Welcome to Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day for March 2017.
Here in my USDA Hardiness Zone 6a garden in central Indiana, the early spring which began in February continued on…
… until Monday when Mother Nature added a heavy dusting of snow. Then overnight into Tuesday, she added a little more snow and turned down the thermostat. It’s mid-day as I write this and still the temperature hovers below freezing at 29º Fahrenheit (-2º Celsius).
But the sun has been shining off and on and where the bit of snow has melted, flowers like the Iris reticulata pictured above continue to flower. I’ve been enjoying their booms for nearly a month. They seem to bloom in waves.
The crocuses out in the lawn also bloom in waves.
The lighter purple and white crocuses bloomed weeks ago. These darker purple crocuses were just at their peak when the snow came.
Nearby, also shivering under the snow, are the Lenten Roses, Helleborus sp.
I’m happy now that I didn’t cut back the old foliage last week. It is probably helping to protect the new foliage from the snow. These will be fine once the snow melts and I give them a good trim.
The Star Magnolia, Magnolia stellata, looked great the other day.
But looks terrible today.
This sometimes happens with magnolias around here. They do not like the cold once they’ve bloomed. Some pessimists say we only get good blooms one out of every four years so why bother? We optimists are excited we get good blooms at least one out of every four years!
These hyacinths are shivering, too.
But I think they will be just fine.
These daffodils had snow on them a few hours ago,
but look fine now.
See how sunny the sunnyness is?
Last week, I potted up violas in all my big patio containers. Yesterday they had snow on them and I couldn’t resist a plug for my new book, Potted and Pruned: Living a Gardening Life.
When it is cold like this, what can we do?
We can just stay inside and read a book, that’s what we can do! (My book is available in softcover, hardback and Kindle from Amazon. If you’d like a signed copy, email me for info on how to order directly from me. Or if you prefer, you can order a hardcopy from Barnes & Noble.)
What’s blooming in your gardening in the middle of March? We would love for you to join in and show us.
It’s easy to participate in Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day. Just post on your blog about the blooms in your garden, then leave a comment here to tell us what you have waiting for us to see and a link in the Mr. Linky widget so we can find you.
And remember… “We can have flowers nearly every month of the year.” ~ Elizabeth Lawrence
It looks like most of your blooms survived the snow Carol. We got the same storm here, but fortunately the snow turned into a heavy rain. The crocus and hyacinths are just showing buds now and seem to be fine after the initial four inches of snow we received before the rains came. Hopefully spring temperatures will come for us all soon. Until then I am dreaming of spring!
Snow in March just isn't fair. Although it's even happened in England before now (showing my age!).
You are still dealing with the cold, while we here are suddenly dosed with sudden hot weather as if it is already the middle of our hot dry season. Do you also have hippeastrum in your garden? I suppose they go also with those bulbs you posted. Thanks again for the monthly hosting.
Fortunately, all we had was a Lenten Rose blooming, before it got down near zero two weeks ago and that took care of those flowers. Then, last week, we got to 6. And yesterday, we had about 30 inches of snow (Binghamton area of upstate New York.) Hey, someone bring February back! It was nice seeing your blooms – sorry about your magnolia.
Ha, we have some similar photos! This weather has been crazy, huh? Happy spring, really…
Spring has well and truly arrived here in the UK, hope your snow soon disappears and allows your flowers to bloom once more. Your east coast is certainly suffering from snow at the moment, we have been watching it on our news.
With and without the snow accompaniment, your garden is definitely in spring mode–how nice! Many congratulations on your book–it sounds like a fun and educational read. Thanks for hosting GBBD!
There is something special about a photo of daffodils in snow. I do hope it warms up for you soon and the weather doesn't have any lasting damage on the garden.
p.s. I am having trouble adding to MisterLinky but will persevere!
So sorry about your magnolia, Carol. We had a large magnolia tree at our old house, which usually didn't bloom until April. It seemed like every other year it would get zapped by a late freeze just as it started blooming. But every other year it looked gorgeous! We had the same snow on Monday, and my spring-bloomers are huddling up waiting for warmer temps, as yours are.
I hate snow, especially at this time of the year. It's a reminder that it's still winter.
All the flowers that got seduced into blooming by late February's spring-like temps are now buried under 3 feet of Stella's snow. But I took pictures of them all and decided to show them because they probably are still blooming, we just can't see them right now!
This party that Mother Nature and Jack Frost are having is getting a bit out of hand and the neighbors may call the authorities if they're not careful! Your blooms seem to have taken the raucous goings on in stride. Well, maybe not the magnolia. Very excited to read your book which arrived on Monday. Looks like your garden fairies threw something in there. Happy GBBD and once again, thanks for hosting the floral extravaganza.
I'm sorry about your winter relapse – hopefully, it'll be brief. With the exception of the Magnolia, everything else in your garden seems to be handling the weather in stride. There's no winter left here in Southern California – we're in spring hyper-drive. Best wishes with the new book and thanks for hosting GBBD!
After seeing your repeat snow and cold issues, I'm feeling a little happier about the never-ending rain I complained about in my post. Those little Iris reticulata in your garden are a brilliant pop of color and just the sweetest flowers; all my outdoor blooms are small or pale this time of year. But I'll take each and every one. Thank you for hosting Bloom Day!
Thanks for hosting! Sorry about the snow 🙁
Thanks for hosting! Here is so bright sunny day it feels not spring but almost summer!
This winter has been rather trying all around. I say good riddance! Congratulations on your book!
What a contrast your spring blooms are against your fresh snow – hope you haven't sustained much damage. Thanks for hosting this GBBD, as always
Sorry winter came back for you. Hopefully it's short-lived and spring returns for good. Congratulations on your book!
I have had much the same weather as you have had. Not so good for this time of year. I am looking forward to warmer weathers. I am happy that your camelias have survived such crazy weather patterns. Happy GBBD.
Hello, I'm joining in for the first time. I'm in the south of the UK, currently quite mild with sunny spells and lots of signs of spring. It's wonderful to see all your blooms, mostly surviving the cold.
Your poor magnolia looks very sad but maybe next year? Ours is still in tight bud.
Carol, thanks for hosting, I've been away for almost a year, and am glad to be back. I apparently missed a lot, including the publication of your book … congrats! Your daffodils look stunning … mine have already succumbed to the heat, but there are lots of bulbs, perennials, and annuals in bloom this week, the summer veggie garden is well under way, and we're enjoying fresh salads daily!
My flowers haven't had a chance to be lured out early this year, poor things. These few crocuses are the first of their kind! I simply adore daffodils. Your picture made me happy on this gray, rainy day. Happy Bloom Day!
Hi Carol,
As we were reading about the snowstorm hitting us at home, we received a tornado alert for our vacation home in Florida. Weather happens everywhere. I'm confident the plants will find a way to endure. Congrats on your new book. I will make a point to look it up.
That magnolia is lovely. Definitely worth it, even if it doesn't like the snow. I love your daffodils too. Mine are just now starting to come up. Thanks for hosting GBBD.
It's wonderful how even the snow can be brightened by those flowers! In Missouri we had the same difficulties with Star Magnolias, only I suspect it's even less than one in four there 😉 Here in the desert it's the height of garden season now…
Carol, Congratulations on your new book. Even if some of your flowers are looking bedraggled (that poor magnolia), they are still blooming through the snow. That same storm brought us a raging blizzard and almost 2' of wind-whipped new snow. I'm still hanging on with flowering houseplants and waiting not very patiently for spring to get to Maine. -Jean
I moved to Kentucky from Columbus Indiana about 30 years ago. I love Indiana, it is my roots..but I am crazy about gardening in Kentucky
Taking part for the first time so hoping my link has worked! I'm a novice gardener in Scarborough, on the north-east coast of the UK. Thanks to everyone for sharing their garden inspiration!
I wondered where you book would end up for this day! 😉 I have a surprising number of things blooming including some roses, bulbs, and my lemon tree.
It is interesting to follow the climate around your big country. I do hope your beautiful blooms will thrive again. Thank you for hosting!
Congratulations on the new book, Carol – that's exciting!!! Less exciting is a snow dump covering up all your beauties – what a bummer! Even so, the heat from your narcissus should melt that stuff in no time. Happy belated Bloom Day!
Here in Columbus Ohio, our winter/spring progression isn't much difference than yours, only with less snow. I'm getting frustrated! But there are spring blooms, so that makes me smile.
Oh this weather! Days last week it was freezing here in MO and I was just sure the leaf buds on our Japanese lilacs were toast, then yesterday it was 86. Poor plants. I want so much to get out and work in my beds, but I know it's way too early to be doing too much.