An Early Spring

3/5/17

     Although we have had some cold spells in January and February, for the most part those months have had above normal temperatures.  In fact, weather reports say we have had the warmest February on record in our area.  And although we have had an inch or two of snow a couple of times, we have escaped any big snow storms like we had in 2014 and 2015.  The antumnalis cherry tree in our front yard, pictured above, has bloomed in November as it usually does, but also had some blooms around January 5, and is now in full spring bloom as this photo of February 24 shows.  This is a month earlier than it usually blooms.

     I started noticing the trees budding the first week of February.  I thought I was seeing things that weren't really there.  But each day, as I walked the dog, I looked again, and the trees were definitely budding.  Also in February while walking the dog, I noticed many other plants blooming:  daffodils, blue periwinkle, violets, forsythia.  The following photos show what's happening in my yard this early spring.

I saw the first hellebore blooms around February 2 at the side of the house by the wooded floodplain.

The full spread of hellebore plants in that area were in full bloom three weeks later on February 24.

The jonquils in the side garden were emerging on February 2.

Three weeks later on February 24 they were blooming.

I was surprised to see that the clematis vine showed showed some budding on February 2 also.

This is a photo of the clematis buds three weeks later on February 24.

The hyacinths in the front of the house garden were emerging February 2.

Here's what they looked like three weeks later on February 24.

   

In the back yard garden, the daffodils were just starting to show buds on February 24.

One week later I noticed the first daffodil blooms on March 3.

Other bits of green I saw emerging in the back yard garden were several brunnera plants on February 24.

     All the plants seem to be emerging and blooming at least a month earlier than normal. which I don't mind.  I live for spring and summer each year, but this does portend significant changes that affect the whole ecosystem.

Little By Little

4/21/13

kwanzan cherry

     Well, our ten days of warm weather are gone with that storm front that moved through two nights ago.  Now we are back down in the 30's at night and only in the 50's during the day.  There is a frost warning tonight.  This cool weather is going to continue for a week.  But during these recent warm days, I've watched my yard come into bloom.

     Just as all the Yoshino cherry trees lost their blossoms, the one kwanzan cherry tree in the yard burst into bloom.

white dogwood

 

pink dogwood

     There are two dogwood trees in the yard, one white and one pink, and they finally bloomed after the cherry trees.

Japanese maple

     The Japanese maple suddenly had leaves when I looked at it this past week.

tulips four days ago

tulips today

     The tulips I planted last fall are finally blooming.  I planted early, mid, and late blooming tulips, and they are all blooming at the same time.  Late in my opinion.  It is almost May.

daffodils

        The daffodils have all blossomed now.  Here are some in the back garden.

     I threw several daffodil bulbs in these three beds in the side yard late last fall, just after we closed on the house.  This area is going to have a makeover.  The wood is coming out, and the area will be one large, irregularly-shaped garden with perennial and annual flowers, and some bushes and grasses.

azalea bushes

     The azalea bushes in front of the house are ready to bloom.  So little by little, everything is coming into bloom, but it sure has been slow this spring.

Finally, Spring

4/10/13

Yoshino cherry blossoms

     It sure took its time, but spring finally arrived with a vengeance here.  We went from the 50's to the 80's in five days.  And every plant and tree that has been holding back has finally burst into bloom.  The famed cherry blossoms around the Tidal Basin in Wasjington, DC finally bloomed three days ago.  So many tourists have come to see them in the last two weeks and have missed their blooming.

     There are some Bradford pear trees in the neighborhood that just put out their flowers today.  I know they are a problematic tree, but I love their blossoms and their chalky fragrance.  Here are some photos from my yard of what has just bloomed.

      These are some of the Yoshino cherry trees in my front yard.  They just bloomed today.

daffodils

hyacinth

crocus

     These tulips in the back yard are up but not a one is blooming.  I still have some hyacinths that are holding out also.