Reluctant Spring

Have I mentioned that spring has been absolutely wretched this year? I spent ten minutes in the garden this morning and had to turn back because of the cold. The daffodils were none too happy either. Last year the daffodils were in full bloom weeks earlier. This year fewer than a handful have opened.

Despite the cold I've already made my first garden purchases of the year: a sharp-leaf hepatica and the double primrose "Miss Indigo."

I can't say that I have ever been a fan of primroses. My neighbour grows a number of them though and over the years I have come to appreciate their charms in early spring. So when I saw "Miss Indigo" I thought why not?

I try to add native plants to my garden whenever and wherever I can. The sharp-leaf hepatica (hepatica acutiloba) caught my eye with its unusual and somewhat hairy foliage. I'm not sure if that's a bloom-in-waiting or a seed head (I bought this at a local nursery where the plants are so far along there are even flower buds on the coneflowers). I would love to see it flower but if it doesn't I will gladly wait to see it next year. This is a great time to plant the spring ephemerals because it is easy to see where the bare spots in the garden are. Now if spring would hurry up and bestow some sunshine and warm temperatures on us I could start feeling good about adding even more new selections to the garden.

Dwarf Iris Cantab Returns

Dwarf Iris "Cantab" was easily my favourite addition to the garden last year. It is a true blue that makes me swoon. I recall reading somewhere that "Cantab" aren't really expected to return so it was with great delight that I discovered them in bloom. It does seem that there are fewer flowers this year but even one bloom is more than welcome. This is truly a stunner.

Sadly, it has been an absolutely wretched spring and "Cantab" is a little worse for wear. The temperatures have been really cold. The winds have been biting. And the rains have battered everything -- the crocus have been flattened and the "Cantab" is barely holding its own against the conditions. There's sunshine in the forecast for tomorrow. I'll have to do my best to get outside and enjoy the fleeting beauty of the spring bulbs.

Mystery Crocus

While this is a delightful little crocus I can't help but be disappointed. I thought I had planted Crocus Advance: a three coloured crocus featuring creamy-yellow in the centre of the blooms and outer petals that alternate between white and violet. Will there ever be an end to the heartbreak of mislabeled plants?

What I have instead is quite pretty in its own right. The petals are a light purple on the inside. The outside petals are an even lighter purple blush with much darker markings. Quite dramatic, don't you think? Does anyone know the identity of this mystery crocus? I guess I'll have to try again for some Crocus Advance next year.

Crocus Tricolour

This crocus lives up to its name featuring three colours: orange-yellow at the base, a band of white, and purple-tipped petals. Crocus sieberi Tricolour has not performed nearly as well as Romance, Blue Pearl or Fuscotinctus. All the crocus have a similar growing environment. I think the problem is squirrels. I sprinkled bloodmeal around the others a few weeks ago and the squirrels seem to have stayed away. But I must have missed the Tricolour because something has been digging and doing some damage. Too bad. A few more of these would be delightful.

Crocus Romance

Another day, another crocus. This buttery yellow selection is Crocus Romance. It is much more subdued in colour than the Crocus Fuscotinctus that opened a few days ago but equally exuberant in the number of blooms.

I have very little yellow in the garden aside from some Black Eyed Susans I enjoy for their late season bloom. My garden leans heavily to to violets, purples and blues. But yellow is the perfect colour for early spring. It's a welcome wake-up call after a long winter.

Crocus Blue Pearl

I've gone a little crocus crazy this year largely because they are doing so well and providing abundant blooms. Crocus chrysanthus "Blue Pearl" was reluctant to open this morning as rain threatened. This allowed me to enjoy the pale lavender- blue on the outside of the petals.

Later in the day, the pearly inside was revealed.

I have learned to plant crocus in large groups to create some drama in the garden. Having witnessed "Blue Pearl's" magical shimmering effect I wish I had tripled or even quadrupled my order of 32 corms last fall.

Lucky for me that "Blue Pearl" naturalizes happily and rapidly. There should be many more of these lovelies to enjoy for years to come.

Crocus Fuscotinctus

The crocus have been reluctant to open and share their blooms. They have been closed tight against the bitter winds that are blowing through. Fortunately Crocus Fuscotinctus (full name: Crocus chysanthus var. fuscotinctus) looks mighty impressive even when closed tight. Each petal has several purple stripes that are feathered along the edges.

After a few days of gloomy cloud cover the sun coaxed the crocus to open today revealing the golden yellow flowers.

I planted 32 Fuscotinctus corms last fall. They are said to multiply quickly to form large drifts (my type of plant). That's important: if the squirrels get a few (and they do) there will still be plenty of blooms for the humans to enjoy. I have another five varieties of crocus still waiting to bloom. I already know that I will plant many more varieties this fall because in these early and still-cold spring days the sight of crocus takes a bit of the chill off.