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| Iris histrioides ‘Katharine Hodgkin’ |
Welcome to Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day for March 2013.
Here in my USDA Hardiness Zone 6a garden in central Indiana, I am once again caught up in that epic struggle between Winter and Spring. The weatherman said this evening that we’ve had traces of snow on 16 of the last 19 days.
Winter may still be trying to hold on, but we know that Spring will eventually win.
The Iris are putting on a nice show right now. I. histrioides ‘Katharine Hodgkin’ is blooming in the front garden. I wondered for several weeks when it would bloom. I checked past bloom day recordd and it seems that this Iris started blooming in early February last year. I’m not surprised because last year’s winter and spring featured record high temperatures.
‘Katharine Hodgkin’ is joined by I. reticulata ‘Lady Beatrix Stanley’.
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| Iris reticulata ‘Lady Beatrix Stanley’ |
Crocuses have been blooming for several weeks now. I’m pleased to see, however, that not all the Crocuses that I planted in the lawn have come up yet.
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| Crocus |
This is just one of over 1,000 that should bloom before Spring truly arrives. The plan is to have some of these blooming for Easter in two and a half weeks.
Amongst the Hellebores, the best show right now is from Helleborus niger ‘Josef Lemper’ also known as the Christmas Rose.
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| Helleborus niger ‘Josef Lemper’ |
It’s a bit late, of all things.
The Lenten Roses, Helleborus orientalis, are just starting to bloom, though they’ve had buds since last month.
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| Helleborus orientalis |
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| Helleborus orientalis |
It’s past time to go cut back the old foliage on these hellebores. We had a warm day on Sunday, but I spent it pruning back roses. The rest of the days have been cold and that seems to be the forecast for the next several days. Perhaps I’ll just have to brave the cold and do it because it seems like it is never going to warm up.
I have one last bloom to show for this bloom day.
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| Chionodoxa sp. |
I think this is a pink Glory-of-the-Snow, Chionodoxa sp. It’s a sweet little bloom, not to be missed.
What’s blooming in your garden today? Are the blooms early? Is winter still lingering around?
We welcome everyone to join us for Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day whether this is your first time or your 62nd time, whether you have a garden blog or some other kind of blog.
It’s easy to join in. Just post on your own blog about what’s blooming in your garden right now, outdoors or indoors. You can include pictures, lists, common names, botanical names, whatever you’d like to do to showcase your blooms.
Then leave a comment and put your name and a link back to your bloom day post in the Mr. Linky widget below, so we know where to find your blog and can visit you virtually and read about your bloom day blooms.
“We can have flowers nearly every month of the year.” ~ Elizabeth Lawrence
Thanks for hosting the GBBD again Carol, you have some lovely spring flowers in your garden! I hope spring will arrive properly to all of us soon, it's been slow over here too 🙂
Spring !
Over a thousand crocus! Its beyond imagination!
Thanks for hosting GBBD!
Lea
Lea's Menagerie
Spring has arrived, Happy Bloom Day!!!
Carol you are a bit ahead of us. We had a thaw and some early crocus and snowdrops, but then the snow and bitter cold came back…hoping for a thaw although the first day of spring is supposed to be cold and snowy too. Winter is lingering here. Happy GBBD and thanks for hosting.
Lovely spring flowers! The iris are particularly beautiful.
It seems that more of your bulbs are up than mine are. hmmmm I usually feel like my garden is a little ahead of yours but not this spring. Happy GBBD.
Still very cold here in the UK but the buds are just about breaking.
Love your pretty blooms. Spring has arrived! Its still chilly here but there are signs of spring in the garden! Happy GBBD!
The blues of those irises – just beautiful.
I say this every year, but I have to add Katherine Hodgkin to my garden. I love that color combo. While we have not had a bad winter, it has gotten chilly and stayed that way, which fortunately is keeping everything from blooming so quickly. It is more like a slow unfolding here. Thank you for hosting again, and happy GBBD to you.
What a super selection – such delicate colouring. I love Katharine Hodgkin. My garden is all brash yellow, where it's flowering at all.
Looking forward to taking part in this each month.
I'm off now to check out some of the other bloggers who have posted.
Thank you for hosting this.
Linda
Even though we're pretty much in the same zone, you're further ahead. My I. reticulata are just showing tips of foliage so far. Happy GBBD!
I am surprised to see how far you are head of us this month… I guess PA with catch up sometime 🙂
Happy GBBD!
Those blooms would brighten anyone's late winter day. What exquisite markings on the iris. Hope those snow showers leave your garden soon.
Sending you some warm/hot weather from the Caribbean.
Can't wait til something starts to bloom in the garden here. Still lots of snow on the ground. The number of things flowering in your garden is a clue how much further south you are.
I do believe this is the most exciting time of year for me as my garden begins to awake from months of being buried under snow. Your Iris are beautiful… it will be many weeks before mine are blooming. Tender leaves are just beginning to emerge from the soil.
Beautiful blue irises! My theme flower for today is blue too.
Beautiful blue irises! My theme flower for today is blue too.
Love your irises! Spring is on the March northward. I hope we've seen the last frost in the Deep South. Dogwoods are stubborn about opening fully this year but everything else has bloomed.
Thanks for hosting again Carol, I love your Irises, they are such beautiful flowers that look delicate but aren't! Christina http://myhesperidesgarden.wordpress.com/2013/03/15/gbbd-march-spring-begins/
Your crocuses are definitely ahead of mine, Carol–what a show you are going to have when they all bloom!
It's funny you mentioned joining in whether it's your "1st or 62nd time"–I counted all my Bloom Day posts, because I just hit my fifth blogaversary, and today's is my 61st GBBD post. Thanks for all your inspiration!
Thanks for hosting this, for showing us your lovely early spring blooms, and for opening the gateway to many other gardens.
You are further along that I am. my snowdrops haven't even fully opened yet, and my crocuses are just green points barely out of the ground.
Happy Bloom Day Carol!!
Happy March Carol & thanks for hosting the floral extravapalooza! We had a fairly cool January so things got off to a little it later start than usual but seem to have caught up very quickly! This is such an exciting time for gardeners assomething new seems to be popping out of the ground just about every day! Your Iris reticulata are especially beautiful! Must add some to my own garden!
In Southern California we seem to be well into spring and rapidly headed into summer. Thanks for hosting Bloom Day, Carol!
Yay! Other gardeners! Spring is waving from a distance. I'm waving back furiously! We've got nothing blooming yet, but the daffodils are poking out of the ground (they look like maybe early 2nd trimester in their pregnancies? LOL). Inside I've got a basil plant that I've managed to go all winter without killing (indoor plants and I just don't get along that well.)
I see now what my spring garden is missing: iris. It NEEDS some of those iris reticulata. Yours are so pretty! Now, if I can just remember this in the fall ….
Thank you Carol.
Beautiful Iris and so nice to see you and everyone getting blooms now!
Your irises are gorgeous. Thanks again for hosting!
Thanks again for hosting GBBD. This time of year is so full of expectation. I have not been tuned in to gardening or blogging this winter at all. I feel like I've been in hibernation. Now I'm waking up. I love the irises… gotta get some – I have none, at the moment.
Over 1,000 crocus!? That makes my back hurt. Wow.
I'm calling it spring here in Portland, we've been blessed this year.
Beautiful! I have crocus blooming!
It is snowing here, a lot. I would say winter is lingering – loitering is more like it! Go away. I want to see my brave little crocus open like Carol's. Reticulated Iris are one of my favorites, and of course, I have Hellebore envy. I did notice a nice big bud or shoot on mine but think it will be a few more years to establish. I hope you have a 1000 blooming crocus for Easter! Wow!
I'm featuring a reticulated iris as well – 'Harmony' in my case. Lots of buds forming on all the trees and shrubs too – feels like spring finally!
This is the first time I'm joining the GBBD.
Love your Iris histrioides. Great color.
It's always fun to participate in your Bloomsday! There is a Bloomsday Race in Spokane every May with 50,000 runners/walkers, but I've never participated since I'm not a runner. Thank you for creating a Bloomsday that doesn't involve 7 miles of torture. Cheers!
Oh so jealous. All I see in my garden is snow. Maybe next month!
All I have in upstate NY is snow – although I did see a patch of crocuses in a nearby city this morning. I've spent the last two weeks in the South and decided to cheat and show how spring rewound back into winter as we drove back north. I'm so thrilled to have a reblooming orchid-it may still be blooming for next GBBD! Enjoyed all of your blooms – maybe next month I will have some blooms outdoors, finally. (Bookworm aka RamblinwithAM)
Well Carol, I finally did it. I posted for Bloom Day. This afternoon feels like spring, especially compared to the frost everywhere when I went out to take pictures this morning for the blog. Happy Bllom Day everybody!
I love seeing your cold-climate spring bulbs. And you do not have to worry that much about a sudden heat wave that will toast them (or do you?!?)
Spring here is pretty much on schedule. Yay! Happy Bloom Day!
Happy GBBD Carol, what a lovely collection of dwarf iris you have. They are on my list of must-buy bulbs for the autumn. I find it really interesting that so many gardeners across Europe and the US are reporting the same late cold snaps and delayed Spring flowers. Having only just moved here I have no idea what is normal, but my sense is that like you things are later than "normal". Thanks again for hosting!
Happy Bloom Day! Gorgeous blue iris and helleborus too! Enjoy your spring!
Gorgeous blooms and I agree your Iris and hellebores are lovely. Spring is on its way… Hip hip hooray!
Carol, I'm envious of all your blooms, especially those irises! I'm still waiting for spring to arrive in both my gardens. -Jean
Just found this! What a fun idea
Lots of lovely blooms Carol. I wonder why the RHS calls Katharine a reticulata while over in the US you refer to it as histrioides?
http://www.leavesnbloom.com/2013/03/whats-in-bloom-in-march.html
Lots of beautiful photos of hellebores this time.
Thanks for posting and happy Spring to all!
I love your Iris! Especially the ones in the middle of the sedum. Are they planted in full sun? We just recently uncovered from several inches of snow and I haven't been able to see much of the ground let alone any flowers. Thanks for sharing!
Enjoyed what's going on in Z 6a…we are almost the latest I've seen in 21 years this year, but our weather finally has stabilized. The crocuses are always my favorites, especially in lawns and grasses…a perfect combo.
I love your Bloom Day idea. I can't believe that your spring blooms are ahead of mine in the Algarve, Portugal. So many lovely blooms!
Happy Bloom Day Carol! I really love the blue hues of your mini-iris. I've got to get my hands on some of those. Just striking. While your neck of the woods has been cold, with ample snow, we have been quite mild here in the PNW. I fear that it will end soon though! Cheer, Jenni
Hello, Carol!
It was lovely seeing your blooms today. I'm linking up for the first time. I'm looking forward to getting to know more gardeners!
Take care.
Okay, Carol. You get two links from me in one day. Two FIRST links. thanks for the encouragement.
Spring is here! March has been mild and everything is suddenly bursting forth. Your iris reticulata is such a sweet thing – and a lovely color!
I clearly need to give some of those early Iris another chance. They reticulata have never stayed long with me…
The little irises are just lovely! I have planted them in the past but they seem to have disappeared! We have had very mild temperatures this week, and it has been very pleasant to be in the garden!
Your beautiful little bulbs would hate our recent warm temps in the high 80s. I hope you get a long spring to enjoy them.
So wonderful to see some color in March after a long cold winter! TFS!
Thank you for hosting bloom day each month. It is so enjoyable to see others gardens and watch and compare the season from gardens all over.
Happy Bloom Day! Thank you as always for hosting, Carol. Your Glory-of-the-Snow is so dainty and pretty. I love the idea of tucking away all those crocus in the lawn as well.
Love your irises! I don't know glory-of-the-snow, but I love that delicate pink color! Thanks for hosting!
What a delightfully sculptured Iris, Carol! I haven't seemed to succeed with that type of Iris here. I am featuring Hellebores and especially some of the newer ones I just found cheaper, I just talked myself out of buying more Goldenrods and got them instead.
I love your blues and purples, Carol, and I covet your hellebores. My garden's been rather neglected this spring, but I still have blooms to share. Happy GBBD!
It looks like spring has come to your garden. Sadly, mine is still in the grips of winter. What a difference for such a short distance.
Hello. So nice to find this interesting and lovely meme. Lucky you, who have so many signs of spring in you garden. All I have is snow, so I have to show blooms from inside on my first time joining here:) Thanks for hosting!
Well, better late than never! Your bulbs are beautiful!
The flowers are so lovely! SPRING is just around the corner.
I'm late… I'm late…
Forgot to post on date! Been busy planting and writing… where does the time go?
Yikes 24 degrees tonight! I too dream of May Dreams Gardens!
JaymeB
All I had was white to offer, and yellow tulips from the grocery store… Such are things in Ontario, Canada.
Just read about GBBD. Made me put on my wellies and go see what's blooming in the garden now. I did find something so I decided to make a post, even if it's a bit on the late side already, but then spring is a bit on the late side to arrive here this year as well 😉
Marian
What a wonderful vieuws out of your springgarden. Overhere we have spring but it's still so very cold.
Have a wonderful weekend Carol.
Iris and hellebores – love them! My post is very late but it is HUGE because there is a LOT blooming in our CENTRAL COAST CALIFORNIA NATIVE GARDEN – do drop in – I'll try to visit as many of your gardens as I can too.
I hope I am not too late. I just started my blog. I love seeing everyone's gardens and flowers. I hope you all will visit my blog, as I am just starting out and very new to gardening and also blogging about it. I am already learning so much just by reading everyone's blogs. Thanks for hosting this!
Hi Carol,
Hellen introduced me to GBBD you held every month. I like to see everyone's garden. And love to join it in April, technically tomorrow. My balcony garden is narrow,though. Thanks for hosting good event:)
Spring has sprung in Arkansas!