Bloom Day March 15, 2009

High 58 F
Low 33 F

Well it is Bloom Day and I actually have a few blooms to share.  Nothing too exciting but then any bloom is exciting after this long winter.  There are only a few more days until the calendar says it is spring but spring did arrive early today with high temperatures and a nice sunny day.  The calendar is often wrong, much like the weatherman isn't it?  The snowdrops have finally spread their wings to show their beautiful green chevrons just in time for St. Patty's Day.  I think that I need to spread these around the yard and I hope to divide them this year for larger, more naturalized clumps. The next bloom is the early crocus which the bees were finding delightful.  There is such comfort in that familiar buzzing which has been too long gone from the garden.   There are quite a few emerging but only those closest to the warmth of the cement foundation are in bloom.  Gotta love purple. The snow is still hanging around in large piles from the plowing but as soon as it left the garden this hellebore was showing buds and flowers.  I wonder how long this flower was there, fully opened, under the snow.  This next hellebore is just budding but who can resist the burgundy coloration when all else is still quite drab.   I think this one counts don't you?  Helleborus foetidus is still my favorite, not for this green bud and future bloom but for the wonderful foliage it contributes to the garden.  The gardens in New England are just beginning to emerge from the winter slumber but now that the first blooms have paved the way there will be no stopping them and that is just fine with me!  Many thanks to Carol of May Dreams for her hosting abilities and sharing the bounty of gardens hither and yon with all.