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| Snowdrop in the snow on Saturday |
Welcome to Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day for February 2016.
Here in my USDA Hardiness Zone 6a garden in central Indiana, I had high hopes a week ago for a magnificent bloom day showing.
Why such high hopes?
A week ago, it was warmer and lovelier than should be allowed in February, at least around here.
The grass was greener, the sky was bluer and I actually had thoughts that I might do a little experimenting with sowing peas in the veg garden much earlier than I had ever sown them before.
Just look at these crocuses from a week ago.
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| Crocuses from a week ago |
And look at them on Saturday.
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| Crocuses after a cold week |
And here they are on Sunday.
Trust me, they are under that snow and they are not happy about the downward turn of temps and the return of snow. I wouldn’t be either except…
I have blooms indoors!
The hyacinths in the sunroom are just beginning to open. You can smell them before you see them.
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| Hyacinth |
There is nothing fancy about these hyacinths. I bought bulbs at the big box store, on clearance as I recall, and threw them in the back of the refrigerator to cool until January. Then after I put away all the Christmas decor, I retrieved the bulbs from the refrigerator, set them on forcing vases and just like that…blooms.
I did have one left over hyacinth bulb that I potted up.
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| Hyacinth |
It’s doing well, too.
As I looked about the sunroom, I noticed the Amaryllis bulbs from Christmas time that I thought were done blooming are still sending up new bloom stalks.
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| Amaryllis |
These are a lovely dark red, perfect for Valentine’s Day. The bulbs, from Longfield Gardens, were the biggest Amaryllis bulbs I had ever seen so I guess I should not be surprised at the number of blooms they are providing me. Note to self to get some more next fall.
Elsewhere, I noticed one of the begonias grown this summer primarily for foliage has a few pretty blooms on it, too.
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| Begonia |
They are a nice bonus to go with the lovely foliage, so I’m glad I brought this particular plant inside rather than leave it to die in the cold. By the way, if you are in love with foliage, don’t forget to post tomorrow for Foliage Follow up hosted on Digging.
So as you can see, all is well here at May Dreams Gardens, in spite of a see-sawing winter, because we do have some blooms, even in February.
What’s blooming in your garden in February? Are all your blooms indoors? Or do you have blooms outdoors to show us? Indoors or outdoors, we’d love to see them.
It’s easy to join in for Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day. Just post on your blog about what’s blooming in your garden and then come here and leave a comment to tell us what you have, and put a link to your post on the Mr. Linky widget so we know where to find you.
As always… We can have blooms nearly every month of the year. ~ Elizabeth Lawrence
Happy Bloom Day, Carol. Thanks for hosting us once again.
The same weather is happening here on Long Island…50's one day…snow and in the teens the next. I'm showing some snowy scenes for this bloom day so I am hoping to see some blooms in other places. Thanks for hosting!
We have had some up and down weather here too, no snow yet although we had 2 minutes of snow in the air tonight – didn’t last long enough so I guess we won’t get snow this time either. Happy Bloom Day!
Your hyacinths have the most beautiful color!
I decided that this year, instead of posting a list of everything blooming on that moment in my garden, I would write more extensively about a plant that was blooming at that moment. For February, I'll share some botanical facts and two Greek myths about crocusses.
Happy Bloom Day Carol and thanks for hosting! At long last we are having some seasonal weather here. We don't have snow in this part of the country but it's a most cold and frosty start to the day. I've never thought of putting my hyacinth bulbs in the fridge to kickstart them although I've started seeds off in there before now. I like the delicate little flowers on your begonia It's obviously rewarding you from saving it from a most chilly and unpleasant fate.
Thanks for hosting Carol. It is cold here this morning but spring is certainly in the air.
I did feel sorry for your crocus in the snow but at least you have some cheerful blooms indoors to keep you going until the weather improves. Thanks for hosting this meme, I think I have been joining in most months for about 7 years now. It certainly makes for an interesting record.
Snap! We're both looking at crocuses this month. The cold snap held back a little longer over this side of the pond, but they are about to get that wilted look as we have a hard frost forecast for tonight. At least it gave me time to notice something interesting about them for Blooms Day!
Oh, fabulous hyacinths. The scent must be glorious.
Frosty here this morning, but I do get the feeling Spring is on the way. Maybe wishful thinking!
Thanks for hosting GBBD Carol.
I feel for you, Carol, at this time 2 years ago we were snowed in for a week. But it is mild here now, and my Hellebores are really taking off, plus a few more flowers. I hope your flowers will appear again soon, unscathed.
I am thinking about starting. Thank you for this information, it has been educational and helpful to me.
Snow… what a contrast to our heat!
Glad you have some luscious color inside with that cold blanket of white outside! Thanks for hosting this celebration of blooms for February!
Thanks for hosting, Carol. My cactus is blooming again.
Poor Crocuses, they were so lovely. Just 34 more days until spring! Happy GBBD, and thank you for hosting.
The weather certainly has been changeable the past week. I wonder if your crocuses will appear again later this week when the temps go up once again. Your hyacinths look so lovely! Mine show no signs of growing more than an inch, let alone blooming:(
Your indoor flowers are making up for all the snow hiding your crocus! The perfume from your hyacinths must be fantstic, we have some in our conservatory and it is such a joy to go in there every morning, just to sniff the perfume!
Hi Carol, What a shame about your snow. We have a little, but not enough to cover my few flowers. I managed a few photos this month. Thanks for hosting
Well, we had our little chilly surprise, too (-18 officially at the airport and my son's house, -10 at my house) and not even any crocuses beforehand. This was my first year forcing a hyacinth, and was wondering what would happen if I potted mine. Maybe it's too late, since it's ready to drop its last flower. After seeing yours, though, I will try.
Happy Bloom day and thanks for hosting…been far too hot for my winter flowers to bloom..so no sign of crocus and tulips or daffodils blooming
We were also surprised with a colder turn in the weather. Sometimes as guess things need to get worse before they get better. Happy GBBD to you!
The weather has been teasing us all winter. Such a brave snowdrop. I can imagine how your crocus feel. Some of the green of mine are up but there were no blooms as yet. All is under snow here too. I do have a few indoor blooms. Love your begonia. Begonias are one of my favorite annuals. Happy GBBD.
I'm glad you have the indoor blooms to provide solace. Although after a week of unexpected hot weather we're experiencing a floral explosion in SoCal, all we really want right now is some rain. Unlike NorCal, we've been denied the benefits of El Nino this far but we're hoping for a March miracle. Thanks for hosting, Carol!
A couple of years ago we were under snow too (or maybe it was melting by the 15th), thankfully that is not the case this year. Winter appears to be over in these parts. I hope it's on its way out for you too.
Thank you for hosting this bloom day. We are having lovely temperatures too but I fear we will have another freeze before the official date of spring. I just hope my apple trees aren't blooming when it happens. I love your indoor hyacinths.
As usual, thanks for hosting! Love seeing what's going on everywhere!!
Your crocus photos made my day! I have nothing to share here in Salem Massachusetts. It was -10 yesterday and it's still in the teens today. Anything that was thinking about making an appearance is hiding. Looking forward to March! Happy GBBD! Off to live vicariously through all of you…
We had a lot of rain and wind here (Netherlands). Beautiful to see the yellow primula flowering.
The weather has been so very warm , I would have many many more blooms if I hadn't ripped out half my garden last fall.Wait til next year !
Happy bloom day! My garden pickings feel a little slim but I'm happy not to be under snow.
Sorry your dreams of planting peas earlier than usual were thwarted by the return of winter! Your crocus were gorgeous and I love the shot of that brave little snowdrop blooming through the snow. Thank goodness for indoor blooms!
A seesawing winter it surely is! -24F on Sunday morning, 45F predicted for Tuesday morning. And snow Monday night! My bloom post features Christmas cacti I rescued from near death!
Happy Bloom Day, Carol. Stay warm!
Thank you for Bloom Day. It feels and looks like March here, windy. I have blooms indoors and out, Camellias are the most conspicuous.
Not many blooms here but at least I will be able to visit some from other parts of the country. Thanks for that.
Happy GBBD Carol! I hope the weather starts to turn towards spring for you! It's been fairly mild here in the PNW and all the plants are on time…or early. It's Hellebore season here 🙂
Gosh, I wish I had a sunroom. Sorry to see your crocuses disappear, yikes! Hopefully they'll be back in no time.
Its an early spring but we are having lots of rain. So glad we didn't get snow this year. Love your Amaryllis!
Lovely crocuses, I hope they come back again after the snow melts! I had one perfectly gorgeous crocus this year and then it was gone the next day – probably squirrels!
Carol, I'm loving both your indoor and outdoor blooms, especially those tough little crocuses. Making a note to myself to force some hyacinth bulbs next winter. -Jean
I've just been smitten the moment i saw snowdrops the first time at the mountains of Turkey. That was the first and the last i saw it and crocus. I love that first picture when it is still emerging from snow. Happy GBBD and thanks again for hosting.
Hi Carol, that's a lovely picture of the snowdrop. I couldn't even get one to peek through the snow today. I am very ready to be done with snow this year…
Poor crocuses! Sorry winter came back after teasing you with spring. Your indoor blooms are lovely!
This time of year can be so fickle! Your flowers from a few days ago were so lovely.
I don't think you are alone with the ups and downs of weather this winter. What a cheery place your sun room must be right now.
No blooms indoors here, Carol. Same garden picture here in Scotland with warmer weather last week and snow for bloom day. I was gardening last week, planting tulip bulbs that were sprouting from their pkts in the potting shed. Happy Bloom Day to you and everyone else taking part 😀
Thanks for hosting. Cold here in the Midlands in the UK but glorious sunshine!
I have found you via Anna at Greentapestry. Apologies for being two days late I hadn't realised that the 15th was the posting date. I will try harder in the future! Thanks for hosting.
You make hyacinth forcing sound so simple – I must try it next fall, since the fragrance is so marvelous! Hope your crocuses come through well 🙂 We are having spring here in the desert: compensation for what May, June, July, and August are like! 😉
Your February crocus were quite shocking to me, and gave me hopes that I might see my iris reticulata in February. But no such luck. Soon, the snow returned. But now it's warm again! Winter simply cannot make up its mind this year.
It's taken me nearly a year to get back, and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's gardens. New motto for the year is better late than never .
Happy bloom day. I'm a bit late but thank you for hosting.
I'm trying to join Bloom Day! I've been away from my garden blog for way too long.
Your garden is very nice!