Welcome to Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day for February 2024.
Here in my USDA Hardiness Zone 6b garden in central Indiana, February has brought sunshine and some warmer temperatures, and the crocuses have come marching out to cover the back lawn.
I am pleased to see them growing in groups and still coming up strong even though I stopped planting new corms about two years ago. I can tell by the clumps of flowers and the occasional lone crocus growing where I know I didn’t plant one that they are slowly multiplying. I plant almost exclusively purple crocuses in the lawn because the yellow ones remind me too much of dandelions.
The golden yellow crocuses are fine in flower beds, though, and offer some variety.
Elsewhere in the garden, the snowdrops are having their moment.
I love seeing them and am marking them to remind me to move some of them “in the green” once they’ve finished flowering so I can encourage them to grow in other spots in the garden.
I hate to see it happen so soon, but some of the earliest crocuses to open are already starting to fade!
But it will be awhile before all of them fade so I’ll relax and enjoy them and not think about how quickly time flies.
Speaking of time flying, with this post, we are starting the 18th year of bloom day posts, a meme that started way back in February 2007. Whew, that’a long time ago.
But onward…
I look around for other early flowers besides crocuses and snowdrops. The vernal witch hazel is blooming but it is the straight species so its flowers are on the smaller side and hard to take a picture of. My winter aconites are also taking their sweet time.
But I did notice a big fat bud on one daffodil which reminded me to run back and and check on Iris histroides, ‘Lady Beatrix Stanley’ which is always the first little reticulated iris to bloom each year.
She almost made it and maybe by the afternoon of the 15th, she will be in full bloom, like she was last year.
What’s blooming in your garden as we reach the middle of February? Join in for Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day and tell us about your flowers, especially early blooming flowers. It’s easy to participate. Just post on your blog or Substack or Instagram or wherever you share online about the flowers blooming in your garden on or around the 15th of the month, then leave a comment below about what flowers you have blooming and a link in the Mr Linky widget so we can find you.
“We can have flowers nearly every month of the year.” ~ Elizabeth Lawrence
Love your crocuses and snowdrops – spring truly is on the way. I can’t complain; we are way behind on our snowfall and I think the lowest temp we’ve had is 21 F (last year it was -5F). I even have some early bulbs peeking above the ground with their green tips although I didn’t post my pictures. All we have is an early Lenten Rose whose buds die in some years. Congrats on 18 years – in blog hop years, that’s a lot!
I love your lawn crocuses. Must look very pretty from a distance. Reticulated iris are very pretty little treasures. I’m a little envious you have ones in your garden. I’m afraid all my February flowers are what many call ‘weeds’. It is what it is 🙂 Your February looks lovely.
I see now that I should be planting some species irises for next year–they are gorgeous. Carol, you are an inspiration to us gardeners, thank you! I wonder if our native crested Iris (Iris cristata) would do well in my garden? If anyone has tried it, please let me know.
Your garden is looking like spring with everything coming up so early! It was just a couple of days ago that I was admiring the hellebores, and the hyacinth and allium bulbs emerging from their sleep, then halt…the garden became a winter wonderland. Come visit and see what’s blooming and thank you for 18 years!
The purple crocus are beautiful ! Ah Spring is on the way 🙂
Greedy gardener that I am, I do wish I could grow crocuses but, as spring creeps nearer and rainstorms are in the offing, there are plenty of flowers in my coastal southern California garden.
Nice to see those crocus spreading. I love it when things begin to naturalize…
Carol, I’m dazzled by all the colorful blooms in your February garden. It will take another 6-8 weeks before I have that kind of display in my Maine garden. Meanwhile, I can enjoy yours! As always, thanks for hosting.
So fine to enjoy your first bulbs of spring! Thank you for the colors of spring!
We so much appreciate the Garden Bloggers Bloom Day and chances to share across many locations.