Instead of snow, this winter brought an abundance of vibrant blooms! As I strolled down the garden path, a mixture of purple and yellow Crocus flowers greeted me. The surprise was that my ‘Golden Bunch’ bulbs from 2017 had bloomed early – outlasting even Mother Nature’s expectations for them!
Despite a long and bitter winter, hope was not lost: the Daffodil bulbs I had kept in pots emerged far ahead of their counterparts planted directly into the garden. This may have been due to them basking in some extra warmth from being inside! However, it seems that 2016’s batch of Crocus ‘Vanguard’ bulbs aren’t quite as lucky; after braving subzero temperatures for weeks under snow cover their leaves are up but we’re yet to see any flowers bloom this spring. Not wanting these hardy perennials to miss out on another opportunity, if they don’t make an appearance soon then perhaps they could join our vibrant flower bed outside instead!
Bee-friendly flowers
As the weather starts to turn more mild, bees that have been in hibernation are beginning to wake up and need sustenance. The first flowers they will find blooming as a source of food is crocuses and snowdrops–just what they need to survive until spring! If there can be enough rain but none too hard early frosts then we’ll avoid having a plague of slugs or snails damaging our precious seedlings. Now’s the time for gardeners everywhere to get ready; it won’t be long before sowing season arrives! Here’s wishing everyone joyous gardening this springtime with all its possibilities abundant life has waiting for us around every corner.
