Yep, for the most part winter is pretty mild in the Pacific Northwest. Certainly by the time February rolls around we generally get a week of mild temperatures and blue sky. In a perfect world I would be out there applying dormant oils and clearing away winter debris.
But around here it’s all Flower Show all the time!!! Wednesday is the start of the 21st A\annual, and sadly the final, Northwest Flower & Garden Show. I’m deep in paperwork and powerpoint devising my talk “Backyard Bountiful” (Friday 2/20, 4:15pm in the Hood Room) – that’s my excuse for being a day late posting my February blooms. But it’s just too much fun to keep up with gardens around the country to skip a month altogether. I find myself walking through the garden, cheering the buds to open in time for that month’s listing! Here are the high achievers:
Gardeners can get a little obsessive about hellebores. We crave the dark, darker, darkest blossom forms – that is until we notice that the dark flowers fail to show against the bare soil…but by then we’ve sold another limb to purchase the latest and greatest. In the wisdom of my garden maturity I’ve come to love the pink and rose colored forms. Of course now I shop for dark nectaries, clean spotting and (be still my heart!) a picotee edge, s*gh.
But just when I think there’s nothing more precious than an exotic hellebore – the snowdrops bloom. These stalwart garden bulbs are always the first to show in the garden (still no word on my heirloom hyacinths I mentioned last month.) This group, cleanly set off by my velvety black, orbicular art object (my dad’s bowling ball) is the standard long-lived single form. But there’s nothing standard about their delicate blossoms and hardy constitution. Last spring, when they had finished blooming but before they died back (“in the green” it’s called) I divided my clump and spread them around. They’re a little thin this year, but they’ll quickly beef up in number…”More, More, More” said the greedy gardener!!!
This other clump is much newer and I love it so, even if it does need to boost it’s numbers and you have to lie on the ground or lift up a blossom to truly appreciate it double form and brilliant green markings! Snowdrops make the cutest little cut flower posies; you can ogle the intricacies of each petal and you stay much drier than lolling around on your back.
The good news is Clematis ‘Freckles’ has recovered from our winter blast back in December and is back in bloom like those 2 1/2 weeks of Arctic deep freeze never happened.
And while this one will never take any awards for it’s good looks - certainly not after this winter or with my lousy photography – my only-somewhat-burned winter Daphne (Daphne odora ‘Marginata’) is in full bud and any day I expect I’ll be able to start picking little branches to bring into my bedroom where it’s powerfully sweet fragrance will sweep me off to my dreams.
Any finally, I’d like to introduce this homely little primrose. (Again, sorry for the poor photography) It’s really nothing special except I grew it from seed many many years ago and it does carry the cute little “hose in hose” form with a ruffly green collar supporting the flower. Oh, and it will bloom now through May!
So there you have it. February’s blooms to blog about. Enjoy, I’m already anticipating next month – my Brazen Hussy is budded!!!
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
That was very enjoyable. There is certainly a lot blooming in your garden in February. I wonder if Clematis ‘Freckles’ might be hardy in zone 5? I love its little spotted blooms.
Have fun at the flower show, and good luck with your talk.
Wonderful Hellebores… I enjoyed the site and am adding it to my blog roll.
I totally agree that we should have a vegetable/flower garden on the front lawn of the white house!
I don’t know that I’d ever seen the inside of a double snowdrop before! I will have to put that on my list for the Arboretum bulb sale next fall for sure. You have clematis blooming? Wow! My daphne looks kinda bad too, not even too many buds on it. I think it’s sulking (aren’t they famous for that?). Cool “garden art”! Good luck with your talk, I’m sorry to miss it but am sure it’ll be splendid.
Oh now I want more Hellebores! I have one dark variety, purchased way back when I didn’t have a catologng system. Recently picked up two more cream types. Love, love them. But oh, that double snowdrop. Very cool. You’ve got lots of great stuff going on, including your talk at the show. Still not sure which days I’ll make it but have a great time.
Carol – We are so lucky out here on the left coast! I feel like such a whiner for all my distress in Dec.
Deirdre – Welcome to my sandbox!
Karen & Melanthia – always love to hear from you! M. – “cataloging system” Holy cow!!! teach me your ways…
Clematis cirrhosa ‘Freckles’ is hardy to 0 F. – evergreen in my area and I can really say that it is in scattered bloom throughout the entire year.
My plant is old and craggy, lots of gnarled wood; doesn’t seem to mind when periodically I get frustrated at the tangled mess and cut it back dramatically. I have it growing with Rosa ‘Viechenblau’ – the “blue” rose, which blooms in a single huge flush in summer. You’ll have to wait for BBD June for pictures but I’ll try and keep everyone apprised of ‘freckles’ throughout the year.
Cheers, Lorene
I love all of these late winter flowers and don’t know how I survived so long without them. How did your talk go?~~Dee