Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day & Foliage Follow-Up March 2020: Spring Ahead!

March 2020 Garden

Welcome-Spring is on the Way!

Welcome to Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day and Foliage Follow-Up for the month of March! With the official start of spring just four days away on March 19th at 11:49 PM EST, there is excitement all around the garden as plants awaken from their winters sleep. After a couple of days of cold temperatures in the 40's here in the northeast, the trend now is a stretch of upper 50's, bringing in spring at full speed ahead.

Hellebore 'Merlin'

Over the past couple of weeks Hellebore 'Merlin' has made its appearance known with an abundance of deep pink blooms that mature to a deeper burgundy as they age. 

Hellebore 'Merlin'

Did you know that the flowers of Helleborus really aren't petals at all but rather sepals? That is what accounts for their rather long lifespan.

Hellebore 'Shooting Star'

Here is another variety called 'Shooting Star', which blooms much earlier starting in January. Now going on for three months, it's still blooming!

Perennial Border March

Come around to the perennial border. There are definite signs of spring as the border becomes just a little bit fuller with each passing day.

Hyacinth Buds!

Lilies, Allium and spring bulbs including crocus, hyacinths and daffodils are starting to show their foliage and there are buds on the Hyacinths!

Crocus Blooming!!!

Come look! Almost overnight the purple crocus are in full bloom on the front island bed just in time for Bloom Day! They are ahead of schedule in comparison to previous years.

Pussy Willow Catkins!

One of my favorite sights during late winter and early spring are the soft white catkins on this Weeping Pussy Willow.

Weeping Pussy Willow

Here is a wider view with evergreens Gold Mop Cypress and Blue Star Juniper (lower right).

This is My Tree!

Upon the very top of the Weeping Pussy Willow is the "master of the tree"! Every spring there is a battle among sparrows and house finches for occupancy, as it must be the ultimate of nesting sites.

Golden Skylands Spruce

There must be interest in the garden all year long and these colorful evergreens serve the purpose. Here is Golden Skylands Spruce and Montgomery Blue Globe Spruce.

Blue Globe Montgomery Spruce

I have always admired the ease of maintenance of each of these specimens and their outstanding color keeps its vibrancy throughout every season.

Rosemary Blooming

With the mild temperatures this year, the Rosemary plant located in the herb garden has remained a nice healthy green with flowers during most of the winter.

A Constant Combination

Foliage combinations are an important as well. This ongoing combination of Heuchera (Coral Bells) 'Caramel' and Japanese Golden Sedge is a stable in the garden. The only maintenance required is the removal of any winter damaged leaves once new growth appears. There will be little to remove this spring following the mild winter.

Sedum 'Lemon Twister'(Stonecrop)

Let's venture over to the pool garden. This Sedum 'Lemon Twister' was a new addition just last summer. It develops bright lemon-green variegated foliage and pink blooms, but this is the first time I have seen its new pink foliage in spring.

Allium 'Globemaster' Foliage

Allium 'Globemaster' is showing its foliage. Once started, this plant will rapidly produce tall spikes, followed by blooms in June.

Back Island Bed

In the back garden island bed are Hinoki Cypress 'Compacta' and Mugo Pine, along with Palace Purple Heuchera. There are signs of a few new leaves starting to form on the Heuchera. It won't be long now until they start to flush out.

Magnolia 'Royal Star' Buds

The Magnolia buds are forming and growing larger by the day...and Sedum 'Brilliant rosettes are more prominent!

Sedum 'Brilliant'

Spring growth is always a delight as pink highlights adorn the edges of the newly formed foliage on Sedum 'Brilliant'.

Thanksgiving Cactus STILL Blooming!

While the garden is emerging outside, there are still blooms to enjoy inside. Thanksgiving Cactus has been keeping me happy all winter long. It just keeps on blooming!

Indoor Garden

Last, but not least...here is a first time view of my indoor garden south facing windowsill. It gets the perfect amount of sunlight for Jade and those winter bloomers! The Jade tree is over 30 years old. It was purchased some years ago during a ride out east while visiting one of the greenhouses where they grow them. One could say it has become part of the family!

Thanks for Visiting!

Thank you for visiting and I hope you enjoyed your tour of my March 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 has hosted Foliage Follow-Up for all these years, a meme I will still continue to honor. I am also linking with some other wonderful hosts and hostesses at Floral Friday Fotos, Macro Monday 2, Mosaic Monday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf, Nature Notes at Rambling Woods, Dishing It & Digging It on Sunday with Angie the Freckled Rose, 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 Homestead Blog Hop  and Weekly Photo Link-Up at My Corner of the World on Wednesdays.

Looking for some spring reading?-Visit my Author Page

A Guide to Northeastern Gardening: Journeys of a Garden Designer Zones 3-9

Landscape Design Combinations 

Dream, Garden, Grow!-Musings of a Lifetime Gardener

As Always...Happy Gardening! 😊

Author: Lee@A Guide to Northeastern Gardening,© Copyright 2010-2020. All rights reserved.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day & Foliage Follow-Up March 2019: Signs of Spring!

March 2018 Garden

Welcome to my March garden. With the vernal equinox just five days away, the garden is finally starting to show signs of spring! This has certainly been one of the most unusual winters the northeast has experienced in a long time, with higher than normal temperatures throughout most of the season, followed by periodical blasts of temperatures in the single digits. Our first significant snowfall just occurred eleven days ago on March 4th with approximately 3-4 inches of snow, which you can see lingering in some areas of the garden. For the remainder of the month, the temperatures are supposed to be above normal.

A Silent Snow

To start the tour, in a more sheltered portion of the property sits one of my favorite statues of a young girl and her kitty, an addition to the garden which I will always treasure. In the March garden she is surrounded by the lingering snow.

Hellebore Lenten Rose 'Merlin'

I am finally seeing some Hellebore blooms. The buds failed to open throughout January and February, and a few finally started to open now in March. We never got the snow to insulate the plants and with the periods of severe cold, the buds stayed tightly closed.

Hellebore Lenten Rose 'Shooting Star'

Once the temperatures rebounded, I trimmed off some of the severely winter burned foliage, which helped to spark the blooms. There is such a delicate balance that exists with nature.

Hyacinths Emerging!

The Hyacinths started coming up before the March snow and appear to be well on their way...

Sedum Foliage

and Sedum 'Brilliant' is showing some of its perfectly rounded mounds of rosette foliage.

Birds Preparing for Nests

As spring approaches, the birds have been exceptionally active in the trees on the property, especially near the Weeping Pussy Willow, where they tend to congregate and perch on the upper branches. Nesting season is on  the way!

Pussy Willow Catkins!

One of my favorite first signs of spring are the catkins on the Weeping Pussy Willow, that grow larger by the day, until they explode into little bundles of golden pollen. 

Morning Teatime

Here is the latest addition to the garden. My dear husband saw this while he was out shopping near the end of February, and the moment he saw it, he knew that it had to have a place in our garden. He said it reminded him of the two of us sharing a morning cup of tea/coffee. After 36 years of being married to a gardener, my husband finally gets it!

Oriental Skyland's Spruce and Coral Bark Maple March

Let's venture around to the front gardens. Here is Golden Oriental Skyland's Spruce and Coral Bark Maple 'Sangu Kaku'. Even though we didn't experience the snow that triggers the redness of the bark of the Maple, the cold temperatures did the trick. I always admire how the bark of the tree seems to "glow" alongside the Oriental Spruce. 

Daylilies Emerging!

The Daylilies are emerging! The Daylilies are emerging! This is a sure sign of spring on the way!

Back Perimeter Garden March

The nice part about going through a milder than usual winter is that the evergreens are not showing any signs of bronzing, and I am not out in the garden removing broken branches like we had last year. I am hoping that we don't experience any late season snowstorms like we did at the beginning of last April.

Nellie Stevens Holly Berries

Even the berries on the Nellie Stevens Holly are looking exceptionally plump and bright this year during the month of March.

"Turkey Tail" Bracket Fungi

While walking around the winter garden, I ran into this unusual formation that is growing near an old decaying tree stump in the back corner. It is not something I planted, yet very intriguing. It is known as Turkey Tail Bracket Fungi, named after its structure. I think I'll leave it right where it is!

Structure in the March Garden

The 'Star Magnolia' in the back bed is forming buds for spring. At this time of year I also like to focus on the structure of the tree and the evergreen foliage that surrounds it.

Back Shade Garden

Here is a closer look with a little whimsy thrown in. The Leucothoe axillaris behind the statue wintered very well this year and I just gave the garden statue a new coat of paint, even though it is only in the 40's outside. Do you think someone is just a little anxious for spring?

Garden Gal

Last, but not least in the outdoor garden, is garden gal with her basket of black Mondo grass. Winter comes and goes, and this perennial perseveres. 

Christmas Cacti Round Two!

Moving to the inside blooms, I couldn't resist sharing this Christmas Cactus going through its second bloom. It usually blooms once, but this year I am getting a bonus display for March! Even the Amaryllis which has already bloomed, is getting new leaves coming up out if it. There's nothing but foliage right now, but I am wondering it it will have a second bloom as well. If it happens, I will certainly share!

Phalaehopsis Orchid

Have you ever bought an orchid from a super market? I just did. They were too beautiful and healthy to pass up. Wish me luck!

Phalaehopsis Orchid

Here is a closer view of the beautiful blooms. From what I've read, this particular variety is supposed to be easier to maintain and will bloom longer than other species.

March Garden~Thanks for Visiting

I hope you enjoyed your stroll through my March garden. Please feel free to stay a while and catch up on some past posts and perhaps visit my author page (link below). There's also a tab at the top of the page, called My Gardens, which will take you on an adventure with yearly highlights of each month in the 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 has hosted Foliage Follow-Up for all these years, a meme I will still continue to honor. I am also linking with some other wonderful hosts and hostesses at Floral Friday Fotos, Macro Monday 2, Mosaic Monday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf, Nature Notes at Rambling Woods, Dishing It & Digging It on Sunday with Angie the Freckled Rose, 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 Homestead Blog Hop on Wednesdays.

Visit my Author Page/Purchase My Books

~As Always...Happy Gardening! ~

Author: Lee@A Guide to Northeastern Gardening,© Copyright 2010-2019. All rights reserved.

Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day and Foliage Follow Up March 2015 - Bring on Spring!

March 2015 Garden

This is not your ordinary March.  March came in like a lion with snowfall on the first, followed by winter storm Thor on the fifth.  With more snow storms than I can keep track of totaling 56.6 inches, record low temperatures and snow still embracing the landscape, spring initially seemed to be so far away.  

March 2015 Snowy Garden after Winter Storm Thor

Female Cardinal

March 2015 Garden Thaw

Then…we set the clocks ahead for daylight savings time on the 8^th. It felt like at that moment the landscape started its thaw, with temperatures rising above freezing and into the mid to upper 40’s, as if Mother Nature was saying "Enough already...It’s time!”  For the first time in months the grass was visible again and all that was buried in a blanket of white started to appear.  

March 2015 Garden

Along with the thaw came the wildlife.  A Blue Jay visitor perched on a tree outside the kitchen window and then eight geese landed on our lawn as they were lured in by the only patch of green grass exposed through the snow.  Cardinals, mockingbirds, sparrows and other birds became more visible as they come out of hiding into warmer temperatures to join the juncos.

Blue Jay Visitor

The Canada geese visitors stayed for hours on the property enjoying the only patch of exposed lawn.

Canada Geese 

Determined Squirrel

A very determined squirrel was entertaining as he did yoga stretches trying to get to the feeder for a bite.

March Garden Thaw Heuchera 'Caramel' Reappears

As the snow started to melt perennials reappeared in the garden...

First Sign of Daylilies

and the very first signs of growth from lilies emerged.

Nandina domestica Berries March

First Sign of Hyacinth

The next day the first Hyacinth buds appeared...

Pussy Willow Catkin March

and I was able to get close enough to the Weeping Pussy Willow to see the first real catkins getting ready to open.

Sedum First Spring Rosette Appears

They were followed my Sedum rosettes appearing from the ground.  Each day has been an adventure to see what was going to appear next.

Holly Berries March

Did I mention how much I love spring and all the joy of watching the very first buds sprout from their dormant sleep? I can't wait to see what will appear tomorrow.

Garden Gal Happy!

Spring 2015 Has Arrived!

It was a long wait but spring has finally sprung in my Long Island Garden.  The unbearable snow and cold of winter only made the first arrival of life even more appreciated and I am pleased to share the very first signs of spring with you.  Thank you to Carol at May Dreams Gardens who makes it possible for us to have blooms on the 15th of every month with her meme Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day and Pam at Digging for hosting Foliage Follow-Up.  I am also linking with some other wonderful hosts and hostesses at Creative Country Mom's Tuesday Garden Party, Today's Flowers, Floral Fridays, Mosaic Monday at Lavender Cottage, I Heart Macro, Macro Monday 2, and Nature Notes at Rambling Woods.  I hope you enjoyed the transformation. Happy spring (in just five days) or fall to our southern hemisphere friends.

And As Always...Happy Gardening!

Author: Lee@A Guide to Northeastern Gardening, © Copyright 2015. All rights reserved