Colour Comes Back to the Garden

As the temperature settles into double digits, early flowers take it as the sign to bloom. Hellebores are always among the first, the buds shouldering their way up even through a late blast of snow.

It was after this episode that we had milder weather, and suddenly all the hellebores were in bloom. The clumps grow bigger every year, and so does my collection.

These are the stars of the spring garden, but other plants are also noteworthy. The tiny black tufts on Salix gracilistyla 'Melanostachys', the black willow, were so subtle that I had to photograph it against the snow to get a decent image.

This is such a pretty plant in bloom, with its contrasting red stems, but it's not very exciting the rest of the year. I keep it in a pot for that reason and because it has a tendency to spread rather too enthusiastically for a small garden. Not that mine has yet: growing from a cutting, it still has just this one stem.



Corylopsis pauciflora, a witch hazel relative started out slowly,

...but is now in full bloom and attracting early bees whenever the sun deigns to shine.

 

Although the snow crocus in full sun are over already, some in shadier locations are going strong.

And Iris reticulata 'Clairette', which I bought last year, is also blooming later than its relatives. It's a pretty colour combination, but not elegant in its proportions: big flower on short stem. I hope that's just because it's not established yet.

'Rijnfeld's Early Sensation' daffodils are living up to their name, flowering well ahead of my other narcissus. I need to plant a ground cover around them to prevent them being splashed with dirt whenever it rains. Fortunately, from a distance you can't see the dirt, and they add a cheerful sparkle to an area that doesn't have much in it yet. That will change once I start visiting my favourite nurseries.

Colour Comes Back to the Garden

As the temperature settles into double digits, early flowers take it as the sign to bloom. Hellebores are always among the first, the buds shouldering their way up even through a late blast of snow.

It was after this episode that we had milder weather, and suddenly all the hellebores were in bloom. The clumps grow bigger every year, and so does my collection.

These are the stars of the spring garden, but other plants are also noteworthy. The tiny black tufts on Salix gracilistyla 'Melanostachys', the black willow, were so subtle that I had to photograph it against the snow to get a decent image.

This is such a pretty plant in bloom, with its contrasting red stems, but it's not very exciting the rest of the year. I keep it in a pot for that reason and because it has a tendency to spread rather too enthusiastically for a small garden. Not that mine has yet: growing from a cutting, it still has just this one stem.

Corylopsis pauciflora, a witch hazel relative started out slowly,

...but is now in full bloom and attracting early bees whenever the sun deigns to shine.

 

Although the snow crocus in full sun are over already, some in shadier locations are going strong.

And Iris reticulata 'Clairette', which I bought last year, is also blooming later than its relatives. It's a pretty colour combination, but not elegant in its proportions: big flower on short stem. I hope that's just because it's not established yet.

'Rijnfeld's Early Sensation' daffodils are living up to their name, flowering well ahead of my other narcissus. I need to plant a ground cover around them to prevent them being splashed with dirt whenever it rains. Fortunately, from a distance you can't see the dirt, and they add a cheerful sparkle to an area that doesn't have much in it yet. That will change once I start visiting my favourite nurseries.

At Last, a Few Signs of Spring

A little sunshine and a slightly warmer temperature is bringing all the early bulbs into flower. Snowdrops, all gifts from friends, are coming up through last year's fallen leaves,

The first slightly battered blooms have opened on a clump of the little netted iris (Iris reticulata),

and on winter aconites. Both have suffered from wind and rain, but splatters of dirt don't diminish their charm.

Snow crocus are all showing colour, and some are even opening when the sun hits them, which isn't as often as I'd like. At least with 'Gipsy Girl', you get the added bonus of the stripes on the underside of the petals when the flower is closed. When it's open, you get the solid gold interior - bright and cheerful but not quite as interesting.

 

The early spring hellebores are beginning to flower, too. They aren't making much of a display yet, especially the dark-coloured ones that blend into the bare earth beneath,

 but if I get down on hands and knees and shove the camera under the drooping blooms, I get a good view of how pretty they are.

At Last, a Few Signs of Spring

A little sunshine and a slightly warmer temperature is bringing all the early bulbs into flower. Snowdrops, all gifts from friends, are coming up through last year's fallen leaves,

The first slightly battered blooms have opened on a clump of the little netted iris (Iris reticulata),

and on winter aconites. Both have suffered from wind and rain, but splatters of dirt don't diminish their charm.

Snow crocus are all showing colour, and some are even opening when the sun hits them, which isn't as often as I'd like. At least with 'Gipsy Girl', you get the added bonus of the stripes on the underside of the petals when the flower is closed. When it's open, you get the solid gold interior - bright and cheerful but not quite as interesting.

 

The early spring hellebores are beginning to flower, too. They aren't making much of a display yet, especially the dark-coloured ones that blend into the bare earth beneath,

 but if I get down on hands and knees and shove the camera under the drooping blooms, I get a good view of how pretty they are.

Last Gasp of 2013

December brought sharp morning frosts that sparkled on the few remaining flowers, fruits and foliage.

Sedum 'Autumn Joy'

Anthemis tinctoria "Sauce Hollandaise'

Rosa 'Lykkefund'

Then in the week before Christmas we had snow, making Vancouver briefly part of the Great White North.

It smashed my luxuriant rosemary, but  Mahonia 'Winter Sun' came through unscathed.

So did a ground-hugging Skimmia, although almost submerged in the snow.

Even a few dying seedheads on brittle stems held up well.

That's another reason not to rush the trimming and tidying of these spent blooms. I leave them for the small birds to enjoy and also for the structure they continue to provide when so many plants other plants have collapsed or disappeared for the winter.



By Christmas Day the snow had largely melted and for the remainder of the year we were back to traditional Vancouver weather, i.e. rain interspersed with sunny but cold and clear periods.