Cold Climate Gardening

Yes, the first of the snowdrops bloomed today, and not especially enthusiastically–their buds are scarcely open. It’s even more anticlimatic considering a lone crocus beat them to the punch, blooming merrily this morning while the snowdrops didn’t open up till afternoon. I think this crocus is the same one that bloomed first in 2003. And while it seems like it took forever for them to bloom, I see by my previous records that they are by no means the most tardy.

So now it’s officially mud season–over a hundred feet of muddy driveway, to be exact. Lots of birds are back, lots of snowdrops almost ready to bloom, and snow predicted for tomorrow and Thursday. But after that rain. Nice, snow-melting, ground thawing rain.

And to answer Don’s question in the comment section of the last post: no, I don’t know what kind they are. My records say I bought them from VanDyck’s in 1994. Back then my biggest concern was cost per bulb, not what they were named.

Thanks to Rundy for taking these photos. If they seem a bit blurry, it’s because he went through contortions to get in close without kneeling in the mud, and he wasn’t holding the camera quite steady as a result.

Popularity: 3% [?]