Cloudy Spring Potpourri

We've definitely been pretty sun starved the past several days and yesterday (Easter) and today were no exceptions ... but still, I had to try to get out for a little while yesterday, as the temperature dropped and the winds whipped up, just to try my hand at getting a few shots of what was valiantly blooming. Some of the Giant Crocus are now done and gone, thanks in no small part to the gusty winds ... but others are rising to the occasion to replace them, as are our other early spring bloomers, such as this Chionodoxa forbessi ('Glory of the Snow') that I showed a glimpse of in my previous Crocus post from last week.

It may be the 'Glory of the Snow,' but for the amateur flower photographer, it might as well be nicknamed Le désespoir des photographes ('Photographer's Despair') because of its stubborn refusal to be captured accurately (color wise) by the camera in most situations! As I mentioned in my previous post, for some reason I have a terrible time getting the right shade of true blue from this gorgeous little ephemeral that graces the front boulder bed every spring. Of course, yesterday was insufferably cloudy and it was late afternoon before we got home and I could get out with the camera, but still ... to my eye, it was its usual glorious blue! So I said what the heck, these won't be the best photos I'll get, but I need to get things chronicled one way or another, so here's one of the shots I got of the several colonies we have established out in the front boulder bed. As you can see, it looks a little bleached out and more lavender than blue, but this was in natural light with no flash (which would have made them look even worse!) ... so go figure. I'll try again later this week when the sun is supposed to return at least briefly and maybe I'll inadvertently discover the holy grail....

I'll just mention one more time that this is a great early spring bulb -- gorgeous, inexpensive, very hardy (Zones 3-6), and a great naturalizer that multiplies very quickly. (These were planted in clumps of 5-6 back in 2005 and at this point have almost tripled in number.) If you don't have this little beauty in your garden currently, you'd do well to consider a few mass plantings with your spring bulbs ... they're small, about the size of snow crocus, don't have to go down too deep and you can plant a good number in a short amount of time. I've been thinking about getting 50-60 more of these in the Fall and doing a couple of big plantings with assorted crocuses, since finding a real blue in crocus is a challenge ... think how lovely a 2-3 foot space filled with all of these would be ... a real spirit booster after a long winter!

Here we have another one of our very favorite early spring ephemerals, Scilla siberica 'Spring Beauty,' commonly known as Siberian Squill. It's another of the truly blue spring bulbs you can plant, with lots of great features: it's incredibly hardy (Zones 3-9), it naturalizes freely over time (though not as fast as we would like) and is just a joy to behold for the brief time it is on the stage. This particular clump was not intentionally planted here amongst the tulips ... well, I mean we didn't purchase these bulbs and put them there deliberately, though I suspect that Fernymoss had a hand in this particular planting. (I think he plucked some mature bulblets from other plants and tossed them over here a few years ago ... à la Fernymoss Squilly Bulb.) You see, Scilla siberica has a great naturalizing strategy ... after the blooms have faded, they turn into litlle "bulblets" that eventually weigh down the stem and fall to the ground and work their way into the soil (well, usually we give them a bit of an assist by digging a little hole for them) where they can advance out from the parent plant.and come up the following year. That's how you sometimes see, in fortunate gardeners' yards and gardens, huge drifts of blue appear when they bloom. That's what we have been aspiring to since we first planted them, and at present, we do have a pretty good colony going out in the front parking. Right now, they are just starting to bloom, but I'll feature them soon when they are a bit more prominent ... but we've had to be patient, because the soil in the parking is very poor and hard, so I think it has slowed them down a bit. They're an outstanding spring bulb to introduce to your garden if you don't already have some planted ... we also have over 100 of their larger cousins Hyacinthoides hispanica (formerly known as Scilla Hispanica or 'Spanish Bluebells') planted around the garden and they are starting to come up in droves right now, though they probably won't bloom until early May. I spotted some substantial clumps coming up yesterday and was thrilled to see that they have yet again multiplied their numbers over those we had last year, so you'll be seeing those when they burst into bloom....

Finally, here's another planting of Crocus 'Pickwick' (which I've featured previously), which though obviously not happy with yesterday's weather, was hanging in there despite the cold and wind. I think this clump was planted about 2-3 years ago, due to its placement and the number that have come up this year ... we're seeing more and more of the crocus on the northern exposures blooming now (where it stays colder and less sunny than elsewhere in the front), so the season's show is far from over at this point! Consider this post just a snapshot from some very cloudy days, looking forward to more sunshine that will bring the rest of our spring friends into bloom ... I guess we're just having to be ultra patient this year, given Winter's stubborness about leaving. Patience is just one of those traits that the gardener has to cultivate, otherwise we just set ourselves up for infinite frustrations!

And speaking of patience on another front ... I finally (after a 1 month+ wait) got my new glasses late last week (first pair in 10 years) and I'm having to really be patient adjusting to them. I had to get bifocals (my first pair since 2nd grade) again and though it's great to see clearly at distances again, the up close work has been challenging so far, but give me a few weeks to adjust and I hope I'll be back to as good as I can be (with my complicated prescription). I know one thing: it's going to be less of a crap shoot when I take pictures now! I'm looking forward to that....

(Faded) Glory of the Snow

Chionodoxa forbesii 'Luciliae' (aka: Glory of the Snow, Star of Bethlehem, etc. ) is usually one of the first flowers to emerge along with Snowdrops and Crocus, though this year it was a bit tardy to appear because the spot they occupy in the main boulder bed stayed frozen much longer than sunnier areas out front ...

In any case, it appears that, like other small bulbs closer to the surface, it managed to escape the ravages visited upon the Tulips and Fritillarias due to the severity of last year's long, late freeze and this past winter's nastiness. In fact, it has definitely expanded its clump since last year, much to my delight. I definitely want to get some more of these planted this fall, as the original spots I planted only contained about 3-4 bulbs each (they're small), because they are definitely happy naturalizers. I think they'd make excellent companions for Snowdrops, Crocus and Squill, with their pale blue stars that gradually fade to almost a pale lavender (see second shot). They're not the easiest subjects to shoot (at least for me!) ... not enough light and they look 'muddy blue' and too much sun makes them look bleached out. Just one of those flowers that needs to be seen in situ to truly appreciate the delicate hues of blue they exhibit ...

Carefree and every bit as easy to grow (and prolific) as Crocus, Squill and Snowdrops, they're worthy additions to any garden area ... the border or even in the lawn, where they do quite well, and are gone before you need to mow. Add this one to your list, Boran2 ... you won't regret it!

Photos taken 16 and 23 April, 2008 using the S700. The first shot (4-16) was taken while these were at their peak of blooming, whereas the second, taken a week later, as they were inevitably winding down.

Glory of the Snow

I finally managed to get a brief rainless tour out front tonight after work, and was quite excited to see that the Glory of the Snow (Chionodoxa) had arrived --albeit post-neige-- this year. I'm sure they were just biding their time underneath all the piles of snow until the recent thaw, and with some of the real warm-up days we've had of late, they came rushing up to brighten the early spring garden.

With their unique hues of blue and warm golden inner bits, these diminutive flowers were a real delight to discover on a damp, mostly overcast (the norm of late around here) late afternoon. As for growing them, they could hardly be easier to establish in a sunny spot near the front of your perennial border. The biggest drawback is that they are not that widely accessible (these were internet buys a few years ago) and are relatively pricey for one of the smaller bulbs. But that disadvantage aside, they recommend themselves eminently as one of the more unusual of the early spring bloomers. And as bulbs go ... they could hardly be easier to plan t... they don't go very deep (unlike tulips, daffodils and other larger bulbs), and all they require is a sunny spot in fertile, well-drained soil, a chilly winter and the early warming rays of the sun to bring them forth to catch the eye of the observant early spring garden observer. They also appear to naturalize quickly and our three plantings have been increasing in width every successive year ... what's not to like?

And finally, why not a quick bonus crocus! This variety is called Pickwick and is one of the "giant Dutch crocus" varieties. We're particularly fond of the purple veining in this one, and it's a shame that they don't last as long as the earlier snow crocus ... our giant crocus have been battered by the wind and rain this past week, so most of them are already a bit past their prime. I actually really liked how the folded texture came out on the petals of this one, even if it would have been perkier a day or so ago ... But still... even slightly bedraggled, they still bring a wonderful splash of color here and there in the big perennial border ... I'll have a few more soon in another post, complete with detailed inner bits for Olivia ...