The tiny violets in the lawn win the contest for first flower. As the weather starts to warm here the grass is showing signs of green starting to push through. We're still having major fluctuations in temperature, 20 degrees yesterday and 5 degrees today but spring is here and the plants are firmly on their way. Also found today were the Siberian Squill.
I've planted approximately 140 bulbs in the lawn so far and it's still but a drop in the ocean.
Can you spot the blue blooms in all that brown? I think I need about a thousand more bulbs to really notice the difference. Sadly that's not even an exaggeration.
Some other sightings on my walk today were these sedum pushing through.
and tulips working their way up.
We all agree it's so nice to be outdoors again
38 comments:
Aren't those first blooms so very exciting.!? Those little flowers in your first picture is what we call Johnny Jump Ups. I just love them. I can't seem to get them started in my garden. Maybe I should just sow seed in the lawn. Every other weed grows there. :) Happy spring.
Hurrah for color! My mom always called those violets Johnny Jump Ups- I always loved that name!
140 but they will multiply. Those tiny violets pop up all over the place and I like finding them each and every time.
I always called those little violets Johnny Jump Ups, too. :o) Check the sale rack of your garden center and maybe you can find bulbs on clearance. It's always exciting to see the plants breaking through and starting to grow. Happy Spring! I heard frogs singing in my pond the other night and the water celery is spreading. Even the dwarf horse rush and lobelia are growing well. I think the pond is a success!! The whole thing cost less than $100. :o) I used muck buckets but you could also bury a feed trough or anything else waterproof and freeze resistant. Like an old metal bathtub, etc...
Johnny Jump Ups are one of the winter workhorses here, living from October through April.. mine are dead now but they are one of my favorites. You look to be right at that stage where you get the willy nilly's...things are just about to go crazy but Not.Quite.Just.Yet enough to make you check growth every single day! (same as early Feb here). Even though its not the prettiest time of the year, with all the anticipation, I honestly think its my favorite. Like Christmas Eve vs. Christmas. The Eve wins hands down.
Marguerite girl those are tiny jewels aren't they !
I love those little darlings .. I bought a shallow pot of pansies at Costco the other day and I always fall in love with that scent .. the first flower I ever remember as a child .. wonderful !
Hey ! I can see that blue mixed in with the brown .. and I know it seems daunting to fill it with bulbs .. but they will also self multiply ? too .. just enjoy them for now .. don't fret about how many more you want to plant!
Spring has sprung girl !
Joy
Enjoy every minute of the first tentative showings in spring. Once spring starts in earnest it all comes in a rush. Right now you can enjoy the tiniest and sweetest of Johnny Jump Ups and each little sign of green.
There is that feeling of ... ah finally.
Love it.
Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams
so glad spring has come for you Marguerite, I love your little flowers, my squilla are still blooming too,
I like your tree planting in the previous post, today I finally got the last of the bare roots plants I bought last autumn planted out they had been heeled in over winter, I move self sown seedlings around to, your hedge along your drive sounds lovely, I like a mixed hedge, Frances
As those spring blooms emerge we get so excited for more. I can see the Scilla in meadow. As they multiple and show their stuff it will be a grand presentation.
Violas are so cute! It is always exciting to find the first bloom, especially when it isn't the same each year! I like your lawn filled with bulbs!
It's fascinating to see the pace of spring in different parts of the world. Here, tulips are in full bloom, but the early bloomers like crocus are gone. Right now, I'm waiting for the azalea show. Hope all is well!
Yay flowers. Your lawn is going to look beautiful ... one day:)
I love your photos of life emerging in spring...perfect! It seems like so long ago when this stage was presenting itself in my garden, but it was only a few weeks ago. I am enjoying watching everything fill in and bloom. We are almost done with all the work for spring...pruning, weeding, planting, and mulching. Then, I will be able to enjoy it even more. Happy spring!
What a thrill! I'm bouncing with anticipation to see my first flower. At least there is no snow forecast for the weekend - yay!
I love the blue you are adding to your lawn. Keep at it each year and someday...it will dazzle you! :)
Yeah for Spring! There really is nothing as special as those first spring flowers - they are so delicate but also so hardy. They hodl so much promise, if only they could tell us what the rest of the gardening season has in store for us!
Marguerite, I am glad that you are at long last enjoying signs of spring. Winter has boomeranged back here. It is positively freezing here today!
I think you will be happy to find that the blue Siberian Squill will spread nicely once a few patches get going. Two or three years ago there was only one patch in the vacant lot next door. Now there are four of five patches and growing.
I'm glad to see that spring is finally arriving for you, Marguerite. There's nothing quite like those first tiny colorful blooms and signs of new green growth pushing through the soil to lift the spirits.
Lisa, the only place I ever see those little violets is in the lawn. It must be their preferred habitat!
I've heard that name before as well but I wonder if it pertains to all the violets in the lawn or just these little purple/yellow ones? We have some larger varieties in other colours as well.
One of the reasons I planted squill was because I heard they multiply. Hopefully that will be the case in the lawn, it's awful slow planting 70 at a time.
Tammy, so glad to hear frogs found your pond. We can hear frogs in the distant creek but not a peep around here. I just need to find the right spot for my own muck bucket.
LOL, willy nillies sounds just about right. Everything in on the VERGE of green but just not quite yet.
Joy, there's nothing like pansies to start off the year. They were one of my first flowers as a child too. How can you not remember those faces? Don't get me wrong, I loved seeing those squill pop up but I feel like a fool on my knees crawling through the grass to get a look at them! They're so tiny and it's just SO MUCH SPACE.
Laurrie, I can feel the rush already. So many chores and I know the work will get harder if I leave it. Wish my body could keep up to my mind!
:)) exactly. I think we can safely say spring is here now.
I've never tried a mixed hedge before Frances but I'm hoping it will work well. Some blooms for spring, some in summer. A lot of greenery. I'm realizing by blocking off certain sections of the yard from each other with borders it will make it more interesting.
One day Janet I hope to show you a lawn awash in blue. Of course that means I will need to continue blogging for at least another 10 years!
If I remember correctly dandelions got the first bloom last year! violets are such charmers though, I'm happy to see them.
It's a very slow start here Kevin but when it goes , IT GOES. With a shorter season everything goes bursts out at a much faster rate I think.
It'll be fun to look back at these photos in a few years time. Hopefully the difference will be really noticable and the blue will outweigh the brown.
Good for you getting so many chores done! It's only been a couple weeks that we've been free of snow and I'm racing to get as many jobs done as possible. I love spring but I"m remembering how much work is involved to get things up and running.
Thank goodness you don't have snow! Some places are getting hit something terrible. We came close but have a week of rain forecast instead. I'll take rain over snow any day.
After seeing white and brown for so many months I love seeing the colours come forth. It's a real treat for winter weary eyes.
Jennifer, I hope hope hope that you didn't get that snow I saw on the weather channel this morning. Your poor plants are having a heck of a time this year. Thanks for the news on the squill, hopefully in a couple years mine will show signs of spreading too.
thanks Rose, it's such a delight to walk outside these days.
traditional native hedges in Britian are all mixed hedges I grew up with them everywhere down south, traditionally a mixed hedge was planted so that people could 'harvest' from it at different times of the year,
blocking off sections is also good to help with the wind issue, I didn't really want to do this as I like the continuous view but have realised it's necessary in some areas,
Marguerite, Even if your squill is just a drop in the ocean right now, it is an exceptionally beautiful drop; love that shade of blue! -Jean
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