Is Spring Really Here?

One of the most welcome harbingers of spring is the winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis). Blooming in mid to late March, this buttercup relative offers a wonderful yellow bloom before most plants have even thought of emerging. Plant winter aconites as a bulb the previous October. Plant them in large masses and they will multiply and form colonies over the years. Although only 4" in height, they'll peek thru snow and you'll see our earliest bees visiting these beauties. These are wonderful in the "shade" garden as they will bloom and go dormant before overhead leaves emerge and cast shade.

It's hard to believe that we're only a couple months from a nice sunny, hot summer and a view like this (formal gardens). After our record snows and pronounced winter doldrums, we are all ready for real spring that should come all too soon. The indications of spring were here before the actual date arrived. However, late snows might have confused some but not those of us that see the daily signs of the garden awakening.