First Robin, 2011!

Yes, first robin today, looking for worms!  It's downhill from here as far as spring, eh?  A song sparrow in the birdbath, and more snowdrops and tiny crocuses popping up everywhere. Also, a beautiful day, 55 degrees, and blue skies!  I need to get out there and pry up the pasted-down leaves, prune some dead wood, and plant the new lily-of-the-valley pips.

Note for the future...even those shrubs that were horizontal and under heavy snow since the Christmas blizzard more than two months ago, and have just now sprung free, appear to be [generally speaking] OK.  One or two of them have some broken limbs, which will need working on, but the merely bent-over shrubs will  recover.  Whew.

Blue Skies. Yellow Crocuses!

One of the best things about Boston, I think, is the weather--generally speaking.  [You have to remember that we moved here from Buffalo and Pittsburgh, not San Diego.]  Right now, for example, the sky is blue and a few clouds are moving off to the South; ten minutes ago the rain was ending, and everything was gray--how terrific is that?  Except for this past winter, which was truly difficult, we think the weather here is mostly great.  And here is something else...it is seldom overcast in Boston; either it is actively precipitating or it is sunny, and usually as soon as it stops precipitating the sun comes out right away.  In many other places it is gloomy most of the time, instead, which is less good.

About those Persian crocuses. The very tiny yellow ones are blooming, which they always do a bit before the pale blue ones (also very tiny). 

Quickly surveyed the TTG for winter damage today; not as catastrophic as I feared, but the male holly, Ilex x meserveae (Blue Stallion), is pretty well snapped off at its top main stem, which is problematic for vertical growth!  When it isn't so windy, I will need to do something for it; not quite sure what.  Some artful pruning can probably make him presentable, and the female hollies (four of them) will be glad that he's still nearby. Hollies seem so flexible, but apparently that isn't exactly so.  We think the firethorn, Pyracantha, will be OK, although every year it's something else with that guy; fireblight, falling forward and coming nearly out of the ground, etc, etc.

Early March, 2011

Here is a view of a rear side fence with (from L to R) climbing hydrangea, H. anomala petiolaris;  a small clump of Fothergilla gardenii; and one of the female hollies, Ilex x meserveae (Blue Princess).

Snowdrops, the Sequel. Also, Crocuses!

To anyone wanting to know...yes, the snowdrops look to be in fine condition, even those that I hadn't yet seen yesterday, and therefore hadn't covered with snow.  So single-digit temps with below-zero windchill is NOT a problem.

Persian Crocus 3.11

Discovered some little ferny green tufts of what I have always called Persian Crocus--I wonder why I think that is the right name?--more correctly referred to as Snow Crocus, or C. chrysanthus.  They are short, and the bloom is about the size of a small jelly bean, and I really like them; lots of tiny blooms in pale, pearly colors that look great against the dark ground.  [I like jelly beans a lot, too.]  I would show you a picture of them from my favorite plants/bulbs supplier, but right at the moment Bluestone Perennials, http://www.bluestoneperennials.com, isn't showing pictures of their spring-flowering bulbs (since you would have had to plant them last fall).  I've been ordering from them for 15+ years, and they are wonderful; also in a good climate zone (Ohio) for Northeast gardens. Finally, here is a picture taken a few days ago of the Persian Crocuses...
 

Lots of juncos zooming through the yard.  They keep looking for food on the deck banister...so, OK, I caved in and put out some crunched-up Kashi Autumn Wheat.  This is their favorite food; I know I probably shouldn't give them this, but they won't eat flax seeds, for example; they just kick it off the railing...

Snowdrops!

High drama in the TeenyTinyGarden!  Last week I noticed two (2) Snowdrops, Galanthus nivalis, completely freed from under the slowly-retreating snow rubble; one in the front mulch bed, near the (dwarf) Rhododendron, and the other under the Japanese Maple.  There are probably many more, waiting to emerge.

On the noon weather forecast today, all stations are calling for "single digits" tonight, and below zero windchill in the morning (yes, I know that plants don't actually respond to "windchill"). John asks, "Will they survive?"  And I say, "Yes, I think so...I tossed a bit of snow around them when I was out earlier, to protect them."

Fingers crossed...

[Now would be the right place to add an image of our little guys, but first I have to master the camera.  Well, first I have to find the camera...  Instead I will mention that I haven't much liked doing photography since things went digital, and especially since good B&W paper is barely possible to find, and Kodachrome went away--but more about that another time.]