Although after this weekend we’re supposed to have temperatures in a more normal range (highs around 10 Celcius, 50 Fahrenheit), today and this past week we’ve broken a few records for daytime heat. The result has been an explosion of colour in my garden. While last week I had only the last of the of snowdrops and the odd Crocus, today I have a dozen additional flower types in bloom. Every Saturday, The Propagator encourages gardeners around the world to share just six things that are happening in their garden; here’s my contribution this week.
Muscari latifolium – the first Muscari, or grape hyacinth, to bloom in my garden. It sends up just a single broad leaf in the spring, unlike the mess of round, smaller chive-like leaves the other Muscari’s send up, often in the fall, meaning the tips get frost burned and it can look pretty gross in the spring until flowers appear.
My first tulips this year – Tulipa kaufmanniana ‘Stresa‘ I planted just last fall next to the house. It’s against the west wall so I suspect the sun’s heat has helped it bloom this early; certainly the same tulip planted elsewhere is a week or two away from blooming. Rabbits seem to enjoy this tulip’s leaves – other varieties haven’t been touched. Yet.
The dreaded Vinca minor – periwinkle – has started to bloom. Yes, pretty, and evergreen, but what was I thinking? After having conquered the garden bed I planted a few pots in quite a few years ago it has now started to march across the lawn. Luckily it’s at the back of the property, and it’s not too near the woods or other gardens..
Chionodoxa luciliae is one of those small bulbs that loved my previous garden but struggles here, unless it happens to migrate, by itself, to a part of the yard it finds hospitable. I really love the blue of these flowers – so much like Vinca…
Another Chionodoxa , with Vinca in the background – same colour, eh?
Onto a few yellows now. First – Forsythia ‘Ottawa Early’ just starting to bloom.
Daffodils have started in earnest. Just above is a patch of smallish ones, likely ‘Jetfire’. Above them is a row of mini daffs – ‘Tete a Tete’, and at the very top of the post, plus below, is one of the larger daffs, variety unknown. The stalks on this one should be a lot taller but for some reason, perhaps the heat, the buds opened while the stalks were just six or seven inches off the ground. Weird. Much like a lot of stuff this past year! Anyway, rain forecast for tomorrow so I need to spend sunrise to sundown today in the garden cleaning up. Stay safe everyone and enjoy the outdoors, wherever you are!
Muscari latifolium is a lovely plant – as you say, it’s large, broad leaf is a little nicer looking than the usual variety. Also, I like the colour change from dark to light blue.
The weather’s pretty peculiar here (UK) too – very warm at times last week, this week veritably arctic!
Hi Chris, you have heat wave, we here have late frost records for this period. Much of the plants and flowers were blasted by the late frost while many fruit trees were in bloom in France. There will be a lot of loss this year.
Nice photos as always, I like the droplets on Chionodoxa
We reliably have frost until mid to even late May so hopefully our fruit trees will gold off blossoming for a while. I remember a few years ago a very late frost – tomatoes and peppers all over the county were mushed, and the grapevines lost a lot of flowerbuds….
I especially enjoyed seeing the tulips and forsythia. We’re seeing a similar progression here. Despite February’s freeze and the consequent delay in budding and blooming, it’s clear that plants have decided it’s safe to come out, and they’re doing it en masse.
Is Vinca major a week too? It is what is naturalized here. Vinca minor has not yet naturalized. It is nice to see bulbs still blooming. The various daffodils are on such variable schedules here. They do not always bloom in the same order. Some finished blooming only recently.
It sounds like if V. major was hardier it would be a bad thing as well – V. minor can really overtake a garden and its roots are so tenacious it’s almost impossible to pull them.
County Gardening 
Real signs of spring there! Lovely tulips.
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Every year it arrives! Looking forward to a return of more normal temps though…
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Muscari latifolium is a lovely plant – as you say, it’s large, broad leaf is a little nicer looking than the usual variety. Also, I like the colour change from dark to light blue.
The weather’s pretty peculiar here (UK) too – very warm at times last week, this week veritably arctic!
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Well, we’ve had enough arctic weather for the year, I think, but I will welcome a return to more normal spring temperatures next week!
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Hi Chris, you have heat wave, we here have late frost records for this period. Much of the plants and flowers were blasted by the late frost while many fruit trees were in bloom in France. There will be a lot of loss this year.
Nice photos as always, I like the droplets on Chionodoxa
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We reliably have frost until mid to even late May so hopefully our fruit trees will gold off blossoming for a while. I remember a few years ago a very late frost – tomatoes and peppers all over the county were mushed, and the grapevines lost a lot of flowerbuds….
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I forget about the Chionodoxa each year and then they turn up as a pleasant suprise.
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Surprises like that are a good thing!!
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I especially enjoyed seeing the tulips and forsythia. We’re seeing a similar progression here. Despite February’s freeze and the consequent delay in budding and blooming, it’s clear that plants have decided it’s safe to come out, and they’re doing it en masse.
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They really are – just yesterday, the Forsythia went from ‘starting’ to ‘full, glorious’ bloom!
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Is Vinca major a week too? It is what is naturalized here. Vinca minor has not yet naturalized. It is nice to see bulbs still blooming. The various daffodils are on such variable schedules here. They do not always bloom in the same order. Some finished blooming only recently.
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It sounds like if V. major was hardier it would be a bad thing as well – V. minor can really overtake a garden and its roots are so tenacious it’s almost impossible to pull them.
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Oh, I did not consider that Vinca major would not be tolerant to frost in other climates. That is probably why it is not as dreaded as Vinca minor is.
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