It's hard to find something new to show when it just snowed again last night (but only about an inch), and I've about exhausted the sunrise pictures.

The pierises have their buds ready to open whenever this winter is finally over.

Pieris 'Little Heath'

At least the new snow is fluffy and clean.

Claire

There's a warm spell coming now and the snow is melting away. I saw the first two snowdrops this morning in a bare spot.

flower bud

foliage only

I'm waiting for the snow to melt away from the crocus locations. That snow has a hard crust so I doubt if any crocus could emerge through it.

My witchhazel 'Arnold Promise' is blooming (I also posted pictures on ginny12's thread).

I haven't been watching my little 'Arnold Promise' which is now in a shady spot surrounded by black cherry seedlings and mature pines. This doesn't seem to bother it - I bushwhacked in this morning and it's blooming! Not a big show but I'll take anything right now. The witchhazel is quietly growing up and may break into sunnier air space this year (or next). It's about six feet tall and rangy.

This is maybe a week later than last year but I'm not sure because I don't know when it started blooming. I actually passed it several times a week or so ago but I was busy clearing up fallen branches and didn't think to look over there.

Claire

We've been on vacation out in the Berkshires. The residents of Russell, MA add colors to the icicles hanging on the rock wall. I'm on my phone so need to post the photos one at a time.

Another view of the colored icicles

That's eerie, pixie_lou, - like a frozen rainbow. Do you have any idea how that practice started?

Claire

The "Scenic Drives in The Berkshires" guide that we picked up in the hotel mentioned the icicles. All it said was that local residents have upheld the tradition started by the paper mills. I have no idea why the paper mills started the tradition. I actually wonder if it was pollution. Since I remember as a kid driving into Fitchburg with my parents and the Nashua River would often be some bright color - pollution from the paper mills. My sister and I would try to guess what color the river would be! It was the highlight of our trips to Fitchburg.

I'm amazed that you have snowdrops. We arrived home today and still have many feet of snow across the yard!

It snowed this morning but the added snow has already melted, leaving the crusty piles in place.

This is where most of my crocuses should be, and daffodils a little later.

Meanwhile, for a short time a miscanthus seedhead stood gracefully in the garden.

Claire

We woke this morning to an unusual combination of snow and fog, though much of the field looks less elegant with a road plowed through the middle along with piles of manure.

Tomorrow I expect just snow until midday, then followed by an unpleasant mix.

nhbabs, even though its probably not what you want to see when you look out your window in mid-March, your field is beautiful. I agree with the poster above who said at least the new snow we got was clean and fluffy - everything not covered still by snow is so brown and dreary, while lots of the snow is gray and even black along the roads, and just yucky and spotted brown elsewhere. Yuck.

I saw my first snowdrops yesterday. Actually, it was kind of odd. I left for work in the morning and glanced over to the area where they are planted, and it was still covered in snow. When I got home in the evening, the almost-50-degree weather melted a LOT of the snow, and there were the snowdrops, in full bloom! I had hoped to see them poking out of thd ground, not in full bloom! What, were they blooming under the snow? Strange.... but, still thrilled to see them, regardless.

Preparing for a bit more snow tomorrow, and hoping it is indeed snow and not ice!

Dee

Claire - I really like the Miscanthus photo.

Nice you had snowdrops, Dee - are they now buried in snow?

Despite the snow today (it was all rain yesterday here) there is evidence that spring is on its way. Here is where the sun was setting on January 10. Note the spruce on the right side of the photo.
{{gwi:326285}}From January 6-11, 2014

And here is the sun setting this evening with the same spruce on the left side of the photo.

Quite a difference, nhbabs, between the mysterious snow and fog photos and the lovely sunsets (that spruce is a great marker). I also have been watching the sun slide sideways, although in my case I see sunrises unobstructed but the sunset is harder to see behind the hills and trees.

It snowed lightly pretty much all morning here but the pavement is warm enough that some of it melted. My snowdrops are the opposite of Dee's - they're buried again in snow. Not too deep, only an inch or two and it was sweepable so the shovels stayed on the porch.

It should be cold enough tonight for the ground to freeze again so it will be a few days before I know if my latest addition of stone to the muddy parking slot worked. I never had a mud problem there before - the wood chips were thick - but I think the wood chips composted themselves and produced soil, which became mud when the ground thawed after this very wet winter.

Claire

My snowdrops are - yay! - uncovered by snow as of yet. We dodged the bullet last night, thank goodness. Sure is awfully cold and windy though, so they are probably wishing they were covered with snow, lol! But at least two more snow episodes forecast for next week, so we'll see.

It's been a long winter and I haven't even had the desire to winter-sow this year (usually well on my way to 200+ containers by now, and haven't started a single one yet) but I'm slowly getting spring fever. Got a few dahlia tubers from a co-worker today, and just looking up on the internet to see what they looked like got me dreaming of spring.

I'll probably shop around for some un-frozen potting soil this weekend and get sowing!

Oh, one other thing I think everyone will get a chuckle out of. Yesterday in my garden I discovered.... my Christmas tree!! What the....? My husband put it out by the curb for the city compost pile the week after Christmas and it was gone - to the compost pile, we thought. Never gave it a second thought till yesterday. I'm pulling out of my driveway very slowly, as usual, it being smack in the middle of a blind curve. I look to the right, look to the left, look to the right again, and hey - what's that? Up the small slope from the street, behind the large spruce, and tucked in behind a row of redtwig dogwoods, is my Christmas tree! It must have either been blown back or even plowed back, and then covered with snow, where it sat hidden till this week, when a few 50-degrees days revealed it's hiding place! Too funny!

:)
Dee

Nhbabs, I always love the photos of your field. It's a spectacular sight in all lights and all weather. We may complain about the length of this winter and the amount of snowfall ... and wish for the flowers to appear ... but Mother Nature has a beautiful look for every season. Your pictures are proof.

Dee, funny that you didn't feel like winter sowing. I also had little interest in preparing for spring by sowing seeds. This winter was so long and there was so much shoveling. It seemed like every other week we were hit with another snowfall to remove. Over the holidays when I was feeling the need for flowers, I bought a beautiful Hellebore at Trader Joe's. Keeping that baby going indoors through this winter with the fireplace and furnace running was effort enough for me. And very, VERy funny that your Christmas tree has stayed behind! Maybe it became a home for little creatures over this long winter? or mulch for the red twigs? You should post a photo of it... "The tree that won't leave home."

As for my yard, it's been too darn windy and cold to go out looking for sprouts. But I'm hoping all the bulbs we planted in the fall will show themselves soon.

Molie

More hope of spring . . . on warm days the stream is flowing on top of the ice. Sooner or later it will be flowing without ice!

I finally saw a crocus today! A tiny yellow one in front of the house, so south side in full sun. Maybe there is hope yet for an end to winter!

{{gwi:5901}}

Yea, Bill! A crocus!
(jealous Molie here)

nhbabs - I just love all your field and stream photos. This one in particular makes me think "over the river and through the woods".

Most of the yard is still covered in snow. In spite of the warm temps this past weekend. The shade garden is under some trees and the snow always melts first. Is this actually a hellebore blossom? Hellebore Grape Galaxy.

The rest of the yard is still snow covered. This area is out behind the pond, near the stream. Ample evidence of the bittersweet vines growing on the other side of the brook.

First snow drops in my yard. I've realized that the rest of them are probably under our ice rink!

This morning greeted us with gray skies and 4" of wet snow which is already sliding off the trees. Enough already! I am hoping that this will be the last set of snow photos for this season. (fingers crossed)

Kousa dogwood, still a bit misshapen from the October 2011 snowstorm when it was in full leaf

Evergreens

View down the field

nhbabs - winter or not, that's a beautiful piece of property. You're fortunate to have so many conifers. I'm sitting here in fog thinking about building a secret garden. Need GREEN so badly. Yesterday, from my window, I spotted little red heads and immediately thought, "YES, the new hellebores are back". Outside, I discovered the red heads were rejected chokeberries lying on the ground. I agree, enough already!

Jane

Beautiful mid-winter snow photos, nhbabs, but it's not supposed to still be mid-winter!

It's a lovely warm spring-like day here today (there, I've probably scared it away). My 'Hopi' crape myrtle which has been been bundled up since January took off its overcoat to start getting reacquainted with the world.

Jan. 3, 2014

Today, March 20, 2014

The underlayer is frost blanket inside a big cardboard box. I'll leave it open for a few days bur I'm suspicious of the weather forecast for next week so the overcoat may go back on for a while.

I've been methodically cleaning up the downed branches from the last heavy wet snow storm, and splicing cracked holly branches. Cable ties and velcro make good splints.

In the "if you've been dealt lemons, make lemonade" category I'm using some of the downed pine branches that landed on my Carefree Beauty rose to make a framework for the rose to flop on, assuming it grows new canes. I had to cut out a lot of the old broken canes. It looks a little strange now but I'm ready to say, "No, that's not a pile of branches, that's a very rustic rose fence".

Claire

This post was edited by claire on Thu, Mar 20, 14 at 16:18

I started to remove the old blackened foliage of the Hellebores today. Here's what was underneath.

Steve

Claire - I Velcro'd (is that a verb?) my Harry Lauter Walking Stick/Demented Witch Hazel tree (Corylus avellana 'Contorta' ) when it split at the crown 3-4 years ago. I don't recall how it split--most likely due to storm damage of some sort--but I grabbed the Velcro tape, wrapped it 'round the split & when I checked last growing season it had completely healed itself, altho' it did leave a slight scar.

I don't have a picture but the link below will show you what the tree looks like if you aren't familiar with it. My son & his wife gave me the tree for Mother's Day shortly after I moved here. It's more than quadrupled in size since I planted it. It's definitely... ah, "different."

I'm told that in England it's commonly referred to as Demented Witch Hazel.

Here is a link that might be useful: Images of Harry Lauter Walking Stick tree

First crocus!

Steve: That sure looks like healthy new growth on your hellebores, and flowers!

gardenweed: I love that name Demented Witch Hazel. I'm familiar with the plant - I gave one to my sister-in-law who loves it. I mostly use cable ties as a splint and velcro to make a sling to hold the branch steady, but it's good to know that velcro works by itself. Did you have to take it off later or did it just fall off by itself? I'm expecting to go back and cut the cable ties next fall (if I remember).

Bill and pixie-lou have crocuses! Congratulations! Maybe yellow crocuses bloom earlier? I just have purple and white.

Claire

Love the photos! Thank you!

Hubby says snow expected Tuesday. Not happy!

~ Hilda

Steve and Pixie Louâ¦very encouraging! Glad you have life showing up! I saw a few white crocus open yesterday at the base of a shrub.

Weather forecast not very encouraging. Another week ahead of below normal temps. I wonder what April will bring.

Just in time for another arctic blast tomorrow night, to be followed by a likely snow storm:

First crocuses! These are both tomassinianus cultivars that aren't bothered by squirrels (so far).

Since I mentioned splinting my hollies, I thought I'd follow up with a few pictures.

I moved this little Ilex m. 'Blue Maid' last year to get it away from an overbearing rose, and then a huge pine branch fell on it during the last big snow storm. It was cracked at the base but not severed so I pulled out the cable ties and a plant support (not shown).

The same storm dropped branches on my two Ilex opaca 'Goldies' and I splinted cracked branches on both of them using cable ties to hold the branch together and velcro to make slings. I think they all have a chance to heal. I used the same technique a few years ago on a blueberry that a utility guy mangled and it's fine now.

Claire

This post was edited by claire on Sun, Mar 30, 14 at 11:48

Thanks, Claire. Those photos will be an idea to tuck away for future splinting needs.

And it is lovely to see photos of bare ground, snowdrops, crocus, and emerging hellebores, particularly since we had about an hour of heavy wet snow today and still have pretty close to full snow cover here. It looks like we may get snow Tuesday night into Wednesday as well. Eventually the ground will reemerge.

nhbabs: Here on the southeast MA coast bare ground doesn't necessarily mean spring. Most winters we get little snow cover - this year is an anomaly. The high March sun is real though, and we have turned the corner into spring.

Spring will be slow though with the ocean acting as a drag on the temperature - you'll probably forge ahead of us once it finally warms up for you.

Claire

We had a gorgeous sunset Monday evening.

Glad to see all your crocuses Claire. I've only had that one yellow one bloom in the yard. Though I do see some foliage in the gardens.

The maple trees are starting to put out buds.

Lovely sunset pixie_lou, and it's so nice to see maple buds. My crocuses are buried in snow right now.

View from my kitchen window this morning:

And the tool shed is out there somewhere:

Claire

The garden is slowly emerging from the snow, but it is pretty homely at this time of year, with just a little bit of green, and a lot of dirty snow and dead stalks that I didn't get cleared out last fall.

By the front of the house

The large perennial bed along the old barn foundation

The big bed at the shop

I look at the vole tracks in the melting snow and cringe when I think of the damage they must have done, but I can't see enough to know yet.

The stream is in full flood from the rain (all our recent storms have been rain, even when MA residents got snow.)

I know that this messy stage will only last a week or two, and I am enjoying the daytime temperatures in the 50's.

nhbabs: So nice to see the snow slinking away, even though it was beautiful for months. There's so much hope in the glimpses of bare ground and tentative greening. I'm looking forward to the new growth that will leap out of that muddy morass.

Claire

From just this past Sunday. This is the first bloom of the year for me and it's something I've never seen before in my yard. Funny how something pops up like that. Is it a snowdrop? From the angle of the photo, you can't tell, but it's very short/close to the ground.

Looks like a Crocus Pickwick.

Definitely a crocus, not a snowdrop. Pretty thing.

Claire

Yep. A crocus.

Just a reminder that the April thread is now open so posting should be done there.

Here is a link that might be useful: April Thread