Garden Blogger's Bloom Day ~ January 2012

Snowdrop, Galanthus elwesii, in the snow on December 17th

Welcome to chilly Pennsylvania and my beloved Gilmore Gardens.

Today we have "The Tale of the Snowdrop." It all began before GBBD December. One Galanthus elwesii bloomed unexpectedly in the beginning of December, though they usually bloom in March or even April in our area. It is situated in our Shade Path garden and therefore has a cool, sheltered position which has kept it from deteriorating too quickly.

Just two days after December's bloom day, a light snow fell over the garden but stayed less than a day (see photo above).  For the remainder of that month and the beginning of January, our snowdrop looked perfect in bloom, as though it really was not January at all (see photo below).

Galanthus elwesii just three days ago, January the 12th.

The weather in western PA has been as odd here as everywhere else in the northern hemisphere: snow laying on the ground for less than four days total. Usually we have had a month or even two by now which are thoroughly blanketed with a foot of snow and temps in the 20's or teens (-11 to 0 degrees C).  Our high temperature this month has been 52 degrees F (11 C) with it being 43 F for most of last week. The average high is usually 35 degrees (1.7 C).

But the cold and snow have made a comeback, returning just three days ago. And so today finds our dear little snowdrop under a pile of white. This was easily dusted away for its last portrait (below).

Today on January 15th

Thanks to Carol at May Dreams for hosting GBBD!
Perhaps there will be more snowdrops to show next month? We can always hope.
In the meantime I have been luxuriating in this wall of green.