Are My Bulbs OK in the Snow???

Crocus tommasinianus in the snow...

People always ask, "Are my bulbs are going to be ok coming up in harsh winter weather?" 

"My tulips are poking up and it is only January! Are they going to be ok?" 

Our Helleborus come to Havenwood

The darkest of our Helleborus orientalis in the Spring Garden.

Weeks after seeing pretty lenten rose blooms in UK gardens, our Pennsylvania garden has finally delivered a few blooms for us as well! Perhaps they are enjoyed more because of the increased anticipation?

These are always some of the most enjoyed spring flowers in our gardens, rising out around Easter time, sun or snow. The do well in sun or shade, wet or dry soils. Also providing semi-evergreen leaves, they are a staple in my garden schemes.

Tulips at Gilmore Gardens

Cherry Corner is full of Tulipa 'Apricot Impression' this May.

Welcome to Garden Blogger's Bloom Day in Pennsylvania!
We are finally in full swing for spring around here and we are absolutely loving it!

While we have been working like crazy on our new gardens at Havenwood, our old garden is blooming away effortlessly this spring. It is amazing to stand back and watch it go... rather like seeing your beloved child run and win a race all by themselves. We did have two spring clean up times this spring, cutting back out sticks, etc. And another nice layer of mulch. But really, it was very little for such a beautiful show...

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day ~ January 2014

Paperwhite narcissus (Narcissus papyraceus) from a lovely friend.

Welcome to chilly Pennsylvania for GBBD!

It has definitely been too cold for outside flowers this winter. Last week it was -8 F (-22 C) in our area, with a windchill of -30 F (-34 C).  Last January, we already had snowdrops up. But each year has its own things to enjoy.

We are blessed to have a few white flowers inside this year to hold us over. And a new home to work on before spring plant begins! Here are a few views from around our new house...

Visit to Chanticleer's Orchard and Bulb Lawn in May

A circular tree bench in the middle of Chanticleer's Orchard garden.

Hi all! We have just arrived home from a whirlwind tour of some of the most beautiful gardens on the US east coast. While we were gone, spring definitely arrived in Pennsylvania; all of my flowers have lept ahead in growth. But before sharing more from our garden, I could not wait to share a few of the highlights from our garden tours in Colonial Williamsburg, George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate, Winterthur, Longwood Gardens and Chanticleer.

A couple of our happiest vacation hours were spent reveling in the beauty of Chanticleer's Orchard and Bulb Lawn on a fine May day. We ate a bite of lunch, let the kids run around on the lawn and drank in the spring scent of thousands of daffodils and crabapple blossoms. I hope these photos help you get lost in the beauty of it all like we did!

Hyacinth and Daffodil Combination

Hyacinthus orientalis 'Aiolos' and Narcissus 'Jenny' combine here with some new blue foliage of ornamental grass Festuca 'Elijah Blue'.

Here is a pretty combination from our Driveway Garden this spring. Hyacinthus orientalis 'Aiolos' and Narcissus 'Jenny' combine to echo each others coloring, cream and yellow. This combo is even better with some blue foliage from Festuca 'Elijah Blue'.

See more of the Driveway Garden on our map.

Cherry Corner Garden in April

Pink Cherry blossom in Cherry Corner today.

Though it has been a bit cold at night, our days have been beautiful this week. And the plants have certainly responded to the weather!

Here are a few photos of our Cherry Corner garden (so called for the weeping cherry tree that is its center piece). I snapped them in the afternoon light sometime between watching the kids ride their bikes on the driveway, an afternoon homeschool session, writing a meal plan for next week, lying down for a wee rest, getting out pancakes to warm for dinner, and going grocery shopping until my mini van overflowed...  because we had no more food and were reduced to eating leftover pancakes for dinner!

The garden is such a reminder to me of the Lord's peace, and a greater Beauty, in the midst of a busy life. I hope it can be a reminder for you today as well.

Gardening in Pennsylvania ~ April 2013 GGBD

Blooms for April along the front of our house at Gilmore Gardens.

Spring seems to have finally arrived here in western Pennsylvania, zone 5. Temperatures will be in the 60's this week (18 C) and the sun is shining.... and I have the sunburn to prove it! oops.

Yellow is the theme color this week with the forsythias and daffodils in full bloom. And our pet bunny, Bella, is enjoying the fresh new dandelion greens that I am pulling out from the lawns and borders. (Hint: Now is the time to get a jump on those weeds!)

Slow Spring, but still Happy Easter!

Narcissus 'Jenny', blue Muscari armenicum, purple Phlox subulata and pink lamium in our Driveway Garden last year at this same time: March 30th, 2012.

This year in our Driveway garden: March 30th, 2013. A bit slower this year!

Tulip 'Persian Pearl', Narcissus 'Tete-e-tete' and Echeveria in a bulb pot last year: March 30, 2012.

The same pot in our garden this week: March 2013.

Tulip 'Ice Stick' and Narcissus 'Tete-e-tete' on our Hill Garden last year: March 30, 2012.

No matter where you are this spring, or what your whether is like, I would like to say Happy Easter to you!

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." ~ Romans 5:6-8

Chanticleer's Bulb Lawn

Viburnum macrocephalum and Tulipa 'Akebona' in Chanticleer's Bulb Meadow.

When you emerge from Chanticleer's Asian Woods, you are greeted by sunshine and a wide swath of grass. But this is no ordinary field. In April and May, it is filled with a succession of colorful bulbs and flowering trees. This is the Bulb Lawn, where tulip, daffodils and bluebells abound.

Chanticleer ~ Gravel & Ruin Gardens

Tulipa 'Rem's Favourite' and white Allium neapolitanum framed by pillar Arborvitae look down on a pergola covered in Wisteria sinensis 'Amethyst' ~ the Gravel Garden at Chanticleer.

We are continuing our tour of Chanticleer gardens in Wayne, PA, USA.  Last April, the Gravel Garden and Ruin gardens were clothed in tulips, alliums, grape hyacinths and daffodils for my visit... And they make me remember why spring is my favorite season!

Tulip 'Persian Pearl', Narcissus 'Tete-a-tete' and purple-tipped Echeveria: A Spring Container Combination

Tulip 'Persian Pearl' and Narcissus 'Tete-a-tete'

Spring bulb container with Tulip 'Persian Pearl', Narcissus 'Tete-a-tete' and purple-tipped Echeveria

Tulip 'Persian Pearl', Narcissus 'Tete-a-tete' and purple-tipped Hens & Chicks (Echeveria)... I love the pointed tulip and hen together.

A sunny combination for our patio that began in March this year and bloomed through the first half of April.

A bit of catch-up posting this week of the flowers that have been flying by in the warm March and April temps. We did get a bit of snow this weekend and a nice chill temperature, so hopefully we can continue to enjoy our tulips! See our other tulips pots here.

Phipps Conservatory Spring Show 2012

2012 Spring Show at Phipps Conservatory

My husband and I had a quick run through at Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh, PA this spring for their Spring Show 2012. You can be sure of being hit by the heavy scent of spring bulbs as you enter the conservatory - a rare treat in most Aprils in Pennsylvania!

Here are a few of the best tulip and hyacinth combinations that I came across. The theme for the spring show this year was around the world. Holland... France... England... oh my.

GBBD April Flowers in Pennsylvania, Zone 5

The Circle Lawn on April 15th, 2012.

 Welcome to GBBD April at Gilmore Gardens in Pennsylvania, Zone 5!

Our garden is still a month ahead of where it normally is in spring.  It looks much more like May from last year than April.  We are located on a corner lot in our little town, so we have lots of passersby with which to share our spring celebration. Our location contains gardens in shade, semi-shade and lots of full sun. See the map of Gilmore Gardens to link these areas together in your mind as you look around.

Tulip 'Ice Stick' in the Hill Garden

Tulip 'Ice Stick' in the sunny Hill Garden. (March 22, 2012)

Tulip 'Ice Stick' is one of the first full-size tulips to bloom in early April.  It is a species tulip that tops out at 10-12 inches tall and is classified as a Kaufmanniana Hybrid, which are known as the Water Lily tulips. They are very hardy (zones 3-8).

Most species tulips perennialize better than more highly bred cultivars, which means that they are tulips that are more likely to return to bloom again next year, maybe even for many years to come. All tulips like a good baking in the summer months, so they are not likely to return in damper areas. Most tulips are native to Turkey and its surrounding countries.

Narcissus 'Tete-a-tete' and Crocus 'Grand Maitre'

Narcissus 'Tete-a-tete' and Crocus 'Grand Maitre' in the Hill Garden.

Spring is moving along at a fast clip this year, with most things blooming a month ahead of time. Here is another simple combination that I do not want to miss sharing.  I am so pleased to have planted this pair in our gardens this year: the little cyclamen daffodil, Narcissus 'Tete-a-tete', and the large purple Crocus vernus 'Grand Maitre'. They were planted in several groups throughout Cherry Corner Garden and the Hill Garden.

Spring Combination: Forsythia and Pachysandra terminalis

Try a Forsythia shrub under-planted with Pachysandra terminalis for a finished looking spring combination.

Some of the best gardening ideas can be found all around the local area where you live. Just look around with the eyes of a curious gardener. Even in the most unlikely places, you may find some wonderful planting ideas. Cosmos in sidewalk crevices... wild asters in the railroad grade... veggie pots on an apartment steps. This combination came from observing my neighbors plantings on the way to dinner one evening.  It is found along our Front Walk and is effective, though incredibly simple.

Narcissus 'Topolino'

Narcissus 'Topolino' in the Front Woodland garden with Crocus 'Spring Beauty'

All of our plantings are ahead of season this year, with the daffodils blooming in mid-March instead of mid-April (see last year). I wanted to be sure not to miss posting on Narcissus 'Topolino', as she is one of my favorites.

Color for the weekend... Narcissus 'Hawera'

Narcissus 'Hawera'

   These are an unusual daffodil variety that bloom very late in the season compared to other daffs. They are just finishing again this year now, in late May (Zone 5). Their bulbs have behaved unpredictably as far as perennializing. Some returned and some have not. They look best in clumps of at least 10 bulbs together. 

   I planted them the first fall that we began Gilmore Gardens (2007) because the triandrus family were recommended by the Lloyd-man himself (in his book Succession Planting for Year-Round Pleasure). Christopher preferred their very slender foliage, which make less of a mess in the garden post-bloom, unlike the large trumpet varieties.  Their miniature,

sunny, dancing blooms never fail to bring inquiry. 

   A bit of daff advice: you will

not hurt them by cutting down their old decaying foliage six weeks after their peak bloom. Hooray for neater gardens!

  ~ Photo taken May 2008 ~

   With "Color for the weekend," I will be delving into the tremendous store of old photo I have from before my writing days to share with you all.  Hopefully they will be an inspiring end to your week!

Shade Path ~ First Week of May 2011

Completing our series for the First Week of May...

A few nice views of our Shade Path, which is really just beginning to fill out with its fluff of forget-me-nots and hosta leaves.  Above is Narcissus 'Thalia' in front of our Anemone blanda 'Blue Shades'.

   Hydrangea petiolaris going up the maple tree... N. 'Thalia' dancing over our un-named Epimedium... Japanese forest grass just coming up in its chartreuse tufts...

The first signs of Cornus florida blooms (left)... And the Dicentra alba also dancing on the wind by the white-streaked hostas (right).

Pretty and fragrant N.'Thalia' surrounded by the sprouts of the perennial yellow foxglove, Digitalis grandiflora.

First blooms of the wood spurge, Euphorbia amygdaloides.

And one of my favorites almost here! Our double, white lilac (Syringa hyb.)

I will be trying to keep up with our current views as a way of journaling through the growing season this year.  Hope you enjoy reading along! Let me know what you like! 

See the whole series for the First Week of May:

Driveway Garden

Hill Garden

Trellis for New Heights

Cherry Corner Garden

Shade Path