Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, March 2012

March Bloom Day already! Well, almost, I'm posting this a little early because I don't want to miss it.

The weather has been incredible, and the spring garden season is well underway, even here on Cape Cod, where we're normally several weeks behind the rest of New England. I do believe this is the first time I've seen daffodils before the middle of March - they can be pests in a mixed bed, but nothing beats them for cheerfulness at this time of year.



One of the most underused spring bloomers is the dainty (and hard to photograph) Cornus mas, a lovely small tree that does well in part shade. This one's got chartreuse foliage, and needs more sun than most. It's in a hot dry location, and has put up with less than perfect conditions pretty well. I love the tiny flowers, that usually open in late March.



Winter heath has been wonderful this year - the color gets more intense every day especially on the deep pinks:



This has been a great year for hellebores, too. Not only have they performed well, everyone's buzzing about them. Here's an old stand-by, a simple hybrid (aka Helleborus orientalis)




Also in bloom in my garden now: snowdrops, Hamamelis x intermedia 'Diane' and 'Arnold Promise', Viburnum x bodnantense 'Dawn', Helleborus (foetidus, x hybridus and niger), lots of crocus, Jasminum nudiflorum and winter aconite (both should be winding down now), and the lovely thug, Lonicera fragrantissima - winter honeysuckle. Nandina domestica kept its leaves this winter, and the berries are still stunning. A more complete series of photos of my garden from this winter is on my Picasa Web album:

Winter20112012

Also, check out the rest of the Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day posts on the May Dreams Blog!

You Can Grow That! Blog Campaign

Cape Cod's own C.L. Fornari posted on the Garden Rant blog in February, calling for a new monthly bloggers project called You Can Grow That!

These posts will occur on the forth of each month - details of how they'll be linked are still being worked out. I can't promise that I'll be reliable, but there should be lots of great articles every month, from all over the country - maybe beyond.


Here's what C.L. said (slightly abridged) in the announcement:

"I invite you all to post a You Can Grow That! every month on the 4th. It can be about a specific plant, garden, or benefit gained from gardening. Just start with a question that can be answered by You Can Grow That! Flowers in winter? You Can Grow That!; Bouquets for the office? You Can Grow That!; A connection with nature? You Can Grow That!; A tomato with taste? You Can Grow That!. You get the idea."

If you're on facebook, check out the Garden Bloggers You Can Grow That! Day group.

I think maybe I'll start next month, with "Need front yard privacy? You can grow that!" - that's my streetside garden in the photo.