The Annual Miracle is Here

Magnolia 'Butterflies'

 

It's been one of the driest winters in this corner of Virginia, and March was little better until the very last day, when a series of thunderstorms hit our area, dropping nearly an inch of rain overnight. What a delightful surprise just before April Fool's! 

With the stealth rain, my garden has come alive with the annual miracle of spring! My yellow-flowered Magnolia 'Butterflies' didn't get badly frosted this year--ironic, considering there were fewer buds than any year before, due to last summer's drought. But still, it's the first spring since it was planted eight years ago that I've had the opportunity to enjoy its beautiful blossoms.

 

The front yard with Thalia narcissus and Magnolia 'Butterflies'

 

As the early 'February Gold' daffodils fade, the front yard comes alive with the blooms of Thalias, Tazettas, and Poet's Narcissus, forming thickets of white with touches of yellow. The creeping Phlox under the cherry tree is starting to revive too.

 

My front yard on April Fool's Day.

Tazetta, Thalia, and Poet's Narcissus.

The Yoshino cheries in our neighborhood are gorgeous at the moment, though with the wind today the blossoms are bound to be short-lived. It will take a couple more weeks for the Kwanzan cherry in my yard to open, although the buds are swelling and starting to show some color.

On the east side of the house several patches of blue Siberian Squill are all in bloom, and my Hellebores finally open. The Pieris beyond is also sporting its delicate blossoms.

 

Siberian Squill (Scilla siberica)

Hellebore 'True Love'

Hellebore 'Flower Girl'

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pieris japonica

 

Last fall I planted a native Jacob's Ladder plant in the woodland garden on the east of the house, and it's loaded with flower buds, the first of which are starting to open. I'd had a couple of beautiful hybrids with variegated foliage of this plant a few years ago, but those were eaten by something (deer? voles?) and died out. I think the species may prove a bit more resistant to the onslaught of the critters, but I'm keeping it under a cloche in hopes it will spread.

 

Jacob's Ladder (Polemonium reptans)

 

My Allegheny Serviceberry tree (Amelanchier laevis) is also blooming, though my little tree hasn't made a whole lot of progress in the past years. I hope this year it will finally grow tall enough to be out of the deers' reach.

 

Allegheny Serviceberry tree (Amelanchier laevis)

The back bed  has exploded into bloom with assorted daffodils: 'Pink Charm' at one end, with 'Mount Hood' and a mixture of other varieties. The redbud tree is just starting to show some color, while the Seven Son Flower Tree leafs out. The Forsythia beyond is holding its blossoms well despite the wind.

 

The back bed with Forsythia beyond.

The back bed.

'Pink Charm' daffodils

'Pink Charm'

Yellow 'Prince Alfred' substitutes are blooming in another bed, and the Mount Hood daffodils I divided a couple of years ago are everywhere too. 

 

'Mount Hood' daffodils

'Prince Alfred' look-alike daffodils.

 

There's a nice patch of blue Muscari blooming in the front bed next to the driveway, along with charming little Anemones in a blue-and white combination, but today it's too chilly and windy for the Anemones to open (these photos are from a few days ago).

 

Blue Grape Hyacinths (Muscari armeniacum) and Anemones (Anemone blanda).

Grecian windflowers (Anemone blanda)

As Mother Nature revives, the annual miracle of Spring is on full display...I can't wait to see what will come into bloom in time for April's Bloom Day!

Ides of March Bloom Day

Reticulated iris.

It's the Ides of March, and the spring equinox is not far behind now. On this March Bloom Day, hosted by Carol Michel's May Dreams Garden blog, it's a bit overcast here in my Zone 6B Virginia garden. We may get a shower or two this afternoon, with more forecast for tomorrow with thunderstorms and wind as a front moves in. We've had nice warm weather this past week, but desperately need a lot more rain to bring out the spring flowers--here's hoping.

I was thrilled to see the dwarf iris (Iris reticulata) I planted last fall coming up in Herb's bed! I have never grown these before, how did I ever overlook them? Such perky flowers deserve a place in everyone's garden. My order included assorted varieties in blue shades--some have light yellow eyes, others deep yellow, almost orange, and some none--those reddish purple ones are gorgeous! I hope they'll multiply in the years to come.

Iris reticulata in the Herb bed.

 

 

Reddish purple iris.

The 'February Gold' daffodils are out in force, with clumps in the front yard, the bed by the driveway and several spots in the back yard beds. I can't help but smile when I see their bright yellows, always a cheerful sight! Even better, deer and other critters never bother daffodils as the plants are poisonous.

 

'February Gold' daffodils in the front yard.

Clump of 'February Gold' by the driveway.

'February Gold' daffodils in the back bed.

 

My winter aconite (Eranthis cilicica) are popping up in the back bed, but they have yet to carpet the ground as I envisioned. I wonder how long it it will take before they begin to look like an actual ground cover?

 

Winter aconite (Eranthis cilcica)

 

Within the yellow flower spectrum, some of my crocuses are still blooming--these must be the 'Orange Monarch' variety I planted last fall, but they are not very orange, more like a deep cadmium yellow with feathering. The other crocuses are pretty much done with their flowering.

 

Crocus 'Orange Monarch'?

 

The hyacinths are coming up too--I love the startling turquoise bases of the 'Delft Blue', and the white ones are also lovely.

 

Blue hyacinth.

 

A few Siberian Squills are coming up in the woodland garden on the east side of the house. The two Hellebores under the Japanese maple 'Bloodgood' are in bud, but not open yet.

 

Siberian squill (Scilla siberica)

Buds of Hellebore 'Flower Girl'

 

Buds of Hellebore 'True Love'

The sweet violet 'Queen Charlotte' is sporting its first flower today--the deer seem to find this variety particularly tasty, so it hasn't spread as much as I'd hoped, but it's making some progress.

The Forsythia in back has buds patiently waiting for a warmer day to open--probably in one week to ten days more.

 

Sweet violet 'Queen Charlotte'

 

Indoors, my white Phalaenopsis orchid has two flowers open, and two miniature Phals are budding--I hope these will be in bloom in time for April Bloom Day. My yellow hibiscus is still blooming too.

 

White Phalaenopsis orchid.

Two miniature Phalaenopsis orchids in bud.

Yellow hibiscus braided standard.

That's about it for my garden this month, thanks for visiting, and Happy March Bloom Day!

Daylight Savings Time Sunday

Deep purple 'Tommies"

 

The days are gradually getting longer and warmer despite the usual fluctuations, and more spring bulbs are sprouting every day in my garden. The dark purple 'Tommies" (Crocus thomasinnianus) are now blooming in the front yard. Last night we set our clocks forward an hour for the seasonal time change--the beginning of Daylight Savings Time is another welcome sign of the onset of spring. That extra hour of light in the evenings extends my studio time significantly.

 

Two colors of "Tommies", pale and dark

 

Looking over the bed by the driveway I was surprised to find a number of the pale mauve crocuses sprouting among my irises there--I know I didn't plant any there, so the squirrels must have planted them. Typical squirrel behavior--they dig up the bulbs from my flower beds and re-plant them where it pleases them!

 

Crocuses re-planted by squirrels in iris bed

 

I must say it does look rather interesting, though the crocuses there will likely not have much of a chance to grow well. But it's going to be hard to dig them out without damaging the iris. If I try that, it won't happen until after the iris have bloomed.

The early 'February Gold' daffodils in the front yard have budded and are starting to open, always a cheerful sight!

 

'February Gold' daffodils

 

Other crocus varieties are blooming in other parts of the garden, like these yellow ones with purple feathering. 

 

Yellow crocus

 

The Hellebore 'Flower Girl' is sporting more buds today. I haven't cut back the old foliage yet, as I love the contrast of the old dried leaves with the green of the new growth--such lovely colors would make a wonderful painting!

 

Hellebore 'Flower Girl'

 

The first of the Siberian squills popped up in the woodland bed on the east side of the house--a beautiful touch of color. My eyes are so starved for color at this time of the year!

Siberian squill (Scilla siberica)

Out back in the Herb bed, another surprise--the dwarf iris planted last fall is sporting two blooms! I planted about a dozen of these in an assortment of blue shades last fall, can't wait to see what the other varieties look like.

 

Reticulated iris (Iris reticulata)

 

A couple of the Winter Aconites in the back bed have also popped up, but one flower was eaten by a critter--wonder who the culprit could be? Probably deer. 

 

My Winter Aconite (Eranthis cilicica)

 

I really love seeing the huge patches of Eranthis hyemalis under the large trees at Blandy, which are a different species from mine. I wonder how many years it's taken for them to form these enormous expanses? I bought a dozen or so bulbs of Eranthis cilicica because the other species was not available at the nursery where I usually buy my bulbs. The two species look very similar but the cilicica blooms later. I hope mine will eventually form large patches like those at Blandy, but we'll see.

 

Winter Aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) at Blandy Experimental Farm.

Winter Aconite at Blandy

 

 Here are some recent additions to my botanical artworks done over the winter. This piece titled "Between the Cracks" depicts three rare ferns found at Calmes Neck, which I sketched from life last spring, along with  two associated plants that grow on the same ledges. The plants, from upper left to lower right are: Violet wood sorrel (Oxalis violacea), Purple Cliff-Brake (Pellea atropurpurea), Maidenhair Spleenwort (Asplenium trichomanes), Wall-rue Fern (Asplenium ruta-muraria) and Yellow Corydalis (Pseudofumaria lutea). The latter is not a native of our area, and was somehow introduced, but has naturalized there. The others are all natives.

 

"Between the Cracks" watercolor, 17"h x 14'w.

 

I rushed to complete these two others, and I'm not sure they are as successful as the ferns, but I needed more work for my upcoming show at Long Branch Historic House and Farm in Millwood, which will be on display from April 1 through May 30, 2025, as well as Art at the Mill show, also in Millwood.

 

Downy Rattlesnake Plantain Orchid (Goodyera pubescens), watercolor, 17.5"h x 13.5"w.

Rose Bay Rhododendron (Rhododendron maximum), watercolor,

 

21"h x 13"w

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 These last two were done from photos taken at Ice Mountain last spring, let's hope I can sell them. I have lots coming up art-wise, a very exciting start of the season for me!