The crocuses are kaput, but the daffodils are opening just in time to give the garden some new color. I have some plain King Alfred-style yellow daffodils that are bright and cheery, but I especially love these Jack Snipe dwarf narcissus. They’re short and sturdy (and don’t fall over in the rain, of which we’re having plenty), they’re bright and they smell great. I keep adding clumps of them, but I don’t have nearly enough yet.
The rhubarb in the back yard is just beginning to sprout. It’s not any sort of fancy variety - in fact, it came with the house. But it’s vigorous and tasty, and we’re really looking forward to our first rhubarb pie.
The early stalks have a certain alien quality to them, like a gunnera or a tree fern. Who first thought that it might be edible?
The pussywillow is finally in full swing! The catkins on this variety are especially huge, and they lengthen as they age. It’s been raining all night, and I love how they catch water on their fur.
This is iris reticulata “Harmony.” It’s only a few inches high, but that shot of clear blue in the garden at this time of year is just mind blowing. They don’t last long, either - a good rainstorm or one bite from a slug knocks the flowers right down - but it’s still worth it. I wish everyone had these in their yard, it would cheer things up enormously.
All the hellebores are growing fast, but this is the first one to reach full open-ness. It’s also got the best freckles, by far. I was weeding last weekend and was very happy to see several hellebore seedlings putting up flower stalks - I can’t wait to see how they turn out.
The weather’s been extremely wet, but not too cold, so things are beginning to grow and bud. Spring is beginning to seem like a possibility!
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