I have been planning to start greens in some clear plastic boxes I have. Maybe this afternoon.

If it weren't so cold out today, I'd post a photo of a very pretty row of walking onions that have greened up and grown in the week since I trimmed them up. Way too many for us to use, too bad we didn't live closer. [g]. Maybe tomorrow I'll get a photo

Just came in from pruning a small patch of climbing roses/honeysuckle on a small section of fence. Every spring it's a mess to figure out, now that's done. Time for some hot cocoa. :-)

Jane, do you have a shed or a potting table that you work from? I find I avoid some tasks that seem like too much trouble, because I have to find where all the supplies are and then find a place to work.

Babs, wow you have a lot of snow left!! That's more than we had all winter...lol. We had about 2 inches of snow on Monday and Tuesday it was warm and it all melted.

No snow here, it's just chilly and cloudy but there are a few hopeful things to look at.

Hellebore 'Gold Finch' with geranium leaves:

Pieris 'Karenoma' in bloom:

Narcissus 'Rijnveld's Early Sensation' in full bloom:

Narcissus 'Toby the First' getting ready to bloom:

Crocuses have been blooming for weeks but are refusing to open today because of the cold/dark:

Sedum rosettes:

Dicentra 'Gold Heart' is beginning to sprout:

Snowdrops are fading away but this clump was still blooming a few days ago:

I'll try to get pictures of the crocuses when they decide to open again.

Claire

Claire, The blossoms on your 'Gold Finch' Hellebore are so big. And how can you possibly have dicentra coming up already? It will be weeks before I expect to see ours. Your snow drops still look very good and they are nice there with the variegated foliage. What is that? 'Early Sensation' is one of my favorites, but mine didn't come back well. I think I might have one plant left. Very pretty!

PM2: I was surprised to see the dicentra too. It may have started sprouting when we had those warm days and now it's just sitting there disgusted. It's in a relatively sheltered and sunny spot.

The variegated foliage is one of the euonymus fortunei cultivars, probably Emerald Gaiety. I think the snowdrop planted itself there. I also have some little white dicentras that will come up through the euonymus later. I think I planted the dicentras first and the euonymus moved over to them, as it does. It's fine with me so long as it doesn't overpower them.

Claire

Definitely looks like spring at your house, Claire. Glad the winter is over!

The sun is out here and I managed to get a few photos....

Walking onions...

Viola 'Queen Charlotte' Fragrant

My bloodroot is acting strangely...the flowers are about 1/4 of the size they usually are. Do they start small and get larger once they are open or are they just smaller this year?

Wow! Your gardens are so much farther along than mine.

I have two clumps of crocus that have escaped the voles, one in gravel, and one planted in the same hole as a clematis and surrounded by wire mesh.

I love these crocus. Mine really seed around. I lost a lot of crocus around my yard, but in one bed full of vinca under a Maple, they never seem to disappear at all. And they reseeded in a bed across the driveway and every year I find more and more of them there.

Very pretty!

Pretty flowers, PM2 and NHBabs! PM2 said " 'Early Sensation' is one of my favorites, but mine didn't come back well." I thought about it and realized that I've planted way more 'Early Sensation' over the years than have come back. I keep planting them every year because they're pretty and very early, but they don't naturalize well.

It's going to rain tonight and I expect my daffodils to get smashed down so I thought I'd post a few pictures. 'Toby the First' is very reliable and early too, blooming near the pierises. The fence is there to make it harder for the barn cat to stalk the blue jays who get peanuts in that area just to the right.

N. 'Toby the First'

Pieris 'Karenoma'

I finally took off the outer protection from some shrubs so they can get some sun. They still have frost quilt-type fabric to protect them from lower temperatures.

Claire

Claire, Very smart, I should have taken more photos of the daffs before the rain we are expecting today. Mine are really just opening up. I hadn't heard of 'Karenoma' and it's nice. I like the long cup. And they are nice and erect. 'Toby the First' is a cute name.

I have tried to buy bulbs known for naturalizing, but my soil is on the heavy side which I imagine doesn't help. I have 'Flower Record' and 'Ice Follies' both are said to be good naturalizes and for me, they do always come back and sometimes in larger patches, but what I've found in the past 5 years, is that when I have dug up spots that I wanted to move to another location, that there are a lot of bulbs and I have had the opportunity to increase the amount in the garden, by dividing and potting them up in the spring right after bloom and then planting them in a new spot in the fall.

I have had disappointments, because my expectation is that once planted, the bulbs are going to expand in size and number of blooms, similar to a perennial, so that by year 3, I'd expect them to have a footprint 3x larger than the first year of bloom. I have a couple of spots that seem to be the same size with no more blooms than the 1st year, which surprises me. I plan on doing more digging and moving this spring and fall and order more bulbs in the fall as well.

I've also decided to buy late blooming daffodils over the very early ones, just because of the variability in the weather. I just hate seeing them come up and bloom and then get hit by cold weather or snow and then look awful the rest of the season. Along the lines of how I feel about Peonies, when it rains the first few days after the blossoms open. [g]

April 10 Update

Moved to the April thread.

Claire

Is there an April thread already started that I'm not seeing?

No, Deanna. I have been sick and forgot. Finally I am feeling a bit better so I will add now.

I appreciate the gentle nudge, but if at any point I forget and you want to add it, feel free to do so.

Very glad to hear you're well! I wondered if you had power issues where you are, as we have recently...and should have again tomorrow when the 55 mph gusts hit. >:-[ Will start the post in the future if needed.

Sorry you were sick, NHBabs, but I'm really glad you're feeling better now. Let Spring heal you!

Claire

Deanna, I haven’t had power issues, and happily my house now has a generator that kicks on automatically when the power goes out, thanks to my DH who knew that after he was gone I would not be able to hook up the portable one we used for years. Heck, I can barely move the thing! So I will have heat and water and lights if the power goes out, thanks to Scott’s forethought.

How are you with power today? I heard that much of Maine lost power, particulately frustrating when it is cold and we all need to stay home.

Good luck to everyone with tomorrow’s wild weather, but most particularly those of you along the coast.

I do find myself wondering about folks who aren’t gardeners during this time of needing to stay close to home. My garden is a bright spot, regardless of how messy and out of control as it is

What kind preparation on Scott's part. I know you miss him terribly. We did lose power until yesterday, but it was turned on faster than expected, which was a nice surprise! Tomorrow will be an experience, no doubt! When winds that strong come from the south, the house feels like Dorothy's as it's sucked up in the twister!

Yes, the garden is a bright spot. I am glad spring is early this year (so far)! I'm sure the beauty of your general area has its own healing benefits, NHBabs. Remembering so many beautiful areas you've shared in your past photos!