Welcome to Garden Bloggers’s Bloom Day for February 2015.
If you have been posting faithfully for bloom day since the beginning, you are now starting your ninth year of bloom day posts.
Yes, that’s right. If you’ve been playing along since the first post back in February 2007, you really do now have eight years of an online journal of blooms in your garden. And you probably claimed you could never keep up a garden journal, didn’t you? Ha, you were wrong!
I tip my trowel to the many who have been so faithful and I welcome all those who have joined along the way. Thank you for being a part of bloom day.
Here in my own USDA Hardiness Zone 6b garden, we had a brief warm up last weekend, but this weekend the cold has returned and the wind is blowing. It seems almost foolish to be out in the garden looking for blooms.
I went outside anyway because sometimes it’s nice to appear a little foolish. For my efforts I was rewarded with just a tiny glimpse of the soon to open blooms of the witch hazel, Hamamelis vernalis.
They are almost ready to bloom but may take their time in all this cold.
When the witch hazel finally does bloom, it won’t be the first bloom of the year in my garden.
I spotted the first snowdrop, Galantus sp., blooming way back on January 24th.
There are two other snowdrops now blooming to join that first bloom.
I feel a bit foolish showing just one snowdrop bloom, after looking at pictures of the swaths of snowdrops blooming in British gardens. I am making a note now to order more snowdrops this spring for fall delivery, before the bulb companies are all sold out. I want my own mini swath of snowdrops.
Elsewhere in the garden, skeletons and shadows of last year’s blooms are all around in disarray. I hope the next nice day is one when I’ll have the time to cut them back.
Inside, the begonia I purchased last fall is blooming.
The begonia blooms are pretty but don’t have the scent of the hyacinths and lily of the valley which I forced into bloom earlier this winter. I’m not including them in this bloom day post because they are past their prime and not picture worthy right now.
Perhaps in a few weeks I’ll have some crocuses blooming indoors?
These little crocus sprouts are part of a grand experiment I started a few weeks ago. I had some crocus corms chilling in the refrigerator and I was too lazy to pot them up properly, so I planted them around the bases of some of the amaryllis bulbs. They’ve all sprouted, but will they bloom?
Only time will tell.
And that’s what mid February is like here at May Dreams Gardens. How are your gardens doing in February? Join in for Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day and tell us all about your blooms or attempts to have some flowers in the middle of winter.
It’s easy to participate. Post on your blog about your blooms on the 15th of every month, then come back here and leave a comment to tell us what you’ve got blooming and put a link on the Mr. Linky widget so we can find you.
In the words of Elizabeth Lawrence, “We can have flowers nearly every month of the year“.
I am so glad you started this meme years ago Carol. I have records since 2010 and love being diligent keeping a diary, thanks to you! We are under snow right now with Blizzard Neptune in progress so it is nice to see some blooms popping up in your garden. Happy Bloom Day!
I was worried that you'd have nothing outdoors, but hey snowdrops are a great thing this time of year! Here's to the warm seasons ahead…
Wow! Years of this meme? Congratulations! That shows a massive commitment from you.
I am delighted that you are thinking of adding to your snowdrops. You can never have enough of them.
Thanks for hosting GBBD for all this time Carol and many congratulations on your anniversary.
My witch hazels have almost finished already. It's good to see yours looking so healthy and fit to burst!
Thanks Carol for hosting. It is every month interesting to see what is flowering. I am always surprised! Groetjes, Hetty
Those Snowdrops are amazing. I'll have to go see if mine are trying to bloom yet. I hope they multiply, because I didn't plant very many either, and the masses do look great.
The UK snowdrops are wonderful but I suspect we have the right climate for them. The secret is apparently to lift and divide every few years.
Congratulations Carol – I'm merely in my 8th year of this meme and have had a lot of fun along the way.
After lots of other posts about snowdrops this week, I thought something a little different was needed for Blooms Day 😉
Oh nine years is some achievement Carol – thanks so much for enabling us to share our blooms over the years. My first GBBD post was in February 2009 and I have found these posts a most useful record. I think that your solitary snowdrop is just as special as all those swathes!
I dip my trowel, a rake and a couple of shovels, to you for being our faithful host. Thank you Carol for keeping GBBD going for so long.
Stay warm!
Congratulations on hosting this wonderful meme for nine years, Carol! I'd always wanted to keep a garden journal but never made the time. Now I'm glad that you "tricked" us into unwittingly keeping a journal by making bloom day posts. I've only been blogging/participating for three years but am so glad to have this record. Thank you so much!
Hooray for snowdrops blooming in winter. I've been thinking of you lately as the Lily of the Valley pips are showing up in stores here & they remind me of you and your forcing them for winter fragrance. Where did you find your pips so early?
Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!
BURRRRRR Much too cold today! Think it may b a little while before we see blooms in Indianapolis. So glad for the gerraniums and amaryllis blooming in the potting shed! #thinkspring
Snowdrops, what a sweet and fitting name.
Gosh, has it been that long? I will have to look to see what year I found your blog. I know I started with a GBBD blog post. Not much going on in the garden here either. Our sprinkle of snow is still on the ground. Happy GBBD.
Wow, snowdrops blooming. Thanks for an inspiring post, as always.
This linky gave me a good reason to have a really good look round my garden – thank you. I hope I've entered it correctly – am never quite sure.
I saw the first snow drops around the neighborhood here in late December, before we started getting buried in snow. Hopefully there will be more when the snow finally melts. Thanks for hosting as always!
I have a cactus blooming again!
Thank you for being a faithful host all these years. I go back to 2008. Every year is different
Congratulations on eight years of hosting this fun meme, celebrating blooms of all sorts!!
I'm with you about the snowdrops–I've been drooling over photos on British blogger sites and, wow–so gorgeous. At least you have one and it's a pretty one. Snowdrops are something I can only look at, not grow.
Outdoors, nothing is growing here but icicles! Indoors, the same things as last month.
You sneak, Carol! I never have kept a garden journal. But, now I find out I have been. Actually, the GBBD posts I've posted since I learned about GBBD almost four years ago have been used by me time and again. And, I've learned so much from other participants. Thank you, thank you! Alana-Ramblinwitham.blogspot.com
This meme remains the gold standard for garden blog series in my book, Carol. I'm a relative newcomer but I do now have 2 years of Bloom Day records and, for that, I'm grateful. Best wishes for a rapid end to the deep freeze enveloping your area of the country. For all practical purposes spring has already arrived in Southern California – now if only we could get some more rain, I'd be satisfied.
Many congratulations, Carol, it's quite an achievement, and so useful. I'm only a babe as far as contributions are concerned but it's the easiest way to keep track of things in the garden. More power to your elbow! as we (sometimes) say on this side of the Pond. Here in my garden it's all small glimpses of gold.
Wow 8 years! What an accomplishment. Happy bloom day and thanks for hosting on your wonderful blog…you flowers are beautiful as always.
Thanks for hosting this great meme for so long. I've only been participating for about a year now, but I look forward to showcasing many more years of blooms, thanks to GBBD.
I am sure your glimpse of witch hazel colour and solitary snowdrop are giving you as much pleasure as my February pleasures. Thanks for hosting, always appreciated 🙂
You are a wonderful host Carol. Obviously I've not been joining since the early days but am glad to do so now.
I'm sure it will be springtime in your garden before you know it. I hope your Crocus experiment works for you.
Congratulations on eight glorious years and thank you for sponsoring one of my favorite blogging memes!
thank your for giving me a garden journal. I never thought I'd have one and it really has become that! I'd be beyond thrilled to see that one snowdrop. We have 87 inches of snow on the ground… Thanks for hosting!
Happy Bloom Day Carol, heres to apring !
Wow nine popular years! We're a bit late to the party but at least we eventually made it 🙂
Not at all nine years for me, Carol – today I am including my first GBBD post! I have been following many for several months, but thought it time to join in… I had not thought of slipping other things around my amaryllis foliage, but it wouldn't hurt now 😉
btw, I am not sure whether I have successfully linked with Mr. Linky – it doesn't look like it??
Thank you for continuing to host this every month, Carol–wow, 8 years is pretty amazing, especially in the blogging world! That means I will have participated for nearly 7 years, as next month is my blogaversary, and Bloom Day was one of my very first posts. You may not have a swath of snowdrops, but I'm pretty impressed with one blooming in the Midwest in January!
Congratulations! It was a great idea starting this meme. I'm happy I joined in.
My first few months of Bloom Day in 2007 were wee bit warmer than the -2 I woke up to this morning. There were blooms out there though. Truth.
You're so right, this is the longest garden journal I've ever kept, although not as far back as 2007. Thank you, Carol!
Carol, Congratulations on more than 8 years of Bloom Days! I must say that I am envious of any outdoor blooms, however sparse, in this cold, snowy season. No signs of any warm-ups here, and my Maine garden is buried under more than 2 feet of snow. Thank goodness for blooming houseplants and for the photos of garden bloggers in warmer climes. -Jean
Thank you for hosting. Stay warm, Carol!
Carol
Well, this has to be one of the most consistent things I've done on the web, and it is a pleasure to go back and look at older posts. Especially when the winter is as cold as this one! Thanks for hosting.
I love snowdrops too. I wouldn't go as far as to say I have a swath of it, but I have a small clump which is currently being dwarfed by the Edgeworthia, and needs to be rescued and moved to a better spot, where I can see it (and photograph it). Congrats on 8 whole years – looking forward to the ninth!
It is wonderful to see your blooms Carol. With almost 5 ft of snow on the ground, my blooms are buried. But I have a bloom indoors.
Almost didn't make this one, but have to keep the streak alive. Thank you for the inspiration.
Wow! 9 years…I feel so honored to be joining such a wonderful tradition. I truly look forward to it each month. I love what is happening in everyone's gardens. Such a variety! I had to share my cold hardy bromeliad because i thought it a bit novel! http://ravenscourtgardens.com/2015/02/16/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-february-2015/
Cheers.
Thank you for hosting- wonderful to see the blooms even in late winter!
I enjoy the community I've found through Bloom Day posts. Thanks for hosting!
Hi Carol – I was here in February 2007 & I'm here in February 2015… it's the middle that's hit or miss.
No snowdrops or crocus will live here, but there are a few flowers.
Happy GBBD!
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Congratulations Carol. I don't always manage and I am late again this month. However I always enjoy reading other bloom day posts and getting great ideas for my own garden. Thank you.
That one little snowdrop bloom is my hero!
Very pretty begonia flower. Good to see snowdrop awaking.
So glad to see others are still posting for Bloom Day with me! I have watched with dismay as my Eastern and Midwest fellow bloggers and gardeners have had to cope with more and more winter. I hope the weather goddess is good to you soon. You pretty little Galanthus always reminds me I need to put some in, and your timely reminder to yourself helps me, too. Thank you for hosting Bloom Day, and congratulations on this anniversary post!
Love the little magic moments we seek this time of year. You've made me want to traipse through the snow and look for some of my own. Thanks for sharing!