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| Welcome March! |
Spring is arriving and it is an exciting time of year here in the northeast! I invite you to join me on a tour of my zone 7a Long Island garden for another Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day and Foliage Follow-Up, the day of the month in which we all walk out into our gardens to see what surprises await. This has been one of the most unusual winters I can remember, with temperatures in the 60's in February, followed by our first and only accumulating snow of just two inches on February 28th, to a calm start to March with daytime temperatures fluctuating from the mid to upper 50's to the 40's and back again. To add a little excitement, a nor'easter with large sprawling snowflakes and enough snowfall to cover the garden came to us on the 14th, which was Mother Nature's way of saying, "I'm not done yet!" Even with the unpredictable weather, every day continues to bring new foliage, buds and blooms! Let's start the tour!
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| Crocus vernus ‘Flower Record’ |
The first stop is at the front garden berm where my favorite cluster of crocus in the garden grows, displaying a deeper purple bloom when compared to others. This variety is known as 'Flower Record' and it continues to thrive after many years.
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| Crocus vernus 'Remembrance |
In the back perennial border are Crocus vernus 'Remembrance' with their pretty lighter purple blooms to bring in spring!
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| Hellebore 'Champion' |
The various varieties of Hellebore have been blooming since the beginning of January. This variety is Helleborus 'Champion', which blooms from February through March and possibly into April.
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| Allium 'Globemaster' Coming up! |
The Allium bulbs in the pool surround are coming up much earlier this year. This one is 'Globemaster', which will display large purple blooms in June, so keep on the look out!
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| Sedum Rosettes |
Sedum 'Brilliant' is a wonderful plant even for its foliage, which emerges as mini rosettes in late winter-early spring. Deep pink blooms will appear in late summer.
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| Weeping Pussy Willow (Salix caprea 'Pendula') |
A sure sign of spring are the fluffy white catkins on Weeping Pussy Willow. FUN FACT: Pussy Willow are dioecious, meaning they are either male or female. Male plants have larger catkins that open to expose longer filaments and more yellow looking flowers, while female plants have smaller, thicker catkins with greenish flowers.
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| Shade Garden! |
Venturing over to the shade area, here is Magnolia 'Royal Star' with a backdrop of Leucothoe 'Axillaris' and Golden Sweet Flag. The moss and lichens on the tree are much more prominent this year with the mild winter and will slowly disappear as the weather warms.
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| Happy Visitors! |
In this same garden, the bird visitors keep me busy filling up the feeder on a regular basis, as they are loving their new seed mixture containing and assortment of seeds and nuts for some culinary delight!
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| Nandina 'Obsession' |
Moving along to the back foundation garden is a combination of Dwarf Cryptomeria and Nandina 'Obsession'. The foliage of this dwarf form of Nandina has been a vibrant orangey-red all winter.
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| Rhododendron Buds! |
Back in the pool surround is Rhododendron 'Elegans', as it prepares for its early spring bloom!
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| Black Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon planiscapus) |
Here is Black Mondo Grass in a planter in the back perennial-patio border. Mondo Grass remains evergreen all winter and in early spring I remove any damaged foliage to allow for new growth. |
| Pieris 'Cavatine' Buds! |
In the back raised island bed, Pieris 'Cavatine' is getting ready to show off its beautiful white bell-shaped blooms in early spring, while the structure and foliage of Weeping White Pine keep the garden going all year long.  |
| Weeping White Pine and Golden Japanese Sedge in Pool Garden |
The Golden Sedge seems to have taken a beating this year with the fluctuating temperatures, but should pop back up in spring. Once the temperatures warm up, I will remove any damaged foliage so that new foliage can emerge. HELPFUL TIP: Golden Japanese Sedge remains evergreen in zones 6-9 and does not get cut back, except for the removal of winter damaged foliage. |
| Daylilies Emerging! |
Another early arrival this year is Hemerocallis (or Daylily). Along the back patio, you can already see clumps of green foliage emerging above the ground!
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| Front Lawn |
As we come to the end of our stroll, here is a March view the front lawn with Blue Atlas Cedar, and a glimpse of the front walkway. This is perhaps the last glance of the bright red bark of Coral Bark Maple before its foliage arrives.
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| Front Walkway |
As outdoor blooms become more widespread, new blooms continue in the indoor garden.
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| Indoor Garden: Thanksgiving Cactus Still Blooming! |
The Thanksgiving Cactus has continued to bloom throughout winter and into spring, putting on quite a show... |
| Indoor Garden: Echeveria Blooming! |
and the succulents are blooming too! Here is Echeveria with its orange bell-shaped flowers. |
| Indoor Garden: More Succulent Blooms! |
The new planter I created over the winter with a combination of succulents is thriving in the bright west facing window and it is fun to watch flower stalks appear, followed by delicate white blooms!
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| Thanks for Visiting! |
I hope you enjoyed your visit to my March garden and as always, I look forward to your comments and seeing what you have growing in your garden! Special thanks go out to our hostess Carol at May Dreams Gardens, who makes it possible to see blooms on the 15th of every month with her meme
Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. Also, special thanks to Pam Penick at Digging who had hosted Foliage Follow-Up, a meme I will continue to honor. I am also linking with some other wonderful hosts and hostesses at
Floral Friday Fotos,
Friday Bliss at Floral Passions,
Macro Monday 2, Mosaic Monday at
Letting Go of the Bay Leaf, Nature Notes at
Rambling Woods,
Image-in-ing weekly photo share every Tuesday with NC Sue and Gardens Galore Link Up Party every other Monday with
Everyday Living. I am also happy to join the Weekly Photo Link-Up at
My Corner of the World on Wednesdays and Garden Affair at
Jaipur Garden. Wishing all a wonderful 2023 planting season with gardens that thrive!
IN THE NEWS: It's that time of year for the Great Grow Along Virtual Garden Festival running from March 10th to the 19th. You can still register for an abundance of gardening workshops and tours. Search for “The Great Grow Along Virtual Garden Festival” to register for this free conference. Gardens make the world a better place!
Visit my Author Page & Books!
"As Always...Happy Gardening!"
Author: Lee @A Guide to Northeastern Gardening, © Copyright 2010-2023. All rights reserved.
Lots of beauty in your garden!
ReplyDeleteI love the contrast between the orange of the Nandina and the dark green tree behind it!
Happy Bloom Day!
Thank you Lea! It is so wonderful to see your Pear tree and Spirea blooms! Your garden is starting to wake up! Happy Bloom Day!
DeleteYou have been riding a weather roller coaster, Lee! I adore Crocus but they're not inclined to come back here. I was surprised to learn that the foliage I so admired in your header was an Allium. I've had very limited success with Alliums in general, especially those with large flowers, but it'd be worth it to me even to see the foliage of 'Globemaster' so maybe I'll give it a try.
ReplyDeleteIt has been a rollercoaster, but spring is almost here! I enjoyed the visit to your garden. It’s like walking through a botanical garden every time. That Grevillea 'Superb’ is gorgeous, as well as everything else!
DeleteIt was an unexpected treat to run onto the pussy willow buds as I scrolled through your post. They've always been favorites of mine, though they certainly don't belong in my dry-country garden! I hope the winds and snow cover are kind to your garden and allow everything to return to springtime quickly!
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting Amy! The snow covering was melted within a day and spring is back on its way! The Pussy Willows are one of the first things to bud out here in zone 7a.
DeleteYay, your garden is waking up! We've had another cold snap, but it won't be long now as spring bloomers are poking out of the snow and the long-term forecast is good. Happy spring!
ReplyDeleteHappy spring Beth! Your tour of the San Antonio Botanical Garden was wonderful!
DeleteI always love visiting your garden and seeing the seasonal changes. It's just so beautiful. I hope you didn't get too much snow from the storm.
ReplyDeleteAww…thank you Carol! The snow was just a dusting and disappeared immediately. Now, bring on spring!
DeleteBravo!!! Fantastic photos and shadow shots.
ReplyDeleteMuch❤love
Thank you Gillena! Glad you enjoyed!
DeleteWhat wonderful signs of spring!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your link at My Corner of the World this week!
Thank you for hosting Betty, and it is always a pleasure visiting you!
DeleteIsn't it thrilling to see springtime come to life?! We've had a lovely start but sadly we're expecting frost tonight!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing at http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2023/03/i-wish-i-was-there.html
Thank you for hosting Sue! Yes...just when we had a few nicer days, we also had freezing temperatures last night, but spring arrives later today with warm temperatures tomorrow! We're getting there!
DeleteIt's nice to see the early blooms there and new growth. You would love gardening in Florida. The Amaryllis is blooming in the flower beds right now. Lovely photos for your post! Happy first day of Spring!
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting and happy Spring! I can imagine everything you have coming up in your garden in Florida! We can only grow Amaryllis indoors here!
DeleteI love the fruit of a gardener's toil but I have never felt led to join in!! Beautiful blooms, flowers, and other fruits!!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! Gardening can be very therapeutic and is good for the soul! I am glad you enjoyed the views!
DeleteJust magnificent!! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting! I am glad you enjoyed the tour!
DeleteOnce again I missed doing my own GGBD post on the 15th as mid-month deadlines are insane! So I am enjoying reading yours and it reminds me that I need to add Pussy Willows to my own home garden (if I can find the space!).
ReplyDeleteThere's always space for new plants. If not...we make some!!! Happy Spring!
DeleteYour garden is a paradise for plant lovers , What beautiful crocus blooms and thanks giving cactus. Thanks for sharing with Garden Affair.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words Arun and thank you for hosting!
DeleteI share your enthusiasm of spring awakening, here in south Nh we had a very mild winter, and the trees started budding in February which is a first. Wonderful photos!
ReplyDeleteIt has been such a unusually mild winter here as well, with many plants starting to bloom about two weeks early. I am glad you enjoyed the views!
DeleteI love how beautifully your plants blend with your garden sculptures, Lee. I see spring is the queen of the garden, such bright colors are there. I really like your photos of dark blue crocuses, they grow like a colored fence in a flower bed.
ReplyDeleteAww... thank you Nadezda. I enjoyed your post with the beautiful paintings, especially the one of the roses. Happy Spring to you!
DeleteI’m in zone 6a in central Ohio, but it has been an odd winter here too. We had three days of bitter cold right at Christmas, no measurable snow in February, and a few light snows in March. But now spring is moving slowly. My crocus is past, and daffodils fading. Tulips and alliums are starting to pop up, and hellebores look good. Sure enjoyed my walk through your garden!
ReplyDeleteSo happy you enjoyed the stroll! Your Daffodils and Crocus are beautiful and so are the Hellebores! The baby ducklings are adorable too!
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