The first days of Spring

Monday — the first day of Spring — was warm and sunny with very little breeze. I decided to go out in the garden and try to get a little something done in a couple of hours. The temperature eventually hit 60 degrees F. (15.55 C.) and I spent the better part of six hours on my hands and knees or bending over from a standing position. It was glorious! The first thing on my list was to cut away all the foliage on my Hellebores since the buds were coming right up. This bin is just the clippings from my three original Hellebore plants, all Royal Heritage strain. 

They really aren't that special given the wonderful Hellebores now on the market, but I love them because they were my first. And they are the only ones out of all the Hellebores I grow that have produced seedlings. Now I need to decide how serious I want to be about growing them on. 

Before I play with the seedlings, I need to discover if the white bud at the top left of the photo above is a mutant from the main red plant or has jumped over from the pale Hellebore a foot or so away and is unrelated. Hard to tell at this stage.

I have three varieties of snowdrops (Galanthus ssp.) in bloom and other varieties  sending up clumps of leaves. This is G. nivalis viridapace with very visible green markings. The snowdrops that are flowering are all quite different from each other putting paid to the idea that they all look alike. Even an untrained and uninterested eye would see the difference!

Tuesday was mostly cloudy and a good 20 degrees cooler. I went out for an hour but only to find enough leaves to pile on top of my species peonies which are all showing. This is P. japonica which might not care that the overnight lows are still in the teens. But I decided I was foolish to chance these buds getting frostbite. The daytime and nighttime temps are both about to rise which means the garden will soon need some serious attention. Next up on the list is cutting away all the Epimedium foliage before those flowers start to appear. 

Comments

[Peter/Outlaw]

Lots of exciting new growth to celebrate the new season. Look at you getting so much done in your garden already.

[Jenny]

It is interesting that you cut the leaves from your hellebores. That is what they seem to recommend in England.I only have one and unfortunately it has been in a too shady location. I wonder if I too should cut leaves and with our southern climate, when. Will it make new leaves or is it too late? I remember those early days of spring. Such joy to see the first signs of regrowth. The best is yet to come.

[Lisa at Greenbow]

How exciting seeing Peony foliage popping up. My hellebores have been tremendous this year. I have only one of the newer varieties of hellebore which I purchased last summer. It was half eaten by a rabbit then the big freeze set it back. I don't think it will bloom this year. I just hope it lives. As my sister told me...it doesn't all have to be done the first day out. ;)

[Linda Brazill]

I always cut the leaves just as the flower buds are showing and as the flowers start to fade the new leaves arrive.

[Beth @ PlantPostings]

I finally got around to clipping away the old Hellebore leaves today, and I raked away all the leaf mulch in the bed. Lo, and behold, I noticed some rather large Hellebore seedlings. Joy! I've had these clumps for years and years, so it's nice to finally see them filling out beyond the main plant a little more. Today was a beautiful day, with warmth, a few pollinators, and lots of beautiful birdsong. Enjoy your spring garden. :)

[Linda Brazill]

I had a morning and an afternoon meeting but in-between I cut back Epimedium foliage.You're right, it was lovely.

[Frank]

So nice to see all those healthy buds coming up. What a relief after all the cold and I hope it turns into a nice steady warmup rather than a string of ups and downs.
Today in spite of rain and cold I'm determined to get out there and brush the last of the snow aside and trim back the leaves on the few hellebores which have thawed out. It's time!

[Linda Brazill]

Last snow pile on the north side of the house melted Friday. Also First Hepatica blooming, apple tree pruned and the ducks have returned. I'm in heaven.