I have a gift.  Many people have special gifts, but mine is the gift of chaos.  I’ve been told that in the midst of chaos I come across as very calm, but the truth is I’m just used to it, since for as far back as I can remember whenever things can go wrong they did, and when it can’t possibly look worse it does, and I guess the silver lining is that it always works out in the end.  Kind of along the same line of thought as “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”… except I’m not sure I’d like to push it that far, and I’m just fine sticking with ‘What doesn’t ruin everything might make for a nice story in a few years’.  To sum it up, eventually the birthday stitches come out, the garden tour which finished up in the ER becomes a story, and you find a new job after cutting the vacation trip short.

Melting snow has finally arrived, and this exceptionally early winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis ‘Lightning’) and a few other early risers can finally begin to show off.

I was lucky this time.  No toothache on Christmas Eve, but with a table to set up at David Culp’s Galanthus Gala in Downington Pa this Saturday, I shouldn’t have been surprised something would happen.  First the car went.  I wanted to finish up making labels but first the car had to get to the dealer.  Then the water heater went.  I just wanted to pot up a few more things.  Then the garage door broke when I wanted to move things out and into the other car.  Then my nephew told me he was indeed sick and would not be able to help sell… and would also not be able to give my other helper a ride down to Downington.  Good times, but also silver lining time.  We were able to lift the garage door and roll the car out, the repair bill came in about 2k less than expected, the door is also set for repair, the heater is fixed, a new helper has been tapped,and  a new plan to get the other helper down has been set up… even the labels got done.  Was it touch and go for a few hours?  Maybe, but I’m back to excited and won’t even consider the repair bills until after this weekend’s adventure!

‘Wendy’s Gold’ is probably my favorite for an early bright spot.  She waits for the first warm days, sprouts, and never looks back.

So that’s enough woe is me for one post because seriously it’s just life for every one else, except for me there’s the added fun of ‘dramatic timing’.  The thing happens and I just look to the heavens and say “good one.  Did not even see that one coming”.

Winter interest in the garden is about done for the season.  Should old hellebore foliage be removed before blooming?  I would have to say yes, and that might be the first thing I do once things calm down here.

So tomorrow in spite of whatever still comes my way I’m off to the Gala with my goodies.   It’s been a solidly cold winter… one which coincidentally seemed to start the day after I agreed to sell a few things from the garden… but the silver lining is a burst of warmth in the days right before.  Let me share how a few things have turned out.

With everything freezing solid outside, I potted up a few clumps of English bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) for a just-in-case scenario.  English bluebells are kinda awesome and fairly hard to find so of course I’m keeping a bunch.

There will be English bluebells, spring snowflakes (Leucojum vernum), and of course snowdrops and winter aconite.  They look pretty good and I would buy them, but not everything came through.  Another just-in-case scenario had potfuls of species tulips, and they just don’t look like much so I’m leaving them here.  Really.  They are barely sprouting and don’t look like much so in the garage they stay and I’m absolutely not leaving them behind because I want more species tulips.

Leucojum vernum out of the garden of my friend Paula.  I think they look great and if you’re thinking how much?  I suppose $25 a pot will be the price even though I’m worried they’ll all sell and they’re another thing I wouldn’t mind having more of in the garden.

Besides the threat of chaos there’s another thing which gives me sweaty palms on the eve of the Gala.  I’m not a good salesman.  I don’t really want to get rid of any of my snowdrops so I’d actually be just fine bringing dozens back and replanting them, and I’m afraid my sales pitch will reflect that.  They look so nice all potted up.  It makes me think of a greenhouse filled with pot after pot of perfect snowdrops and what a shame it would be if I had to build a greenhouse next week because just having snowdrops in the ground isn’t good enough anymore.  Hmmm.

Some of the potted goodies awaiting the sale.  A few varieties were potted up too early and did not like the last cold blast (their flowers were burned) but most look quite happy.  I hope there’s enough variety to be interesting.

If you’ve been to the Gala you may know there’s an auction which goes on.  My friend Paula gave me a drop to donate, and I know I’ll feel a little light-headed when I hand it over.  A Dutch drop named in 2020, ‘Snowdropfever’s Nelly’s Birthday’ is a vigorous, early, large-flowered snowdrop with strong green markings on the outer petals, and a full green inner.  It’s about ready to split into three bulbs, which of course will make for an even better show next year, but even now I think it looks just dandy.  Of course Paula found a small offset to share with me, she knows how I am.  I hope it grows quickly!

Galanthus ‘Snowdropfevers Nelly’s Birthday’.  I think it’s been in bloom at least two weeks and the green has only faded a bit.  It’s a cool drop.

So I’m looking forward to the day.  Oddly enough I won’t even be behind my own table, I’ll be helping out at Edgewood Gardens, only a few steps away, and hopefully that is far enough so I don’t keep taking things off my own table “on second thought” to take back home, because between that and all the other vendor tables there’s a high probability the car is fuller on the return trip than it was going down.  We will see.

If I see you there, great!  If I don’t I shall try this time (just like I try and fail every time) to take some decent pictures of the day to share later on.  Maybe I’ll even try and take a picture of a person or two, because I notice that people somehow manage to do that in spite of all the horticultural distractions and maybe it’s time I broaden my horizons 😉

Gala or not I wish you a wonderful weekend, and I hope you’re also finally experiencing some sort of a warmup and feeling the promise of spring!