DO YOU HAVE SOME SIGNS OF SPRING 2013?

With all of the cold wind, snow, rain and floods, I had my doubts I would make it through February, BUT today that all changed. I saw my first sign of Spring in the garden and that gives me just what I needed to get me through this miserable month.

Here they are, cold but beautiful! The first Black Pussy Willow catkins showing their beautiful faces on the stems of burgundy. Nature's perfect picture of an early sign of Spring. at last.

Have a wonderful day. It is going to snow and rain tomorrow. , JB

lots of green popping

You sure do have lots of green popping up. Great for you. If it warms up I will take a walk and see what else I can find. Are your "greens" in a protected garden area or just open and lots of sunshine?

It varies, some wide open areas others just get morning and early afternoon sun

I noticed the daffodil field (ones I cut to sell) are really coming up and I keep hoping they do not freeze like they did last year. They came up very early and quickly and then we had a cold spell and they got really cold and I had only half a crop when they bloomed. What a bommer that was. I am hoping our really cold weather is over soon. If not, they will begin to form buds and if the buds freeze I am back to where I was last year. Nothing is easy in NJ is it? I am not sorry I moved here back in the 80s. Most of the time it is a really fun place to live. I just do not do winter well no matter where I am. LOL

My Toro tulips in front of the GH are up as well as may of our Dafs and Crocus. Ric

When I stopped by Jill's house before the seed swap last weekend, the crocus in Joyanna's crocus lawn were up. At my place, the snowdrops are up but not yet blooming. I also noticed some crazy weed growing nicely in the stone steps hillside garden. NOT what I wanted to see as first signs of spring. Oh, the audacity of weeds. Why can't my flowers do that well with such little care LOL...

We do have a lot of green tips everywhere but really some of them came up months ago during a unseasonably warm spell and then just stopped. So it is hard to know if there is much new growth coming up. But I did see a few crocus that started to bloom during a couple of warm sunny days and then they also stopped when the weather got cold again. These poor plants are probably wondering what is going on. I am waiting to see if those early crocus are going to reach full bloom.

Put some green in March. Why stay shut in like a lamb when there's a lions share of shows coming, just teeming with green and cheer. Check out upcoming events in MAF. Ric
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1061079/

25 more days until Spring.

I have snowdrops and winter aconites blooming...think I spelled them right......

23 more days until Spring.

I love snow drops but mine are in the lawn and half shaded by a very large tree, so they are slow surfacing. I must remember to walk down there and see if they are coming up yet.

The crocus and hyacinth are showing on the south side of the little house. And on the West side of the the big barn. Warmest places on this farm for sure. I have actually had Iris off and on sprouting all winter. It must be very difficult for the plants to know what to do. LOL I wonder if they think about things like that. You know you are in trouble when you wonder if plants can think?!?☺ I also often wonder if it hurts when we trim them. Sick Sick ....too much winter. LOL

I am sorry, I just got carried away. The sun came out today and that makes me so happy I get silly. Have a wonderful day.

At least the weeds are easy to pull right now, bittercress coming up like crazy

Nice to see some color!

Flow, how do you do that? My God it is so cold and cloudy here in the Wtown area. Darn.
WAAAAAAA!!!!! It is really windy here too. How can we be in different zones. Do I have the wrong Zone on mine? I find it hard to see the colors on the zone map with only one eye, maybe I did make a mistake. Will you check for me pleases Flow. Thanks.

you are listed as 6B like me

Jen, I love snowdrops. Mine are up and budding but not yet blooming. Pretty crocus too, that maroon/gold combo is eye catching. Are the other pics crocus too, or is the purple one something else?

No I am not Flow...I am 7 according to DG map. That is why I am so confused. They are using the same map I am sure and if you go to the DG your info and go to location you will see the map and the one they use puts us both in 7. Am I going crazy? What map are you looking at?

Flow, take a look at this one if you can open it. I am in 7 in this also. LOL this is so confusing but fun.

http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/#

Nothing is blooming for me at all except for winter aconite.

Snowdrops blooming, sunny pansies bloomed all winter
same here on many Narcissus peeping through.
same here on bittercress, speedwell, henbit and deadnettle- how sad that I now know how to tell henbit and deadnettle apart since I have plenty of 'study material' grr.

22 More days until Spring.

I found 2 crocuses blooming that were moved to their present location by mistake. That and the winter anemone (an acquired taste, I'll admit) are it for me.

Oh yes, and the moss. My "lawn" is more and more moss. Any organic solutions to suggest - aside from increasing the drainage which isn't likely to happen, and aerating which might?

Sorry I usually list what each is but I was in a rush
Snowdrop, 'Herald' crocus, supposed to be 'Remembrance' crocus but looks too pointy...so wonder if they sent me the wrong ones, 'Romance' crocus


I used this map and plugged in your zip, unless I didn't put correct zip code in(08562)
http://www.garden.org/zipzone/

on that USDA map were are both 7A

This map says we are 6A, another we consulted says 6B. So if anyone ask, I'm gonna' say 6. LOL Ric

Wonderful spring surprises today!!

1- Saxifrage from David (virginianus? It is labeled but I forget .) Do you see it is blooming!?!
2- Crocus tommasinianus
3- Gita! I had one bloom on my Wintersweet! Oh my is that sweet!!!!!!!

Sally I like that Saxifrage. Cute, Also like the way you protected it with that boarder of stone.
Jen, I really like that second pic.

Jumping up and down.....I HAVE SNOW DROPS WITH BUDS. YAHOO.

yay!

Other than some a beautiful mature, first for me, helleborus ssg and I transplanted from Becky's. (Thank you hon! Its right by the mailbox for all to see when they drive by) I have a little bity crocus blooming today. Noid

Flowering plum about to burst

Sure is pretty coleup.
Terp, Sally, I should take the the camera back outside, I have some small Crocus that are almost but not quite open yet. With the warmer weather and sun they may be open by now.

I AM STILL STRUGGLING TRYING TO FIND MORE SIGNS OF SPRING BUT THIS IS ALL I COULD COME UP WITH AND I AM SO EXCITED I AM GOING TO CELEBRATE WITH PIZZA FOR LUNCH. PIZZA IS MY FAVORITE MOOD DISH. ANY MOOD...


These are the tiny snow drops still in bud but trying so hard to bloom. They told me they are trying but they need some warm weather, which the weatherman promised today, but the darn day is half over and no sun yet.

Off to preheat the oven. Yeah!

Yellow is the first color every year on my regular Dutch? crocus

Yayyyy spring!

Holly didn't get to it yet so here they are, they're in the lamppost bed by the front walk. Ric

JB, you and I are in the same boat. Only signs of spring here are my snowdrops in bud too. Anticipation is keeping me waiting....

Yikes, my snowdrops have been blooming since before Thanksgiving! Curiously, my 'Naked Ladies' leaves are up 10 inches.

Earlier in this thread there was some discussion of Zones (which have been revised recently)
http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/

I'm listed as Zone 7B Last winter's average annual winter temps put me well into a Zone 8B and this year with only four days of frost/freeze, I'm almost a 10A! First frost didn't come here til end of Jan (usual Nov 17) Could have left all of my tropicals outside in a big leaf pile and threw some blankets over them a couple of nights. The trick of course is knowing which nights and then not being too lazy to do it!

According to my 1988 copy of "The Washington Star Garden Book" Annapolis averaged 232 days of 'growing season', with BWI 194 and College Park,186 and Rockville 176 days respectively between first and last frost. and that was 1988! You all remember 1988 when Winter was wintery and there was a long spring and a lonf fall and some hot humid summer days....

Glad many plants are 'triggered' by sunlight and not just temps!

Finding signs of Spring is kinda like finding the hidden immunity idol with or without clues. Spring is out there somewhere, post when you find some of it...even if it is out of usual order.

Cole, I am still 7a since that is the link I used I think to begin with. It shows that some parts of my County are different zone .........who knows with this stupid weather. I still say it is because they keep sending things into space and messing with the jet streams. But no, I am wrong, it is global warming. What do I know I am old as dirt ?

Wow, coleup, I knew Annapolis warmer but I can't believe you've only had 4 days of frost.

Yep, warmer in general, but lots noticibly warmer this winter. Haven't used my icescraper at all so far. Had to add that 'so fsr' because I certainly don't know what the weather will be from day to day, week to week, or month to month! I do still believe that four to five months of the summer here will be uncomfotably hot for me. Drought or deluge is anybody's guess!