The temperatures were up into the 50s on both days this weekend. Despite clouds and wind, the sudden whiff of Spring was a huge boost to my spirits and sent me outdoors with a camera (uh, phone). This sudden change in the weather also makes it easy to observe the pattern of snow melt in the garden. What I discovered as I wandered around snapping photos is that I've planted a number of early bulbs in locations that are going to be among the last spots to be covered with snow.
Looking southwest across the width of the back garden
I put the bulbs where I wanted to see them in the spring without thinking about what early spring looks like in my garden. March tends to be a month where we typically get one — if not more — serious snowfalls. So I should have at least one more chance to study these patterns and to record where the snow disappears first and last in my garden.
Looking south across the depth of the back garden
Even though they are composed of gravel, the paths across the back of the garden and through the area most heavily planted with perennials were still snow-covered Sunday afternoon. The same was true for much of the front garden as the photos below show. That black plastic milk bin is my attempt to keep critters away from a little shrub I transplanted last fall.
I'm not going to cut back Epimendiums, Hellebores or the dried remains of Hakonechloa grass for a few more weeks, unless there are long term signs that winter is over. My birthday is in early April and too often it is a cold and snowy day, so I am trying not to think about Spring any more than necessary.
The last weeks of winter are always the hardest because we're so close if you only look at the calendar. But those of us who live where we have real winters, know not to rush the season no matter how much we'd like to. The bed in the photo below is at the top of our new rock wall. It's where I planted early daffodils without thinking that this is the north side of the house and that bed will be in a cold shadow for quite a while longer.
Despite my rather gloomy comments, there was enough green to be seen to get me excited. Arum italicum looks great even though it's been buried under the snow until just a few hours before I took its photo.
I love the bright green of the foliage of the Digitalis plants that wintered over and will bloom this year. But until it flowers I am not sure which variety it is.
My double-flowered Snowdrops are starting to push up.
Last year they did not make an appearance until March 10.
Galanthus 'Magnet' is much further along — or at least up much higher — than the Snowdrops shown above. That really surprises me as the double-flowered ones are against the house whose reflected heat seems like it would have pushed them ahead. But that's gardening, always something you didn't expect to see staring you in the face!
