Are your daffs and crocus starting to show green? (Part II)

Another early one from some I bought as just 'blue'

Fancy. An all-consuming hobby this is.

I feel almost sane with you guys :)

Hey!!!! I've got crocus in bloom!!!!!! Hah! A cream-colored species crocus. I'll get
the camera out tomorrow morning. HAH! Spring really is on its way.

Woo hoo...
Tam
PS: Neal - got the image? A really crazy bulb-bloom induced happy dance happening here in NE Pa.

Oh yeah, spring is 25 days away!!! If the sun is shining tomorrow I'll see a crocus to. It was showing color when I got home from work and the sun was setting. Got a 3 day weekend, so lots of playing in the dirt :)

Tammy, I thought you guys had something like 13" of snow last week. Did it all melt already or were you in an area that just missed the storm?

We got 14" of snow almost 2 wks ago and its almost melted. The crocus are blooming
in my raised rock garden, which is covered to keep the little gems nice and dry during the
winter. Its very warm there 'cause its backed by a large stone wall.

Tam

I've got a few daffs blooming, maybe 4 or 5. Most of mine are the big yellow with the orange center and the big yellow with slightly darker yellow center. Don't know what they are as they were in a mix.

Here are the crocus blooming in my rock garden:

That's great berrygirl, mine have buds but it turned so cold, only 32F today with freezing winds. It doesn't seem to stop much really, the stems keep getting taller. Daffodils always herald the beginning of spring!

Tammy that is a full bunch of crocus, they look a bit like Snowbunting, do you know their name?

I love those crocus Tammy. Are they really that creamy colored in person?

i agree. the creamyness (like vanilla ice cream) is delightful

The color is pretty much true. I looked all over and can't locate the variety. It was part of
a species collection from Van Engelen.

Cream Beauty?

Do they look like this?

http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/100126/

Found some Cream beauty, and I'd say that is what they are

http://www.garten.cz/encyklopedie.php?lng=cz&encid=222

It's still raining here! Everything is all wet :-)

oh, my! how gorgeous! the scent must be heavenly, steve.

Today was a toasty 53F/12C today, with a load of sun.

A nice Crocus chrysanthus 'Dorothy'

The sides are not too brushed with any other color.

Helleborus orientalis. Looking vigorous for it's first year.

And here is what I imagine is an Eranthis hyemalis on its way up, dwarfed by a Platanus seed ball. These odd things add a level of interest to the shade garden after a good wind, but a level of hurt to the barefoot traveller.

K. James

Thanks guys! I think they are Cream Beauty. I'll have to put a label out there now.
Tam

Steve I think you got your Hyacinths from a garden centre and stuck them in the ground! Well we have them in garden centres now flowering, but a while before those in the ground will show anyway! I guess you got some much needed rain. Would yours be flowering later if it hadn't been for the abnormally warm weather?

JamesCo so that is where our warm weather went! We had ours about 9 days ago, so guess what you have to follow? Yesterday was 32F/0C, today 40F but feels below freezing as did yesterday, still have those icy North winds, but lots of crocus showing colour just waiting for the sun. I think we might get a glimpse tomorrow, i did see it very briefly today! I do hop we don't have a repeat of last year, the cold just went on and on, summer was a glimpse, Global warming???? huh i think that is a bit of a hype.

I did wonder what those spiky things were, quite architectural though!

It looks like an armada of golf-playing Pixies has been in my shade garden.

There are not many other Crocus like 'Cream Beuty,' but they exist. I'll bet that it is what would get mixed into a bag, though.
K. James

Thanks Moonglow ;-)

Hi Wallaby,

Yes we are finally getting some serious rain - it's raining now still and we have had almost 3" in the past 24 hours according to my outdoor sensor. Temp is now 51 F at 3 pm, which is warmer than it had been running. And no the hyacinths are not from the garden center :-)

Some of the hyacinths came up somewhat early, but for the most part they're running on time. First week or two of March is normally peak bloom for me on those and based on the sprouts coming out of the ground, it looks like that will be the case again this year. In fact, the Splendid Cornelias with a south exposure are usually the first up and they were about a week LATER than normal. I think the dryness compensated for the high temperatures in January. The daffodils are on the same general timeline as hyacinths but they cover a longer period due to the different varieties. I even have a few that will bloom into May.

Those Cream Beauties are pretty Tammy - I have some of those as well. They perennialize well.

This message was edited Feb 25, 2006 3:14 PM

do you remember where you got the cream beauties? l luv 'em

vossner here's a link i gave earlier, they are cheap for 100, says Cream Beauty sold but they are available here for September so look then

http://www.vanengelen.com/catview.cgi?_fn=Product&_category=Crocus

Iris reticulata blooming February 23, 2006.

thank you I have added to may faves for future ref. It says h to z8, I'm in z9 but I see those for sale in my area.

What do they call z8?

missgarney yuor iris reticulata is 'Pauline', which I posted back up on the 17th, it is a beauty isn't it?

James zone 8 is to approx -12C but many in that zone or less get hotter summers so it isn't the best indication, hotter summers often ripen plants better so they will tolerate lower temperatures. So many variables make a difference, soil etc.

I'm sorry, I mean: What plant did Vossner say was rated hardy to zone 8?

Oh, I see- the bottom end of the zoning. The Warmest zone to plant Iris reticulata.

Sense comes flooding back into the deserted mind...

Ooooooh, anyway 8b is -12C, 8a -17C. It was the crocus on that vanengelen site!

(senses not working very well....both posted at precisely the same time...)

Kenton, I was talking about cream crocus.

Voss - I got those cream beauty crocus from Van Engelen in that species crocus mix. I love the species
crocus - so cute & so early! This fall I planted a collection of crocus tommasinianus (purples & violets) under
my redbuds. I'm hoping I get to see them before the critters get 'em all.

Tam

I spotted one of my Iris reticulata today that has been there for about 7 years

here's my Dracunculus vulgaris, the cold weather has stopped it, it's in a large pot in the greenhouse. Surprising how 'bitty' the compost looks close up

I thought you might like to see my Coprosma Evening Glow, not a bulb but it has never been so vibrant as in this cold weather!

Hot diggity cat.
Is it an evergreen?

And I suppose you mean coarse-textured when you say "bitty," because that is a really good characteristic of good compost.

What is behind this Coprosma?

I have some decent pictures, but I need to unload them and all that jazz?
K. James