03-02-2003, 12:46 AM
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First Spring blooms
In article ,
(paghat) wrote:
Marg wrote:
I live in the Northeast, and I was just wondering what the
first spring blooms are. Or I should say, what should I plant to have
my gardening bursting in color early on in the spring? I live in zones
5-6
Well crocuses are the most obvious at the moment, though my spot in the NW
is zone 8. Gold Crocus "Fuscotinctus" is in moderate bloom right now.
Crocus sieberi atticus "Firefly" is in fabulous full bloom, a big drift of
them under the Oyama magnolia. On heavily overcast days like today they
don't fully open but are pretty even when closed. Many other crocuses are
on the cusp, so by the time the "Firefly" is done, there'll be many others
to replace them.
[clips]
A week or so later (Feb 1/2) still more crocuses bloomin' (plus "Firefly"
& "Fuscotinctus" not yet letting up, & another drift of "Fuscotinctus"
under a budding current just started). C. etruscus "Zwanenburg" blooming
pale violet in front of a dwarf rhody; C. korolkowii "Kiss of Spring" in
the same area with big yellow buds about to open. Crocus x luteus
"Stellaris" with bright yellow bud could open as early as tomorrow. Some
unknown ones here & there naturalized from being long naturalized. Mostly
all the early crocuses have been purply-blue, or yellow. I gotta remember
to add more white next autumn. Also want to plant more autumn-blooming
crocuses.
I was yesterday & the day before reading Bowles' 1915 book about his
autumn & winter garden, & he was a complete crocus fanatic, & recommended
as the easiest autumn-bloomers: C. speciosus, C. zonatus, C. pulchellus &
C. longiflourus, in that order of ease. By C. zonatus he means C.
kotschyanus, it got renamed. I have three autumn-species & one
winter-species, but except for C. speciosus it appears I failed to get the
easiest, so will add the other three in the future.
The Bowles autumn/winter book was tons of fun; there's a matching volume
on his spring & summer garden so I'll read that one this coming week.
But for first spring blooms, the Hellebore buds are now opening into full
bloom fast as can be. The so-called "Heronswood Yellow" which is planely
creamy white colored with hardly any yellow at all, has huge fully opened
blooms. The others are still mainly huge buds with a few opened, except
one has been fully blooming for some while already, & oddly it's the
youngest/smallest, & just sold as "Mixed Border"--no special cultivar, but
is a lovely maroon streaky flower.
Species-tulip leaves & dogtooth lily leaves & some dwarf bulb irises
popping up all over, so lots to look forward to.
-paghat the ratgirl
--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/
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