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Sunday, January 15, 2012

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.

19 comments:

  1. Never know what mother nature is going to give us. That's some wall of green!

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  2. Oh, so sad. It tried so hard to bring spring to you early, but it failed in its pursuit.

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  3. Poor snowdrop...mine did not even bother to poke any of themselves out of the warmer earth...good thing...2 feet of snow and -6 out today...lovely snowdrop in the snow...Happy GBBD

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  4. How lucky that you were able to catch the brief, but lovely life of your super-early snowdrop. I had narcissi poking thier heads up on January 1 in my south-dentral Connecticut garden, but no bulbs actually blooming. Hope more seasonal weather will slow the early bulb growth.

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  5. Beautiful snowdrop, they aren't happy in my garden although I love them and may try again to grow them. There was none of the expected snow on our visit to the west coast of the US and to the Grand Canyon, I don't know if it arrived there in hte last few days. Anyway, treasure the blooms you have in winter as I do, somehow they are more special. Happy New Year Julie, Christina

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  6. U nas jest drugi dzień śnieg, ale przebiśniegów nie przykrył w ogródku, bo jeszcze nie kwitną. Uwielbiam oglądać te malutkie kwiatuszki wyrastające jakby ze śniegu. Pozdrawiam.
    Here is the second day of snow, but does not overlap snowdrops in the garden, I am not yet in bloom. I love watching those tiny little flowers growing out of the snow though. Yours.

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  7. I've never tried snowdrops here and have no idea how they would do... yours are beautiful and so much fun to see in the snow! Larry

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  8. Lovely snowdrop! The photos are goegeous too.
    Happy GBBD :)

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  9. I love the first shot of the Snowdrop in snow! I planted some for the first time this year, so I'm waiting in anticipation to see the results. They are so magical.

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  10. Dear Julie, I don't have even a snowdrop in my cold, January garden, so I really enjoyed yours. Happy GBBD! P. x

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  11. Snowdrops are such perfect little flowers and don't they look good peeping out from under the snow...

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  12. The same situation at home, without snow...
    this year, it is 15 day early..
    Thank you for your nice blog

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  13. My G. elwesii often bloom as early as November or as late as March. The snow and cold temperatures don't seem to bother them even if they are in full bloom.

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  14. When will we get our normal weather back! Seriously, though, what a lovely bloom :-)

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  15. Julie... I just wanted to let you know that I very much appreciated your comment on my site. I've been going through your archives and your gardens are beautiful... you and your husband's devotion to excellence in gardening is very evident in the posts I've seen from your site! Thanks for visiting my blog... Larry

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  16. I admire your steadfast snowdrop! No snow here, of course, but I look forward to admiring more northern wonderlands when their snow arrives.

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  17. What a sweet little bloom there but soooooooo lonely! My mum lives elsewhere in the UK and she's just told me that the daffodils and camelias are now out in flower!

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