Instant Spring

Crocus, bloomed March 16th 2019

It sounds like a perfect name for a scented candle or a laundry detergent but it actually describes how fast the season changed in the last couple of weeks. Since my last post and the snow has completely melted away and relieving the Snowdrops once again also allowing the first Crocus of the season to begin to bloom. This was the fastest snow-to-flowers I've ever seen and it seems like everything is super extra energized from an extended sleep this winter.

Tulip and Daffodil sprouts as of 3/17/19

Whats different about this spring is that as soon as the snow melted off the flower gardens around my house the spring bulbs were already several inches out of the ground. Typically I have a couple weeks to remove last season foliage before worrying about stepping on any plants. I had to be careful when I cleaned this this week with everything popping up. The growth throughout the winter was because it was warm to start Winter off and hefty snowfall kept everything insulated so well that it was getting a head start under the warm snow as we waited for spring to arrive. These Tulips will have to be fenced off or the rabbits will eat them for sure! I planted Tulips before I knew how bad the rabbits were in my area, I never planted more after that instead getting Daffodils which they leave alone.

Galanthus Snowdrop 3/17/19

Galanthus Elwesii 3/17/19

This isn't the first appearance of the Snowdrops this year but actually their second or third. They started blooming in early January but were covered up under snow until just last week. They are much happier soaking up the March sun. I noticed there is a bit of genetic diversity between some of the Elwesii Snowdrops, I found a patch that is extra special because the petals are rimed in a dash of green. Typically can expect a clean traditional white. Snowdrops are always the very first flower to appear in my garden followed closely by Snow Crocus. With the temperatures staying in the 50s this next week and heading for 60 by weeks end I have a feeling next weekend there will be many more flowers starting to bloom.

Spring Pansies as of 3/17/19

I took the plunge. I officially planted my flower pots with one of my favorite spring annuals! Pansies are super tough annuals that thrive in cold temperatures so I don't have to worry about them being damaged by frosts when it gets cold. They can easily tolerate temperatures way down into the teens and even colder if covered up. I've even seem them survive last year when we had single digit lows and lows of snow in late March and April after I planted them last year. It must be known that Pansies and Violas alike really do thrive in cool spring weather. It's all to common problem that people wait too long to plant, holding of until May when you could have had flowers for a month or more before. Not only this but you really cut down on the time you get to enjoy them because once our highs start to get in the 80s towards June Pansies will start to wilt and stop blooming because they need cool temperatures to preform well. So get these in confidence knowing they can handle just about any weather Iowa can throw at them in our March weather!