I agree, spring is long awaited and finally spronging forth. I was surprised to see a number of daffodils in bloom today. My Muscari armeniacum, which one year bloomed in early fall, then the next year at Christmas, this year was really late, starting last month sometime. The Hellebores are blooming, and all my new bulbs planted last fall are up and many with flower buds. I'm excited to see them, some daffodils, Muscari, and a few new species Tulips, all in my newly developed area that has a couple of Japanese Maples, TB irises, and a blue-green foliage theme. I plan to have some annuals and dahlias there this summer and maybe add some grasses and shrubs.

Spring is official for me when the ornamental plums start their pink blooms. That should be soon.:-)

Yep, it's here. The Indian Plums have started to bloom and Hemnancy, I saw some ornamental plums beginning to bloom along a street a few days ago. My purple violets are all in full bloom, along with a few odds and ends of other things. 2 of my bamboos are shooting too.
I'm ready for the rain to slow down and the days to warm up. Those 2 days in the 60s were just right for me.

Although the rain is back and it's kind of coolish, we did have one great day this week, We actually got a lot of cleanup done. Hellabores are blooming and Ivory Prince has outdone itself this year, my Daphne odora marginata is waiting for a couple of warm days, and then she'll pop, Epimediums are starting to stir, I must get out tomorrow and cut off the old foliage, Brunnera 'Jack Frost' has pushed his way through, and the flower buds are showing, but, not blooming yet. Violets are a sea of purple, running amuck in my garden, I love em'
None of the Muscari are blooming yet, I have 'Blue Spike', 'Sea Foam', 'Golden Fragrance', 'Valerie Finnis', armeniacum, lactifolium, ambrosiacum (bit of a muddy color but fragrance is great), botryoides album and a few more. Yes, I confess, I do collect Muscari, I love them. The devil made me do it?
In th Fall I bought some dble. Snowdrops, a specie tulip alba coerulea Occulata, a Hyacinth, 'Double Hollyhock' which sounded interesting and Iris reticulata 'Natascha' a lovely icy blue which is blooming now, lovely fragrance.
I seem to have gravitated towards some species and the minor bulbs the last couple of years. Tulips and Daffs take so long to die back, I've stopped planting them. Double Primula, in clay pots, are waking up and should be blooming soon.

Spring here?.....BRING IT ON!!!!

A......

I gave up on most regular tulips but the species ones are so tough and special. I also love and collect Muscari, they bloom so long and I love the color. This year my new one is neglectum, an interesting name. Of your list AM, I don't have Sea Foam or Golden Fragrance.

Hemnancy, Sea Foam is a double like Blue Spike, kind of an oddball color though, pale bluish green, hard to describe. I can't say it is attractive, just different. I bought Golden Fragrance last fall so I haven't seen it bloom yet. I'll try and post a picture of Sea Foam when it blooms, you'll see what I mean when I say it's just different. I don't have neglectum, must put that one on my list to buy, from it's name it sounds like it will fit right in the way my garden looks right now. I'm doing a major cleanup at present, fortunately I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. :-) I find the species Tulips are becoming very hard to resist. I'm growing mine in clay pots.

A......

Except for foliage dropping and flowers vanishing, I like cool season temperatures.

But it is nice when spring comes.

One thing about winter - at least for me - it never seems long....until its almost over. Then it seems like it was long.

Daffodils and crocus and heaths and daphne oh my! :)

My yard is so new, first plantings December 05, that other yards around me are bursting forth more quickly. However, almost all my heather is now in bloom, and the first daffodil bloomed yesterday. Lots of swelling buds and feathering pink elongating twigs. The catkins on the salix smithiana have gone from downy silver fuzz to bright yellow pom-poms. The blueberries are leafing. The red horse chestnut buds are swelling huge. The red maple is red-flowering. Candy tuft blooming. Grass growing, clover re-shamrocking out. Miniature ivy thriving. Vinca blooming and going crazy with heavy new growth. Yippeee! Catmint coming up. Some willows getting little bright green leaves. Crocosmia shoots coming up. Ajuga quickly showing signs of life, going from flattened chocolate to green. Crocus already done. Thujas slowly turning from grey-brown to green. Weeds popping up everywhere. Slugs multiplying. Birds chasing each other. Frogs chorusing. Water running strong in creeklets. Air so fragrant with daphne flowering. Clematis armandii starting to bloom white. Birds starting to eat ripe Nellie Stevens holly berries. Magnolia buds swelling. Photinia fraseri bright red, new buds. Rhodies perking up, getting greener. Sun is beautiful when it comes out. Not too hot yet. Lots of luscious rain, lovely wet rain to nurture those roots, mist the evergreens and give me a break from watering :-) Hail Spring!

mdvaden - I grew up in the Rogue Valley and enjoyed winter there too. I really get tired of winter at this point in the Willamette Valley because it is much wetter and grayer up here. I don't miss the relenting heat in the summer but cooling off in the Applegate river was worth the heat.

Hey - I just checked my epimediums and the flower stalks are so high that I don't know if I can easily remove the old foliage without accidentally cutting down some flowers! I just checked them last week when the weather was good and there was no sign of emerging flowers. Wow, they did like that "heat spell".

Got my peas in today! Used the branches from my transplanted sambuca for the trellis. Ordered my garden mulch to be delivered Wednesday. I hear it is supposed to be nice this week and approach 70 by Friday. If that doesn't continue the gardening frenzie nothing will.

It does indeed feel like spring! The flowering plums in my neighborhood are in full bloom this week and as many of you have mentioned, all manner of things are popping up.

I'm happy to see tons of fuchsia shoots popping up on all of my "hardy" types (I was a bit concerned after this winter but so far all of them have new growth).

The various flavors of Fuchsia magellanica have the most growth already, but 'Walz Jubilteen' and 'Cardinal' have very nice, lusty-looking new shoots as well. It's great to see these, and other, new shoots, plus all manner of blooms out there--euphorbias, camellias, early rhodies, spring bulbs, forsythia, flowering quince, and plenty of seedlings too.

Keep the updates coming,
Grant

Is this rain ever going to stop, maybe we should all go out and do assorted Sundances, if this keeps up I'll be looking for some sort garden friendly hovercraft to get around in. I know Spring is lurking around the corner, my Daphne odora marginata has started to pop, the fragrance is starting to fill the air, Camelia 'Nuccio's Pearl' is just about open and yes one of my two hardy Fuchsias (Hawkshead) is showing signs of life.

Grant, I didn't know Waltz Jubilteen was hardy, I really like that one, will have to try it in the garden. Unfortunately I am addicted to Fuchsias, the more I have the more I want. The greenhouse is jammed packed with them, mostly hanging basket types but, also lots of uprights. O.K. Spring, it's about time you stopped lurking, show yourself, I don't want to play hide and seek anymore.

A......

First logy garter snake out yesterday in such balmy weather (72 degrees on deck), sunning himself on cottage stone. Out of hibernation. Zillions of jumpy little dark brown spiders everywhere, never seen so many spiders, every inch of yard absolutely stuffed with these spiders. Astilbe shoots coming up, hosta too. First little peony shoots. Frogs everywhere. First dandelions in neighbor's weed yard flowering. Purple plums in other yard starting to blossom. Weeping willows turning super spring green. All daffodils now blooming. Vinca profusely blooming, gorgeous. Tulips greens 5". Hyacinth buds unfurling. Pulmonia flowering. Air around creeks swarming with bugs, marsh marigolds spreading like mad.

Felt wonderful to be out in yard yesterday. Was supposed to be pouring rain but instead was very warm and humid but dry, beautiful clouds, plants just loving the perfect conditions with sun peeks every so often. Heavenly day.

Midnight, it (Walz Jubilteen) was sold by the Eastside Fuchsia Society (eastern suburbs of Seattle) as hardy in this climate, though as you and most folks know that's all relative. That being said, they listed it as hardy, and it's come back for me after this rough winter, so maybe it would for you too.

I do love fuchsias, but not having a greenhouse I go only for the "hardy" types which I can plant in the garden and hope that they return, which Waltz did this time anyway.

Take care and continue enjoying the spring everyone,
Grant