Hardy plants for hardy souls
Coltsfoot is blooming along the road, and the dormant trees on the hillside have taken on a reddish tinge.
Kathy Purdy is a colchicum evangelist, converting unsuspecting gardeners into colchicophiles. She gardens in rural upstate NY, which used to be USDA Hardiness Zone 4 but is now Zone 5. Kathy’s been writing since 4th grade, gardening since high school, and blogging since 2002. Find her on Instagram as kopurdy.
When dealing with frost it is always best to be paranoid. In the spring never think it is too late for one more frost to come. And in the fall never think it too early.
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Dear Kathy,
Indeed, we are in Sacramento. I poured icy water from the bird bath on them to encourage coldness. There are buds on some that have been in the sun so I have high hopes. Perhaps they will open this week. Will read your spring posts when I am done with Sat errands.
Like looking at all your beautiful narcissus pix,
B
Kathy,
Found your site cause I was looking for n. poeticus info. I planted some bulbs on the day of the election last fall and am waiting for them to bloom. Daffs are all done and poeticus are just about to open. How late is very late?Waiting and waiting for stems to come up…Waiting to smell the fragrance… will report back from Sacto if there is any action. Would appreciate any tips on how to keep them happy.
Regards,
B.
Late is a relative term. Very late just means in comparison to other narcissus. In my case, the earliest of the daffodils are just starting to bloom. I don’t expect poeticus to bloom for another 3 to 4 weeks. Any narcissus will emerge and bloom later the first year, though. In Sacramento (which is what I think you meant by Sacto), I would think the biggest problem would be making sure they are cold enough in the winter. You might have better luck with the types of narcissus they grow in Austin, which are the kind they sell to us northerners as good for forcing.
Poor poor pitiful me – I don’t have any Hepatica. I’ve never attempted to transplant any but now that you mention it – I should go out looking since it’s about the right time. (thank goodness for blogs – and the kick they give to my memory bank)
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I’ll have to go check. I think it might be a bit early here but they do grow in places that warm up sooner than my cold wet hole in the woods.
Around here, Bloodroot is just emerging, Marsh Marigold is leafing out, mosses are ‘fruiting’ and I did notice the reddening of the trees.
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Wiseacre, The marsh marigold in my garden has leafed out, but the double bloodroot has not emerged yet. Do you have hepatica? My European Hepatica nobilis is blooming. (I thought it was native when I bought it, but I’ve planted it in the garden by the house.)
I don’t think I know what coltsfoot is!
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Carol, coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) is native to Europe but has naturalized in North America. It looks sort of like a dandelion but blooms even earlier. You can see a photo of one here.
Irritate weed shrubs that they may be, it is nice to see the green haze on the honeysuckle everywhere.
I drove down Interstate 81 the same day you wrote your comment, Donalyn, but I didn’t see the green haze myself. Must be you’re a little further ahead in your neck of the woods.