Home to spring

We came back down the Blue Ridge escarpment from the mountains today to spring in full flower. 

It's happening in the mountains, to be sure.  The daffodils, cherry trees, hyacinths, forsythia, and narcissus are in full bloom there, with tulips just emerging.

Dogwood, sassafras, and butterfly bush (with white pine in back)

But at home in the Piedmont, spring has exploded.  Oaks are in flower now (snuffle), dogwoods are getting close to being at peak, redbuds are in flower, leaves have expanded, etc., etc.

Signs of spring

The Iris cristata foliage is up, buds of the hickories, oaks, and blueberry relatives are swollen, and the songs of birds are louder than ever in the morning.  Spring is progressing. 

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), Spring, 2010

The bloodroot plants along the front walk are flowering, although there's still no competition to last year's flowering (above).

It's still early, though, and a few years ago, we experienced a significant late April 8 (Easter that year) freeze.  It caused a lot of freeze damage, even to native plants, as it was a hard freeze, much later than usual.

But this has been a year for enjoying the non-native Magnolia stellata and M. acuminata flowers, following a long warm February.

Erratic weather is something that is predicted to become more common, as the climate changes.  It's worrisome, to be sure.

Spring

In some years, spring creeps in slowly and gradually, marked by an orderly progression of early flowering bulbs, Asian Prunus and Magnolia, followed by our native woodland wildflowers accompanied by native wind-pollinated maples, alders, and birches. More Asian species flower (quince, forsythia, winter jasmine...) and then our native forest trees release their pollen (achoo!) -- the oaks and hickories, in particular. Cedars and pines, although heavy pollen producers, aren't actually as allergenic as some of the other wind-pollinated species, I think because their pollen is larger, just like the pollen of insect and animal-pollinated flowers.

This year, however, spring is blasting in. Every day brings new evidence of buds swelling, shoots emerging, and flowers opening. The long cold winter has delayed progress of many herbaceous perennials, but they're emerging now.

And the overwintered greens -- kale, mustard, arugula, and spinach- after all the cold, they're primed to bolt, flower and produce seed pronto. Not in this year will they stay vegetative over a long cool spring. And the peas I sowed (optimistically some time ago) are finally emerging, too, to experience ??? hot weather, cool weather, rainy weather, or dry weather.

Gardening is fun because it's so unpredictable, I guess!

Emerging spring shoots

Lots of plants are expanding shoots, and showing plumped-up buds. Spring is definitely on its way.

This creeping jenny plant, in a very shallow terracotta dish, looked like a goner after going through our harsh (for us) winter. But here are new shoots emerging. Fabulous.

Signs of spring

There are unmistakable signs of spring now, in spite of the cold weather predicted to come. The star magnolia (Magnolia stellata) near the Nature Center at the Garden is showing a hint of white petals; the Edgeworthia crysantha (paperbush) in front of the building is finally starting to be fragrant, with a few expanded flowers. And, the crocus, snowdrops, and Japanese apricots are in full flower.

At home, blueberry flower buds have noticeably expanded beyond their earlier size, and the winter honeysuckle continues to bloom.

Red maple fruits fuzz the branches with red and the early alder, cedar, and birch pollen is bothering pollen-sensitive folks - snuffle, snuffle, or achoo-achoo!

Signs of spring (to come)

Even though winter is still firmly here, the signs of spring are evident in swelling flower buds (blueberries, quince, etc), extended shoots (coral honeysuckle and Carolina jessamine), and the reliably open flowers of mid-winter in our part of the world: Lonicera fragrantissima (Winter honeysuckle) and Prunus mume (Japanese apricot). There are actually some open flowers of Carolina jessamine (a native species) on the front porch!

The usually stalwart camellias are slowly showing expanding buds and open flowers, but probably many experienced damage from the exceptional cold of a few weeks back. The red-flowered Professor Sargent in front of the house is just beginning to show some color.

A cold winter and clear winter air reminds me that winter is still here, but the bright light of mid-day and signs of spring to come from flora and fauna are encouraging.