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| Iris reticulata ‘Katharine Hodgkin’ |
Welcome to Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day for March 2015.
Wow. Here in my USDA Hardiness Zone 6a garden in Central Indiana, the last few days have left me nearly breathless as I run around the garden taking pictures of blooms in the front and in the back.
In the front, a few solitary blooms of Iris reticulata ‘Katharine Hodgkin’ showed up yesterday. I planted these several years ago and they seem to be thinning out a bit. I hope a few more show up.
They can join this dark purple Iris reticulata, which I planted last fall.
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| Iris reticulata |
Unfortunately, I don’t know what variety this is because it came in a bag of “assorted irises”.
Out in the back garden, I have nice stand of Iris reticulata ‘Lady Beatrix Stanley’.
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| Iris reticulata ‘Lady Beatrix Stanley’ |
But the irises aren’t the star of the garden right.
That honor goes to the crocuses blooming in the back lawn and the front flower beds.
There are thousands of them.
And they are attracting bees.
I know for a fact and from personal experience if you sit for a minute or two in the lawn surrounded by all the crocuses you will not only hear the buzz of bees, you will also feel them buzzing around you.
I am amazed at how quickly both the crocuses and the bees showed up in my garden.
But they are not alone.
I’m also enjoying all the snowdrops.
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| Galanthus sp. |
I am happy to see I have clumps of snowdrops, and not just the one or two that showed up in February.
And I’m happy to be smelling the sweet scent of witch hazel, Hamamelis vernalis, wafting across the garden.
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| Hamamelis vernalis |
And that’s March here at May Dreams Gardens. We are off and running with blooms all over the place.
What’s blooming in your garden on this mid-March day? We’d love to have you join in for Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day and show us. It’s easy to participate. Just post on your blog about what’s blooming in your garden and then come back here and leave a comment telling us about your blooms, then add the url to your bloom day post to the Mr. Linky widget below so we can easily find you.
Remember… as Elizabeth Lawrence once wrote, “We can have flowers nearly every month of the year”.
Happy Bloom Day, and thanks once again for hosting bloom day…I love your iris'. I had planted some in the past and today when I went looking for them, all I saw was a wild pig..(not joking). My crocus are blooming but I didn't get the opportunity to shoot them today while they were open…love to yours grouping up…makes me think mine will eventually become more numerous..I hope spring will stay as it has been today….
Happy GBBD Carol! Oh your crocus lawn project has turned out delightfully! How cool that the bee's and blooms arrived at the same time! While we've had more mild weather, the only bee's out thus far are the queen honeybee's. It's just a matter of time though. Cheers!
Your iris and galanthus are dutiful. I'm envious of northern gardeners and their gorgeous witch hazels–can't grow those in Central Texas! Thanks for hosting GBBD.
Now begins the wonderful succession of blooms that make up the carnival of the growing season! Your iris are gorgeous and the thousands of crocus in your lawn must be heavenly to experience live! Thanks again for hosting & happy GBBD!
Thanks for hosting the GBBD meme Carol, your spring garden looks wonderful with all the crocuses! This time of year there are flowers everywhere I turn in my garden, I just love spring 🙂
Enjoy your lovely spring blooms!
How quickly Spring springs in your part of the world! Love the crocuses, they always make a magnificent sight when planted en masse. It is colouring up here nicely now too.
Happy Bloom Day and thanks for hosting Carol.
Oh now your beautiful show of crocuses are what I'm aiming for Carol but I've got a long way to go 🙂 Your bees must be dizzy with delight. Thanks as always for hosting and a most Happy Bloom Day to you.
I love I. 'Katherine Hodgkin'. I'm meeting up with Victoria today to go round a garden which opens for the National Gardens Scheme. She also has some 'Katherine Hodgkin' spare, which she is giving to me 🙂
I can't think of a better thing to do for Blooms Day than to meet up with a garden blogging buddy 🙂
Happy Blooms Day everyone!
That 'Lady Beatrix Stanley'is a wonderful azure shade of blue. I will look our for tht this autumn.
I love your early Spring flowers. Than you for hosting again Carol It is a lovely meme.
Love all your iris reticulata, especially 'Lady Beatrix'–my favorite shade of blue. You're way ahead of us here, Carol; I'm still waiting for a single crocus bloom.
Wow, you have a lot of flowers! I am still in snowdrop-only territory, alas. Thanks for hosting – it'll be great to browse everyone's blooms!
Oh Carol…how your gardens are so alive with spring delight! The crocus and iris are wonderful as your garden comes out of its sleep. We are trying to catch up with you here on Long Island and the bulbs are now just breaking ground and showing themselves. Your gardens and photos give lots to look forward to. Thank you for hosting and Happy GBBD!
Happy GBBD, Carol. Nothing blooming outdoors yet in my area of upstate New York (that I know of). Your post gives me hope for spring. Alana – Ramblinwitham.
Thanks for hosting, as always, Carol! Yay for spring-flowering bulbs!
Spring is such a beautiful time. Something new to see everyday. Thanks for hosting Carol.
I'm sure these beauties popping up all over the place are a welcome sight. Glad to hear the bees are also enjoying it!
Your iris are much ahead of mine! Cannot wait to have some blue in my garden and for spring to finally get here. Happy gardening all!
I'm glad to see you've broken free of the deep freeze and that spring is taking hold! Thanks, as always, for hosting, Carol.
And like a light switch flipped on in a dark room – suddenly it is spring. Happy GBBD to you Carol, and thank you once again for making it happen.
So glad that spring has arrived for you, your bulbs are so beautiful, I'm not surprised that the bees are enjoying your crocus, having so many must keep them very happy!
Your irises are looking great! I'm still waiting on mine to bloom and I'm being extra patient since all of mine are pass-alongs that I got from neighbors and planted last year. Thanks for hosting.
Happy Bloom Day to all, hope our friends in the snow belt dig out soon !
Lovely Iris and crocus!
Spring just bursts out suddenly, doesn't it? It's the time when gardeners spend their time with their noses pointing to the ground, though, as all the flowers are about six inches above it. Super irises – love Katharine Hodgson. I was told that they wouldn't like our heavy clay soil, so we've got hellebores at the moment and the glorious scent of daphne.
Spring in Indiana is shaping up nicely, and your iris have me seriously considering adding a few, thanks!
Thanks for hosting. Doesn't Lady Beatrix Stanley look stunning?
Happy Bloom Day, Carol. Sorry I don't yet have any blooms to show, but I entered anyway. Your flowers are a salve for sore winter eyes. P. x
Love the iris reticulata – must remember it for next year. Have linked (I hope)to my UK zone 8b garden with hellebores, narcissi and bergenia
Very springlike weather, but not much actually happening yet. Certainly nothing like your garden this month.
Loving the Iris reticulata 'Lady Beatrix Stanley'
Happy Blooms!
Oh yum yum yum! Gorgeous flowers ! The Iris Reticulata are gorgeous and I don't know 'lady Beatrix Stanley' but I will certainly be looking out for her as she is a beauty!
The Irises are beautiful. I've always wanted a bunch of Tommies planted in a heart shape in the lawn but it hasn't happened. I am inspired. Thanks for Bloom Day.
Pretty little spring blooms. I smiled at the thought of sitting on the lawn right now, do that here and I'd end up with a rather soggy bottom!
Happy Bloom Day and thanks for hosting Carol.
Hello to another Bloom Day and all the nice pics from fellow garden bloggers. I really enjoy looking at all those beautiful flowers of yours.
Dear Carol, thank you very much for 'inventing' GBBD! There are bloggers in Germany, too, that blog on Blooms Day. And I have just joined this group.
I had a 10-inch wide strip of bare soil and crocus shoots were poking up in it, but we got another inch of snow today, so my little patch is buried.
The Lady Beatrix Stanley iris is amazing. Thank you for hosting Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.
I. "Beatrix Stanley" looks particularly lovely! And those crocuses are heartwarming. So glad to see spring is finally moving northward… Enjoy 🙂
Carol, I'm envious of all your blooms. My Maine garden still sits under more than a foot of snow (and more fell today). I hope to see Iris reticulata and crocus blooms in my garden for bloom day in April. -Jean
So glad to hear you are finally having a spring! The weather has been much more clement out here in Portland, so many plants are a full month ahead. Thank you for Bloom Day!
Beautiful crocuses and witch hazel. Thanks for hosting!
Wow! I'm very impressed that you are so far ahead of our Maryland garden. We're just now seeing a few crocus and no iris in bloom yet. And we're supposed to be a 7A garden!
Anyway, enjoy the springtime — we earned it.
We have blue iris growing here in the tropics, looking the same but long stalks and lots of leaves unlike those in the temperate climates like yours. I wonder if that is another species or variety. The shorter ones like yours are much better.
Your Irises are lovely, I don't grow reticulata so it will be a while until my bearded irises bloom. Spring arrived early on the west coast so I'm getting blooms on the trees 3 weeks or more early. I'm not sure the bees are out enough for pollinating, though. Happy Spring!
Southern Indiana finally has some spring like weather. Plants are responding accordingly. Almost makes me forget this past winter… almost.
How wonderful for you Carol to have all the blooms….here in the NE we are still cold, snowy and covered with at least 2 ft of snow still….spring blooms will be delayed by weeks it appears.
LOOOVE your iris reticulata. Never knew there are so many varieties. I really need to give those a try.
Thanks for hosting!
You have so much blooming, Carol! It gives me hope that we are not too far behind…
Would you believe I was so busy in the garden on a sunny spring day I plum forgot it was Bloom Day until this morning.
Just got my bloom day post up. Carol, I loved your description of sitting near the crocus flowers and hearing and feeling the wings of the bees. Wonderful!~~Dee
I've got squat! Do bulbs come in slower their first year? I have some crocus shoots about an inch tall in Indiana and now I'm super jealous of everyone's blooms! 🙂
Happy Bloom Day! This is my first spring with Iris reticulate, and I am loving them! It probably helps that purple is my favorite color.
I hope you can get a picture of your whole lawn–I would love to see the ocean of crocuses!
Oh, to have a lawn of blooming crocuses! How fantastic!
I love the crocuses in your lawn, we used to do the same thing when we lived in Los Angeles, 30 years ago. Now we are lawn-free and loving it!
I've been planning to join the monthly Bloom Day for close to a year, and have finally dragged myself out of the garden and kitchen long enough to get a post up. I'm looking forward to visiting the other participant's gardens and making a new friend or two.
Many thanks, Carol, for hosting!
Victoria
http://www.gardencooktravel.com