An Arctic high, sweeping down over our region for the last few weeks, continues to affect our temperatures this Spring. Despite the cold, a number of early bloomers are adding their bright colours to Chester gardens. On the right, a mass of golden crocuses is nestled at the foot of a rose trellis as a harbinger of what’s to come.
Whether open or closed , these beautiful mauve crocuses, crowded together, add a cheery note to an early spring garden.
Broadening the colour range, the next plants to appear in a sunny sheltered Chester garden are the Iris reticulata (on the right). The heavenly blue flowers are not very tall but immensely popular, especially when many neighbouring gardens are without any colour at all.
Another blue favourite in the spring season is the Puschkinia (left). It is sometimes known by its common name of Striped Squill.
The Hyacinths on the right, make their first appearance as a tightly closed flower bud, resembling the top of a choir boy’s head surrounded by a stiffly starched wing collar.
All of the photos in this post were taken in Jane’s Chester garden, but for those whose gardens don’t produce the same results so early in the season, there is an alternative. And, yes, this suggestion also comes from Jane. Below is a photo of her indoor Spring garden.
Thanks to Sylvia for the photos in this post taken on April 2nd.
Chester gardeners usually watch for the delicate drooping blossoms of snowdrops to herald the arrival of Spring. This year, on March 20th, they were surprised to wake up to a freak snowstorm instead. The snowdrops and crocuses in this post were photographed just days before that snowfall and we can’t guarantee that the blooms will look as good when the snow melts!
Among the first plants to pop up, snowdrops are part of the genus Galanthus, a word that comes from the Greek gala meaning milk and anthos meaning flower.Although a superficial glance would lead you to believe that snowdrops are all alike, a white flower on a slight but sturdy stem, according to a knowledgeable source in England there are in fact over 500 named cultivars.
The flower is made up of three outer and three inner petals, all white but with a fleck or small green mark on the inner petal. The clearly defined green lines on these petals, a blossom picked on March 11 from a local garden, makes it identical to a cultivar named “Rosie” that can be seen on a marvelous website “Snowdropinfo.com”. The website, which is run by a grower in the UK, carries lots of information and illustrations of these lovely spring flowers. Check out the Galanthus Gallery. The website also contains a warning about buying Galanthus bulbs on the net. Apparently some unscrupulous dealers have been misrepresenting their wares on eBay and buyers have been burned.
As a follow-up to our own confusion in identifying the sky-blue flowers that appeared in a recent post (March 9), we’re presenting a few other suggestions for spring ground covers.
Photo credit: Robert E. Lyons, Ohio State University website
One of the candidates for consideration was Phlox sublata (known as creeping phlox or moss phlox). This plant is native to North America and is hardy from zones 3 to 9. It belongs to the family Polemonioideae and forms a mound of about 15 cms in height. This plant produces mostly pink flowers, however, and even the blue hues are more nearly mauve. So, after further input from other viewers, this plant was discounted as not fitting the specs, but it is certainly a worthy choice for any spring garden. It is particularly effective in rock gardens or along the edge of a path or a low wall.
The mystery plant would thus seem most likely to be Veronica chamaedrys (also known as Birds-eye Speedwell), a native to Europe but certainly well adapted to life in Nova Scotia. It is a herbaceous perennial that grows to be about 12 cm tall. It creeps along the ground, forming a dense mat and sending down roots at the stem nodes. It belongs to the family Plantaginaceae.
The Veronica’s colour is similar to that of the blue Myositis arvensis (Forget-me-nots), widely known as self-seeding annuals in our area. In addition to adding (often unbidden) charm to our landscapes, Forget-me-nots are useful as food plants to the larvae of some moths. They come in pinks and whites as well as shades of blue.
Shoots from Crocus bulbs sprang up in mid-March and these flowers opened the day before another light snowfall covered the ground.
And, although not strictly speaking a “ground cover”, another early spring favourite is the crocus, which comes in many hues. This photo was taken in a Chester garden guarded by very active kittens who take it as their mission to protect the bulbs from predatory squirrels.
Spring sprang into Chester last week, bringing with it unprecedented hot weather. For two days the mercury soared to record-breaking highs of 24° and 27°C, before backing off to 14° C and then , just as quickly, dropping to more normal readings of 4° to 7° C. Another case of Arctic oscillation?
Whatever the cause, gardeners found themselves digging out their shorts and tee-shirts and tackling the business of digging out the weeds that seemed to have sprouted overnight. A more welcome sight were the clumps of heaths (Erica carnea Springwood pink, above and below) that suddenly put forth a wealth of blossoms.
The spring-cleaning of local gardens included removing winter’s debris from lawns and beds, such as those hosting the crocus blooms in the next photo. Behind the crocuses are the emerging stalks of budding daffodils that have also been given a boost from the unusually warm weather.
Echoing the traditional Easter colours of purple and white, the crocus blooms herald the approach of Spring, seemingly unaware that it has already arrived. Chester gardeners are hoping that, this year, after its early but brief appearance Spring will soon return.
In case it has escaped the notice of readers familiar with the usual layout of this blog, a new item has been added to the menu running across the top of the screen. Information about the Chester Garden Club’s annual Flower Show and Tea , a popular summer event, can be found by clicking on the link. The information will be updated regularly as details are confirmed.
few weeks, continues to affect our temperatures this Spring. Despite the cold, a number of early bloomers are adding their bright colours to Chester gardens. On the right, a mass of golden crocuses is nestled at the foot of a rose trellis as a harbinger of what’s to come.
