Spring Blues

March Ramblings

We have had an early spring here in upstate New York.  For the past week the temperatures have been in the sixties during the day.  I have gotten ahead on garden cleanup and started screening compost. Snowdrops and a few hellebores have been blooming for awhile and. the first Iris retculata opened today.(11days earlier than last year). 

Field Trip

Yesterday my wife and I took a ride over to Smith College in North Hampton Massachusetts to visit the Lyman Conservatory. The conservatory is over 100 years old and has a wonderful collection of plants from around the world.  In March the conservatory puts on a Spring bulb show for the public. We got there early so the crowds weren't to bad.  The great thing about this show is that the pots are labeled and displayed at eye level for easy viewing.  It is hard to pick a favorite but the fritillarias and species tulips were on top of my lists.

Return to Winter

February is going out with a bang.  All month it has been mild and little snow has fallen. The last  week of this month is making up for it with three storms. Today we got around ten inches with more on the way tomorrow.The snow was very wet and damaged a few shrubs which will have to be cut back.  There were snowdrops up in the front garden but they are now covered with snow.  Speaking of bulbs I found a great source for unusual bulbs called Odyssey Bulbs in Massachusetts that specializes in minor bulbs such as corydalis and fritillaria. I also have snowdrops' in the green' coming in April from The Temple Nursery in Trumansburg New York.  This small nursery grows a nice selection of  these wonderful bulbs.

Yesterday I went to the Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge Massachucetts to hear a lecture on Epimediums. I was glad to see  the talk attracted a good crowd.  The presenter was Karen Perkins of Garden Vision Epimediiums a nursery specializing in these wonderful plants.  The program was both informative and inspiring.  Not only did the talk cover many species and hybrids but also Darrell Probst 's (founder of Garden Vision) trips to China to study and collect new species.  Unfortunately, epimediums are used for medicinal purposes in China and are harvested in large quantities.  One of the goals at Garden Vision Epimediums is to act as a repository for these plants in case they are wiped out in the wild.

  I fell in love with epimediums a long time ago but only began to seriously collect them in the past five years. Once established they are one of the easiest plants to grow and combine beautifully with hellebores and spring bulbs. The best place to find epimediums are mail order nurseries such as Garden Vision , Plant Delight Nursery, and Asiatica.

January Ramblings

Compared to most of the country our winter in upstate New York has not been too bad.  The garden has enough snow cover for protection and the coldest temperature has been 8 below zero.  One can't help but feel bad for gardeners down South.  The catalogs have been arriving by mail or internet and I have started my Spring orders. I am  ordering mostly shade plants from Asiatica, Plants Delight, and Seneca Hill Perennials.  It is hard not to get carried away especially when ordering online.

Almost Christmas

It has been cold here this past week: 2 degrees below 0 this morning.  The snowstorm hitting the East coast is going to miss us. There is enough snow cover to protect most of the garden.   A few seed catalogs have arrived but I won't get serious about them till after Christmas.  Happy Holidays to everyone.