The Bright Side of a Yo-Yo Spring

I concede there are garden benefits to spring snow and cool temperatures. The snow protects the plants when nighttime temperatures plummet, and cool temperatures help the blooms last longer.

While changeable weather ... from cold to warm and back again ... can be tough on the constitution, it also encourages plant growth and then holds the blooms.

Our forecast here (Southern Wisconsin, USDA zone 5) heading into mid-spring looks warm, which pleases me. In the meantime, many of the early spring-blooming bulbs and plants are still going strong, concurrently with spring ephemerals beginning to emerge. That makes for quite a show!

I'm linking this post to Garden Bloggers Bloom Day over at May Dreams Gardens and Foliage Follow-Up at Digging.

Most of my Crocuses and Snowdrops are done, but some spring bloomers are still with us. Here are a few as they looked a couple of days ago:

Crocus tommasinianus

Eranthis hyemalis

Scilla siberica

Narcissus 'Tete-a-Tete'

Crocus sieberi

Muscari armeniacum

Galanthus nivalis

Chionodoxa forbesii

Hyacinthus orientalis

The Hellebores have been blooming for weeks now:

Helleborus x hybridus

Helleborus x hybridus

I did cover them before the recent ice storm, and when nighttime temperatures dipped below 30F/-1C.

Some spring plants are starting or about to bloom, including Vinca and Clematis:

Vinca minor

Clematis 'Nelly Moser'

I didn't cover these guys during the cold nights, but they don't appear to have any damage.

You might wonder why I allow these next two plants to grow in my garden:

Geum canadense

White Avens (Geum canadense) forms hitchhiking seedheads after flowering, so they're often considered nuisance plants. But I like the early rosettes, and the flowers attract butterflies. White Avens grows along the edge of our woods, in an area with little foot traffic.

Urtica dioica

Common Nettle (Urtica dioica) also grows in the woods. It's one of only a few host plants for the Red Admiral butterfly.

Several more "desirable" native plants are showing their attractive foliage, including:

Mertensia virginica

Virginia Bluebells and

Hydrophyllum virginianum

Virginia Waterleaf.

Podophyllum peltatum

The Mayapples will soon form tiny umbrellas in their colony on the side of the hill. This photo series shows the stages before the foliage unfurls.

Other plants with interesting foliage: 

Rheum rhabarbarum

Rhubarb is growing fast. These two photos were taken about a week apart, during cold weather. When the heat hits during the next few days, this plant will really take off.

Lycoris squamigera

The foliage of Surprise Lilies (Lycoris squamigera) makes an early spring appearance. The foliage will fade and decompose during the summer, and the blooms will shoot up out of nowhere in late summer.

Lamprocapnos spectabilis

Some of the Bleeding Hearts look a bit tattered after recent nighttime freezes, but they'll be fine.

Digitalis hybrida 'Camelot Lavendar'

And the Foxglove, which formed its rosette in December, will be spiking up with its tall flowers soon.

How about you? What's blooming, about to bloom, and emerging in your garden? Head on over to May Dreams Gardens and Digging to learn about other blooming plants and fab foliage in gardens around the world.