We woke up Saturday morning to a rain/snow mix and very chilly temps. The on again/off again overnight frosts finally had me covering a few things Saturday and Sunday nights. But mostly I've decided to just let nature take its course. I'll learn which of my early plants can sail through unscathed and which plants are not going to survive the climate changes in my area.
Mostly I cut flowers for bouquets as we were having company for dinner Friday night, friends for a casual Saturday afternoon in front of the fire after they visited Mark's photo show and a few garden gals for cookies and conversation Sunday afternoon.
My daffs, Hellebores and some Fritillaries are the only flowers that are prolific enough that I felt free to cut them. This group is from last Thursday.
I grabbed the first Muscari and a bud from Paeonia mairei for a vase above the kitchen sink. I think the Peony buds may have fatally frozen and are not going to open. I wanted to see if the warmth inside the house would do anything. So far it has not.
A big bunch of Hellebores with an early Trillium sessile in a Richard Jones vase. The painting is by local artist, Chuck Bauer.
More daffs and frits. I love the pale yellow trumpets on these daffodils which fade to creamy white. I just keep adding and subtracting to this vase to keep it fresh as it's right where we sit and read.
Our neighbor's Forsythia often sends a stem or two through the fence — perfect for clipping. The big Fritillaria radeanna have been through a number of frosts and they still look quite good. I will definitely be adding more of them to the garden.