April 14, 2011

GBBD: Mystery solved

And the mystery plant is…

Muscari botryoides

Grape Hyacinth! (See my last post, “Welcome Surprises,” for background on why this was a mystery.) Wow, I vaguely remember seeing Muscari in this spot in past years, but why didn’t I take any photos?

I do remember the Fluffy Daffodils! They are midway through their seasonal show, and lovely as always:

Narcissus
  
The Hellebores are a little rough around the edges because I removed their mulch too early, but they survived:

Helleborus orientalis


Hints of blooms to come for the next GBBD:

Syringa meyeri

And after snapping these shots in 40-degree weather with a stiff breeze, I realized why I don’t have as many photos of early spring blooms from previous years—it’s cold out there and my fingers are numb!


(Thanks to Carol at May Dreams Gardens for hosting Garden Bloggers Bloom Day!)

15 comments:

  1. It is funny, but I was thinking the same thing going around my garden with the camera...wait until next month. Looking at the buds and shoots with promise and potential.

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  2. The hyacinths, daffodils, narcissus and hellebores are really lovely beauties of spring. We can't grow them here.

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  3. This is my first year of Hellebores and now I think I'm addicted. I can't wait to add more colors. Thanks for braving the cold to share your blooms!

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  4. I am glad you solved your mystery, grape hyacinths are lovely. Perennials and bulbs are fun - sometimes you don't know what is coming up until it blooms:). Your hellebores are beautiful.

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  5. Oh! You're spring is just now arriving! I didn't realize. I'm having 90 degree weather already! Love your hellebores. Stay warm!

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  6. your garden is waking up beautifully! xoox, tracie

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  7. I like to take photos of bulbs when I plant them, but some of the small ones reseed in fun new places. Your hellebores are just lovely. I've found if I don't remove the mulch around them early, the slugs damage the first buds. I usually do it around the end of winter, and have noticed no damage to them from doing so.

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  8. I can relate..today the wind chill is 28 and everything is so slllooowww in growing....lovely blooms to see..happy gbbd

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  9. @Donna: Wow, it's really coming fast since I wrote this post. Can't wait to get out and capture more shots.

    @Autumn Belle: They are beautiful, aren't they. But of course, you can grow so many luscious plants in Malaysia that only work as house plants or annuals here.

    @Rebecca: I think you'll love the Hellebores. They're so unique, cold-hardy, and reliable!

    @Greggo: Yes, indeed! And the spring bulbs seem to shift and change every year.

    @Masha: Thanks! Yeah, the fun and beauty of the spring bulbs almost makes up for all the cold weather we get.

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  10. @Holley: Wow, 90s! I'm not sure I'm ready for that. Is the heat hard on your roses?

    @Tracie: Thanks! It's happening too fast for me to keep track now. :)

    @MMD: Thanks for the advice about the Hellebores. I think I'm going to aim for late March next year for removing the mulch. I did it just a little too early this year.

    @Donna: I guess one nice thing about cooler temps is that the spring flowers don't fade as fast!

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  11. I don't blame you for not wanting to linger in the garden ~ wind and 40 degree temps wouldn't convince me to either. At least it's the 2nd part of April now tho and things should be warming/greening up and blooming really soon, right? The blooms that you do have are really pretty!

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  12. Kathleen: Yes, it should be time for warmer temps and plentiful blooms. Things are a bit delayed this year. Weird April. On the bright side -- the blooms are lasting longer in these refrigerated temps!

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  13. Nice blooms! My grape hyacinths are holding up well. Not all of my hellebores bloomed, but hopefully they will next year.

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  14. @Sue: Thanks! I just picked several of the Grape Hyacinths today because they're at peak and looks so lovely in a little vase. Hellebores amaze me! I totally abused them this year, yet they're still thriving and sending out next year's shoots!

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