Is it really spring? I have CROCUSES!

20 years ago

The birds in my yard seem to think so. I've been hearing spring bird songs for a couple weeks now. And, TODAY I HAD CROCUSES BLOOMING!!! Today the weather was SO nice that I started my outdoors "spring cleaning," front yard first. I widened two beds, and edged a third, trimmed down some perennial stalks in one bed and cleaned out leaves that had blown in among them, and I gave the ivy on the retaining wall the first of it's several-times-a-year severe haircuts. I think I might ache tomorrow, but it's a good kind of ache.

I'll tackle the back yard another day - that's a much bigger project. I also have to put in another gravel path, from the driveway to the back garden gate, to use up the last of the gravel from my back yard patio project last fall. (My kids will be sad to see the gravel pile go away - they've had more fun with that pile of rocks, I don't know why I buy them toys. . . .) I'm working on a shady/woodland garden on that side of the house, so I'll be on the lookout for more shade-loving treasures this year. I still need to put in my daylily, peony,and iris orders for this year - not huge orders at all, but a few new beauties to enjoy. And, I've started going outside every day to see if my winter sown containers have sprouted yet, and to check on my bulbs as they grow. So much to do, but it's a good sort of busy.

What's on your garden chore list this week? What signs of spring have given you a boost of energy?

Laurel

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Comments (16)

pamghatten
20 years ago
I only have Snowdrops blooming , but lots of other green things breaking the surface in ALL the gardens.

And I saw a BLUEBIRD this morning. Had to run out and clean out the second Bluebird house this afternoon.

What a beautiful day ... oh I have soooo much clean up to get to. LOL!

Pam
mulchy
20 years ago
We had a great day here in my neck of the woods. I also had my first crocus blooming, along with some johnny jump ups. My husband saw our first robin. Also had acouple flocks of geese fly over, making their goose sound. It was great!!!
I worked in some of my beds also, it felt so good. So much to do, makes me wonder if I will gwt it all done. Tonight I am tired, not used to all that fresh air and being on my knees. but I enjoyed every minute of it...
MULCHY
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remy_gw
20 years ago
I hate you all! LOL!
It was a beautiful day. I did some cleaning up in the yard. My husband and I pruned the apple tree finally.
I saw what I believe is a snow drop about to bloom. I planted them last fall. And I saw purple in an Iris reticulata bud. There is lots of crocus foliage, but none blooming yet : (
Maybe I'll be lucky tomorrow.
Remy
penny1947
20 years ago
I have 3 flower buds on my helleborus. Some of the tulips are about 2 inches tall right now and the aliums are about 3 inches tall.

Penny
magicman2u
20 years ago
Well today was so nice I decided to carefully clean away some leafs that were laying in my beds. I guess I had fear that the leaves might sufficate the perrenials coming up. I hope it doesn't get to cold and hope I didn't disturb it too much. I also have alot of plants coming up. I thought having one Lupine sprout in a WS container was kinda odd! I really hope this doesn't turn out like last winter ..where it snowed in April!!
penny1947
20 years ago
Magicman,
Those wintersown babies will be a little bit hardier and will take a sudden cold snap. BTW, after Monday we are going back down into the mid 30's for the rest of the week with rain and snow mix.

Penny
lblack61
20 years ago
I was kind of surprised that the crocuses I planted last year arent' peeking through. I'm starting to wonder if the squirrel that's been around this winter has dug them all up. I planted them with a layer of netting, but maybe that didn't help-- or maybe the netting is interfering with the growth.:-(
hammerl
20 years ago
Yesterday I noticed a bright gold crocus bud. Today, I must have at least ten of them opening. Unfortunately, it's raining cats and dogs, so they're a little hard to enjoy. The snowdrops have been blooming for what feels like forever. Ironically, so have my primrose. Noticed a cream colored one blooming its head off near some snowdrops yesterday. I've also got a helleborus budded up for the first time. The daffs are getting tall, and there's sign of a few tulips starting to poke through.
adaorand
20 years ago
One yellow crocus. But, I saw two skeins of geese following the Hudson north yesterday!

AdaO
remy_gw
20 years ago
It may be a rainy miserable day, but I got Iris and Crocus blooms!!!
penny1947
20 years ago
I don't have any Crocus but we saw our first robins yesterday and again this morning so it must be spring!!!!

Penny
Aurore
20 years ago
My snowdrops are fully out. I love these little buggers. They always seem to pop up at the gloomiest time of year- right when I need to see something green and growing.
rouan
20 years ago
MY snowdrops are blooming too. AND my crocuses have started blooming as well as my Eranthus (winter flowering aconite). It's such a cheerful yellow, that even on a gray,gloomy and yes,snowy day, that it cheers me right up. I saw my first robins this past weekend. I had been wondering where they were, usually I see them by the middle of Feb. I, too, have seen and heard the geese flying overhead. It makes me believe that Spring really is on the way!
laurelin
Original Author
20 years ago
I have reticulated irises today - what a lovely shock of blue on a gray day. I have several kinds of crocus, but my favorite by far is Crocus tommasinianus 'Ruby Giant' (sp?) - the violet color just glows in any weather. My daffodils are growing so fast, I can hardly wait to see them bloom. All of a sudden the tulips are popping up all over the place, too. I just LOVE spring bulbs - I'm like a squirrel burying nuts every fall. . .

I've started trekking out to the yard every day to look for sprouts in my winter sowing containers. None yet, but it can't be too long now!

Laurel
crankyoldman
20 years ago
I've got crocuses blooming, and the daffodils are getting tall (maybe this year I will remember to separate them). Plus I too have heard lots of geese flying over. I haven't seen any robins yet. I've lived in this place three years, and each year a robin with a scar on its chest has come and built a nest in the pine tree next to the garage, raised babies, and followed me around when I was gardening to clean up the bugs. I always look forward to seeing that robin.
penny1947
20 years ago
Cranky,
I checked my first robin report from last year on Journey North and my first siting this year was almost 3 weeks earlier than last year. The tulips at our bank are quite a bit taller than mine but theirs are planted close to the building so they are getting more heat than mine which are in a galavanized wash tub out in the middle of my yard but mine are looking good. My native columbine is sprouting new growth and even without any snow cover this year the agastach4es have all survived. Lot of clean up to do once it warms back up enough to get out in the yard.

Penny