're going to do the same thing this year.
That's the great thing about spring bulbs. :-)

Still ugly after all these years, 'Replete' is trying once again to prove its worth. It's better than nothing, I guess, but each year I threaten to dig the bulbs up. How this was awarded Daffodil of the Year (1995) is beyond me. I don't remember where I bought them, but they in no way look like pictures I'd seen, such as
this one. To me, they're just a mess...

...but strangely photogenic.





Besides the daffodils, the Puschkinia are in full bloom, and while they're diminutive, they're frilly and they brighten up a dark corner.














Hyacinth season is not yet upon us, but give them another week or so, and I think they'll be showing color.

This is just great, isn't it? Winter is GONE!


25 comments:

Kristin said...

Beautiful! So glad spring is finally here!!

Cathy S. said...

Just a beautiful spring in your garden! happy spring gardening!

IlonaGarden said...

I never did like dbl daffs very well, but sometimes they have their attractions.

You took a great photo of tete a tete- one of my favorites.

Becca's Dirt said...

So glad spring is here. Love the Puschkinia. I like the stripes. Happy bloomin.

Mr. McGregor's Daughter said...

Your mystery Daffodil looks a lot like 'Ice Follies,' which is one of the first to start blooming around here. Not yet, unfortunately, as March hasn't been so kind in Chicagoland as it has in Ohio. Love you shots of the Pushkinia!

Kylee Baumle said...

Kristin ~ So am I! A month ago, I was whining about winter, and then spring happened, all of a sudden, it seems. Hmmmm....maybe whining works?

Cathy ~ Thanks, Cathy! :-)

Ilona ~ I would like to get some of the collared ones (is that what they're called?) this fall, but the doubles to me just look messy.
Those aren't the 'Tete-a-Tete' ones in that photo. They look similar though, don't they? They're 'Jetfire' and they're quite a bit bigger than 'Tete-a-Tete', although you can't tell that in a picture like that. I went back and labeled the photo so there wouldn't be any confusion.

Becca ~ Puschkinia are ones that have to be inspected up close to fully appreciate their beauty.

Mr. McGregor's Daughter ~ Well, how about if we call it 'Ice Follies' then? I sure wish I knew where it came from! Living out here in the middle of nowhere, it hardly seems like an accident, but there's just the one and it's jammed right up against the cement block (not where you would put it at all if you were doing it on purpose). Oh well!
I have seen that you have gotten snow, even on Sunday, that was way more than we did. We had our share earlier, but it's as if God turned the snow sprayer off at the beginning of March for us!

Dave said...

Beautiful stuff Kylee! Sadly most of our spring bloomers like the daffs and the hyacinths are finished. Of course that just opens up the door to whatever comes next. Your tulip poplar is alive and well and starting to bud. I'll try to stop by the PO on Monday!

Kylee Baumle said...

Dave ~ *jumping up and down* Oh, this is great, because the one we bought last year (good-sized tree, too) didn't make it through the winter. :-( Maybe the smaller one will do better! We had a hard time getting dogwoods going here, too, but finally had success with a Kousa. Not exactly what I wanted (which was a pink Cornus florida), but hey, you do what you can, right?

And this is just one of the great things about blogging - when flowers are done at your place, there's always someone right behind you, so you can experience them virtually all over again! :-)

Bren Haas said...

Beautiful photos as always! I love your little garden helpers. I had a couple following me in the garden today. That wind is just crazy!!!
Happy April to you.

Brenda Pruitt said...

I love that blue and white! It's oddly cool here. (Just wanted you to know. It's taking longer and longer to load your blog on my computer. Can't figure out what it is. Maybe it's just me. Thought you might want to know though.)
Brenda

F Cameron said...

You have some beauties in your spring blooms. Mother Nature has been menopausal lately -- hot flashes and cold sweats! We're backing into those cool, rainy days again after hot days.

Cameron

Kerri said...

Unlike Ohio, March in upstate NY was filled with frigid winds, with only a few tastes of warm, sunny spring days interspersed here and there.
Your spring bulbs are a sight for sore eyes! Love those 'Jetfire' especially.
I see you've been laying on the ground taking photos again ;) Beautiful they are too! Love the Puschkinia. I planted some last fall...another passalong from my friend, Marie :) I hope to see them soon!

CountryGardener said...

Wow, you're a bit ahead of us here in southern Ontario, at least me, who hasn't got out in the garden yet. We also had that unprecedented event: a snow-free March. Our early daffs are in bud, but not yet blooming. Your pictures do get me in the mood to go out and garden.

Gail said...

Lovely...I don't think I've seen Puschkinia look so beautiful before today! It's so small and often seems pale in comparison to the more exuberant scillas! It's fun to see early spring in the zone 6 and colder gardens! Thanks for sharing...it was a treat! gail

joey said...

Indeed spring has sprung, Kylee ... good shots from all angles :) We thankfully washed patio furniture, raked & cleaned beds all afternoon last Sat (Sunday it snowed and more predicted after the weekend). Happy April gardening!

Kylee Baumle said...

Bren ~ There are always garden helpers! With seven of them, someone is always right there. They try to help me take photos, too, and they are NOT good at it!

Yes, the wind was wild today!

Brenda ~ Hmmm... I just changed the number of posts per page to two instead of three. Does that help? Actually, I noticed it loading slowly for me today, too. Not sure why, but thanks for letting me know!

Cameron ~ We haven't even had much rain here. And we could use some. I planted a couple of roses today and even down as deep as I dug for those, it was fairly dry. Usually we're a lot wetter. I hope we aren't in for a dry summer like we've had for the last two!

Kerri ~ Yes, I've been on the ground again. Always. LOL. I hope spring visits you real soon!

CountryGardener ~ You're not really that much further north of me, I don't think. It's probably that darn Gulf Stream. If your daffodils are in bud, it won't be long for you!

Gail ~ I think the key is to plant oodles of them! Everywhere! I've sure enjoyed them this year. I think they multiplied fairly well!

Joey ~ Oh, I'm so sorry for your snow! I know that only an hour north of us, they got snow when we didn't. April will be better!

Gardeness said...

That daff looks confused, like it thinks it's a rose or something. The puschkinia is delightful.

"Daffodil Planter" Charlotte Germane said...

Lovely photos! Even I, who despise double Narcissi, would have trouble discarding poor 'Replete'. Would it be possible to move her to a distant corner of the garden, where she would be a blur of color in a galaxy far, far away?

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Kylee, your March sounds like our March much warmer than usual. Our magnolia was in full bloom when it was just beginning to bloom last year. It seems strange but I was ready for the warmth of the season. The daff that you don't like I think is pretty.

Meems said...

Hi Kylee,
So good to know you are out in the garden in March. I see you have a perfectly good flower you aren't especially fond of... I guess we all do that occasionally. :-) I don't recall seeing that sweet flower you're featuring here with the blue stripes...Puschkinia. It is adorable and so unique.

Winter is definitely gone here. Sweating is the order of the day. For the last week we have been in the 80's and only 70's at night. The vegetable garden is loving it but not the gardener. Predicted rain coming tomorrow with a slight cold front - should get us back to normal (whatever that is)... supposedly 70's during the day and 60's at night for this time of year.
Meems @ Hoe and Shovel

Diana said...

Kylee -- it's great when Spring comes early, isn't it? I'm so glad you had such a productive March. Your daffodils are lovely -- and isn't it a nice surprise when they pop up and you don't remember planting them there or you DIDN'T plant them there? That's a treat. I am in love with that Puschkinia -- I've gotta find out more about that and see if I can grow it here where it almost never gets cold any more.

Unknown said...

So beautiful! thanks so much especially for the pushkinia!

Connie said...

Lovely blooms! I like Jetfire...and I agrees about the double one. I prefer the simple old fashioned look most of the time.

Unknown said...

Sure wish my winter was gone. Redbuds, bradfords, magnolias, forsythia, Sand Cherries all are in bloom. Today, rain and in the 30's. Gray and overcast. Winters grip still clings on...

Benjamin Vogt said...

Winter's not gone! Our biggest storm is poised to pounce! 6-12" they say this weekend. We'd been having a spring like you. IF we get that much snow I'm going to implode.

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