This week in the garden — the transition from Winter into Spring. There may be a few slightly colder than average days left this winter, but the weather has definitely turned a corner, and we are seeing more sun, more warmth, and more green. Even though the calendar says we have just about a week left until Spring officially begins, it is here. I can smell it in the air after a good rain, the smell of fresh dirt thawing out from winter’s freeze. I can hear it in the rain and in the new songs being sung by the birds as they begin to look for a mate. I can feel it in the warmth of the longer days. And I can see it in all the new leaves and buds that are emerging. My heart rejoices in the change, the renewal of the earth. I am ready for it, hopeful for a renewal in more than just my spirit.
Just a few weeks ago, we had several inches of snow covering everything.
Daffodils pushing up through Snow
And now, so much more is coming up.
Daffodils and more pushing up
Snow blanketed the earliest of the Spring bloomers (or the latest Winter blossoms), the Hellebores.
Snow Covered Hellebores
But now they can start to stretch their flowers to the sky.
Hellebores Blooming
I need to get out there (hopefully on a slightly drier day) and start removing some of the spent foliage. It is not necessary or crucial, and it may even be considered too late in most cases to do much for the plant except to neaten the appearance.
More Hellebore Blooms
I love how many Hellebores I have on this small plot of land. Their little shots of color are perfect this time of year.
Hellebores out front
You can see in this next shot that I still have quite a bit of leaf litter to pick up. I left it purposefully this winter as a sort of mulch for the beds. It should be warm enough now that I can remove them (and hopefully compost some!).
Hellebores under ‘Queen Crimson’ Japanese Maple
And a detail of a flower under the tree:
Hellebore Bloom
As the foliage dies back, some of it turns this beautiful shade of dark purple first.
Dying Hellebore Foliage
Another type of Hellebore, the stinking Hellebore or Helleborus foetidus, is also about to bloom.
Stinking Hellebore About to Bloom
Another early bloomer is this pink Camellia that’s been trying to bloom for several weeks. Now that we’ve had a stretch of a couple days, nearly a week of good weather, it is starting to go crazy.
Early Blooming Camellia
Several buds were damaged with the extended cold weather we had, leading to “frost bitten blooms”.
Frostbitten Blooms
They look sort of orange in this photo, but are really more brown. Even on the more protected blossoms, you can see a little damage around the outer edges.
Camellia Blossom not fully open
I also spotted this lonely guy today.
First and only Crocus so far
And I guess to be technical, this little weed was blooming too.
First weed of the year
At least I think it’s a weed. I’m not sure what it is, although it does look a bit like creeping jenny, of which I have plenty very close to this spot.
I’m continuing to get a lot of attention from the birds at the feeders. This male cardinal was eyeing the food, but wouldn’t come close with me near the window.
Male Cardinal
And you may have noticed I did actually clean the windows- inside and out! Here’s a great shot of a chickadee, clearly showing the sides and markings indicating that it is in fact a Carolina Chickadee. An eagle-eyed reader pointed out my mistake in my last post.
Carolina Chickadee
While out at the library this week, we also spotted a Hawk come fly in close to the building and perch for a little while. I managed to identify it from the photos we took at home as a Red Shouldered Hawk.
Red Shouldered Hawk
He/she was quite large, although it’s difficult to tell from this photograph.
Buds on the Viburnum
As the new buds come in, I also am surveying the garden for any potential damage. I can’t tell for sure, but even though they aren’t green anymore, I think the Hydrangea buds survived this year.
Hydrangea bud – dead or alive
At least they aren’t black. I’m going to just have to wait and see if anything grows from them this year.
Green Buds on Bush
I can’t remember what bush this is, but as soon as it starts to bloom I should know. I was pleased to see a bunch of tiny green buds on it today. And just some more signs of Spring:
Spring is coming
Spanish bluebells and daffodils coming up in the front bed, and in the side:
Spanish Bluebells coming up
This area will be a carpet of color in about a month. And finally:
Garden Phlox coming back
It’s not too early for the tall Garden phlox to start peeking out from its slumber. This year I am going to try to be more vigilant about the Phlox bugs so that I can have as many blooms as I can get.
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