It's cold here this weekend, but the week ahead promises to be mild and Spring-like.

I stlll had this Hippeastrum blooming and it was just getting past peak, so I decided to take its picture today. This is H. Christmas Gift.

There are a few places where you can buy Snowdrops "in the green". That means that they are dug and shipped early in the Spring. Usually that means April in these parts. But everything is early this year and so this week I had these shipped. Since it was before we got freezing temps the ground was workable and I was able to plant them outside.

Spindlestone Surprise (yes, that's the color)

G. Atkinsii, a little worse for the wear of shipping.

G. Melanie Broughton, not fully open

Tulips, daffs and crocus have noses up here. Here's to a long Spring.

Steve

Steve, from where do you get your snowdrops shipped 'in the green'? I love 'Spindlestone Surprise.' Can you request a winter shipping date or does the mail order company ship at their discretion?

Molie

Molie,

There are three sources for "in the green" Snowdrops that I know of . Spindlestone Surprise came from Carolyn's Shade Garden in PA. She does orders by email, but I believe she is sold out. Another is Linden Hill Gardens also in PA. He only has a few cultivars remaining. The last and the one with the most variety of cultivars is The Temple Nursery in Trumansburg NY. He only does orders by mail. Not email, regular mail. His garden and nursery is also open on Garden Conservancy Days in April.

This Thursday I'm attending a Snowdrop Tea in Sandwich at the garden of Jonathan Shaw. He has probably the best collection in New England and there will be some plants available there as well.

The best source for unusual and beautiful cultivars is in the UK. Cornovium Snowdrops will ship to the US when bulbs are dormant during the summer and they have yellow and green marked varieties.

For other sources you should check out the Facebook group called Snowdrops in American Gardens.

Steve

These glorious warm days have me in the garden all week and I've found some lovely spring blooms thanks to all that hard work in the fall planting a zillion bulbs and plants!

Suzabanna, love that H. 'Pink Fizz' .... how long have you had it? I have just four of hellebores. They spread like wildfire and I'm always ripping out babies because I've already given them away to everyone I know. Yours is striking!

molie - this is the first bloom I've seen of it! I got it in the fall and planted it then. I put 3 in a back shady garden and would LOVE for it to spread since nothing grows back there.

Suzabanana, your plantings are lovely ... all of them ... so I'm sure your hellebores will love your yard and thrive. It takes a while before they become lush.

In our gardens, almost all the hellebores face east. They were planted in very good composted soil that gets amended each year. Even though I try to deadhead old blossoms, so many land on that dirt and root.

Hellebores really can take more sun than most people realize, and I think that's why these have become so large. Yesterday I cut back the old brown leaves and pulled up all the new babies. I just took these two photos, not to show the blossoms but to show how much sun they are in for probably half of the day.

Think I may need to get some of those nice hellebores, they seem to really 'pop'.

Got my first daffodil open! Rjinveld's Early Sensation, I believe, living up to its reputation this year.

Witch hazel Arnold Promise has been blooming for weeks now, I believe since just before that Valentine's cold snap this year (completely unfazed by it!), and the winter aconite and snowdrops have been blooming for weeks, too. Both are already starting to fade.

Lots of other stuff coming up now, too. Tommy crocuses, dwarf Iris, and the first scilla, just popping up today or yesterday:

First daffs are up! I think it's Red Devon, but the contrast between the cup and petals isn't as strong as I was hoping for...

I'm loving everyone's blooms! We are about a month behind our southern neighbors, but the first signs of spring are showing. Pussywillows and daffodil shoots mostly.

My reticulated irises have been blooming for a week right by the front door, but I've been having some computer issues, so the photos are still in the camera. There are at least three types, and at least one clump is over 5 years old, having somehow escaped the voles. My daffodil leaves are about where Sped's are, and the red maples and willows are just starting to bloom. The aspens have had big fuzzy catkins blooming for a week.

Look forward to those photos when your computer issues are fixed, NHBabs!

Should have picked the one blooming daffodil, but after the 6" of snow this morning, I discovered that if I squint hard, the mock Connecticut cherry blossoms are blooming. Until the sun shines.

(that's snow on maple blossoms)

Ha---ha---ha! Does anyone want to look at the 4" of snow in our gardens?

Our 4 inches from this morning has already melted from pavement, trees and bushes. Still some on grassy areas. Don't know what the bulbs will look like when I get home but it seems like the woody plants didn't suffer too much.

We had about 2 inches of really condensed snow, and about half of it is already melted, thanks to the March sun. Yesterday afternoon I noticed a possible daffodil in bloom but I was busy covering my little crape myrtle so I ignored it. That was when they were threatening 8 to 10 inches of heavy wet snow here.

Right now I'm too lazy to put on shoes and coat and hat and gloves again and go out to look so I just took a shot through the window. I think it's Rijnveld's Early Sensation.

Tonight whatever snow or slush is left should freeze up and then melt away in the next few days. I'll be delighted to see it go.

Claire

Snow is melted here, too. And the one peony that has grown about 5 inches above ground looks fine. I was mostly worried about that.

Yesterday I went out and cut tiny flowers from our yard. I knew the Heath would survive the snow but was afraid the miniature daffodils would freeze.

Went out to check on my daffodil bulbs and found they are fine, but what was left of the irises are done for

Hellebore 'Ivory Prince' still looks fine

And found some Lupine leaves peeking out

As well as Yarrow

Not much to look at but gives me much to look forward to!

It's just remarkable what is open on March 26th. The snowdrops have gone by and the daffodils are just beginning.

Tete a Tete with Anenome Blanda Blue Shades

No name on this early daffodil, but it's lovely.

Hard to believe this Magnolia bud is beginning to open.

Pulmonari Trevi Fountain

Hellebore Golden Sunrise strain.

Happy Easter

Steve

Amazing, Steve, that your Magnolia is opening! Even though we're along the coast, I've not seen them looking that close to ready in our neighbor's yard. But I did notice buds on my Pulmonara, which is a good sign.

My inlaws who live on a SW facing slope have blooming dafodils at a time when we usually don't yet have blooming crocus and reticulated iris! Here in the colder valley, we have well-budded dafs, but none are blooming yet. My early crocus were blooming the last two days along with the reticulated iris that have been blooming for a couple of weeks, but today is too dark to open them up. I don't have buds on the Pulmonaria, but there are leaves opening up!

The coastal spring here is slow, as usual, but there are a few things to look at.

Daffodils: Jetfire (the one I posted earlier turned out to be Jetfire, not Rijnveld's Early Sensation - someday I hope to be able to type this without checking the spelling)

and Toby the First.

Pieris are starting to bloom but it doesn't seem to be a good year. They had lots of fine buds over the winter but the heavy icy late snows and maybe the critters and turkeys (I saw a squirrel climbing all over a pieris) may have damaged them.

Late crocuses are still blooming.

C. t. 'Ruby Giant'

Yucca 'Color Guard' has looked pretty much the same all winter - a nice reliable color accent.

In the hope for the future category, the peonies are sprouting:

and one of the Gold Heart dicentras has appeared along with Geranium 'Biokovo' leaves.

I spotted a few vinca flowers in an out-of-the-way spot and the pussy-willow buds are furry.

Claire

Well if I showed you mines, all you would see is bunch buried dead plants in at least 5 inches of snow over a now once again frozen ground...These sub freezing temps plan on devastating my garden(

mikerno_1micha, things may be better with the snow which will protect the plants from the colder temperatures. Many plants, like my daffodils, I expect to be fine, and though many perennials will be just fine if they are still relatively small and low to the ground, those that aren't should resprout. Things like Magnolias and cherries will be toast for this year along with early flowering hydrangeas, but IME most plants will eventually send out new leaves and will recover to bloom next year.

I guess we will have to be patient and see what is still able to bloom after this weather moves out.

I think the killer for me was it rained briefly before the snow and once the temp dropped below freezing that bottom layer of slush froze. Last I checked all my sprouted bulbs lost their petals and looked pretty sad. We may have another round of snow on Saturday.............