Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - March '09

Oh yes, we have outdoor blooms - at long last!

Perhaps the diminutive snowdrops (Galanthus) don't seem like a very big deal, but they are to those of us who have looked at nothing but snow-covered gardens almost every day since last November.

Yesterday they looked like this....with buds still closed against the cool air and cloudy skies.

But with today's bright sunshine, and temperatures climbing to a little over 60ºF (15.5ºC), they opened their sweet faces to greet the warmth of the sun. Pure bliss!

Daffodils are sending up their green spears, but usually don't bloom until about the second week in April, so we'll have to wait patiently for those lovely nodding yellow heads for almost another month.

These are Saffron Crocus (Crocus sativus), which are fall blooming, but their leaves can be seen in the spring and then disappear in summer during the bulb's dormant period. The spice, saffron, is derived from the dried stigma of the flower. My generous gardening friend, Marie, shared these with me.

The front gardens are ready for clean-up and the lawn is showing very little color, but we'll begin to see more green before long. Mud season is upon us!

There are still patches of snow to be seen on the hills and in the hedgerows, but the yard is bare of snow at the moment. We'll probably see at least a little more before we're done with it.

Happily, inside the house we do have some color!
I grabbed the camera to catch the afternoon sun as it backlit the plants on Friday afternoon. It's such a beautiful time of day.
The pink Abutilon on the left has 6 new blooms...with just one of them showing here. It's had flowers since early January.

The other Abultilon is "Gold Dust". Its many buds began opening on March 2nd.

The variegated leaves are as beautiful as those orange blooms.

The Star Begonia has added more flower stems to the original 2 which have been blooming since late January.

Those delicate pink flower clusters are held high above the lovely, star-shaped leaves.

The Parlour Palm is sporting a third flower cluster, with one more yet to open.

Here's a closer look at these strange little blooms.

I caught the red Ivy Geranium glowing in the sunshine in an upstairs window this afternoon.

And the Rieger Begonia blooms on. I'm amazed at how long these gorgeous pink blooms last!

To see what's blooming far and near in other gardens, visit Carol of May Dreams Gardens.

Happy Bloom Day everyone!

Stay tuned for dazzling daffodils next month!