I’m sticking to my guns and declaring today the first day of spring. Non gardeners will spend the next three months whining and complaining about cold weather and chilly winds but some people are only happy when they’re complaining, so good for them. The sun was out and the temperatures shot up to sweatshirt weather and I did next to nothing all day, just sat around and then sat around some more. My second coffee probably took an hour to finish and hopefully I didn’t get a sunburn in the process since I was outside for that plus another few hours sitting, wandering, sitting, poking, sitting, uncovering…
The yellow snowdrops are my favorites. Here’s ‘Wendy’s Gold’ fully up for the season and pristine after spending a few days under a bucket.
In case you’re wondering how things made it through the frigid cold, they’re fine. So many things were starting to grow and I had my doubts about all those tender sprouts but only a few things took a hit and the majority look ready to take on the season at full speed. I’m glad the cold was so short lived, I think that made a huge difference.
‘Rodmarton’ wasn’t even covered and still looks good. As far as double snowdrops go I like this one a lot, with green tipped, fat blooms that stand high on sturdy stalks.
So now that spring is here I shall also announce the start of the over-sharing season where this blog fills with a monotony of white and green and sometimes yellow flowers which vary about as much as an island full of golden retrievers. Hmm. How’s that for an image? Shipwrecked sailors would run the risk of being licked to death but would likely lose consciousness first from laughing too much. But yeah, lots of snowdrops on the way so fair warning.
‘Sutton Courtney’ is also up and open. I love this one as well and she seems to be on the mend again after the gardener stupidly dumped several inches of soil on this bed to raise it some more without replanting the bulbs higher. Don’t do that.
Maybe winter will return. Maybe you’ll get a break. I don’t think so though, so if you’re going to try and stick around just get those standard ‘looks nice’, ‘oh I love them’ comments ready and you won’t even have to read a post since they’re all going to be nearly the same.
At least I’m excited. Hope you have a great week!
sorta like suburbia 
I’m glad most came through unscathed. Tough little buggers! Let the spring show begin. 🙂
It was a relief to see them come through our four day winter so successfully!
Honestly, I am enjoying this unusually mild ‘winter!’ 🌞
How dare you! Each Golden Retriever is a unique treasure, which is easily and obviously distinguishable. Please try to set a higher standard when it comes to embracing diversity, however challenging that might be. Love Tilly.
Tilly I apologize. What I meant is Golden Retrievers are each as special as snowdrops, only bad people who don’t know where the treats are would mistake one for another. I shall try harder.
Woof!
I second your pronouncement of spring’s arrival Frank. ‘Wendy’s Gold’ has formed a lovely patch. /Susie
Excellent! If we stick together on agreeing spring is here, we are sure to win 😉
Oh, I love them! How nice! (Just practicing.) I personally have concerns about all the ups and downs in temperature, and the lack of snow cover this year. What’s going to happen to the new perennials I planted in the fall? The unnaturalness of this “winter weather” has filled me with unease.
But I do like and envy your snowdrops. If you ever have any inexpensive “throw-aways” I wouldn’t mind giving them another try up here. I’ve not had success with snowdrops or winter aconite here (forgive me, but I like that even more than the snowdrops!), and it pisses me off!
Ack! “throw-aways”!? what type of savagery is this? IF I have an extra snowdrop or ten which I think I can live without I might be able to trade it for a slice of chocolate cake or something of equal value, but that’s a huge ‘if’. Being allowed to eat the cake on your beautiful deck might work to sweeten the deal enough for a shovelful or two of winter aconites 😉 -and leucojum are nice too. Just thinking…
You are welcome to come have cake on my back deck at any time, with or without a shovelful of aconites!
The 1st of February was always regarded as the first day of spring here in Ireland though, in latter years there has been some digression with movement to the 1st of March and discussion on meteorological spring and astronomical spring and bedsprings and other rubbish. I’m sticking with what I learned as a child in school. The 1st of February is the first day of spring – and the flowers in bloom prove this! By the way, I’m a great fan of ‘Wendy’s Gold’ and ‘Rodmarton’ also. Great snowdrops!
As an American, I of course can chose to believe anything I want, be it based on fact or built on what my emotions tell me or what my pancreas says or whatever! Your garden is a clear testament that spring has arrived in your reaches, so I’d have deep troubles trying to convince myself to wait till March. Spring it is!
I was not sold on double snowdrops, and flore pleno and the Greatorex hybrids were the argument I was using, but recently I thought to try a few other types, ones like Rodmarton, and I’m starting to look forward to them as much as a few of the favorites. So much for thumbing my nose at doubles!
The doubles last a long time in flower as they are not pollinated. Also, the flowers are generally bigger and so, give a bigger splash of white in the garden. ‘Rodmarton’ is a particularly big flower and tall also, a good addition to the garden. A good grower as well.
It’s still winter here. We have snow cover, so no buckets or other cover ups when it got down to -13°F (-25°C). It’s gotten milder again, but I wouldn’t call it spring. Spring is when the snowdrops are not only up, but it’s warm enough for them to open.
Are you warm enough for mud yet? I’m still leaving in the dark and usually coming home in the dark, but even with a flashlight I can see some progress in the blooms. Winter really isn’t trying too hard down this way.
Where the snow has melted there is mud on top of frozen soil. But even with the temp hovering around 40F the misty-rain failed to melt all the snow. Two days of sunshine in a row–is that so much to ask?
😃 It seems Winter hasn’t been too bad for you this year. I do hope Spring really is around the corner… I am not holding my breath here though! I love snowdrops, but still can’t quite understand the attraction of the yellow ones. I clearly need educating. 😉
Yes, winter has been extremely mild this year, and still no sign of anything else. The boy was asking for a season pass to the local ski resort last Christmas, and I said let’s wait and see… Two months later and I think we saved a bunch of money because they’re barely able to open this year and won’t even make it to March.
…and I guess the yellow snowdrops are just different enough to be a super thing for snowdrop lovers. We’ll take anything when it comes to variations on the standard drop 😉
They only got snow in the Alps here about two weeks ago, and skiing was hardly possible apparently, but now they are snowed under!