Bit by bit our snow cover is disappearing, bulb tips are starting to poke through the ground in some spots, more and more song birds are making their voices heard – I finally feel confident in saying the coldest part of winter is done with. After all, spring officially starts in just eight days! To prove it, I’m joining Jon (The Propagator) and a legion of other gardeners posting six things in my garden this week. A caveat – these photos were taken midday Thursday, when it was a perfect sunny late winter day. Last night and this morning we’re being blanketed with a few more centimetres of snow. Winter waving us good-bye, perhaps.
I predict a lot of snowdrop photos on this page in the coming weeks. For various reasons, Crocus and other early flowering bulbs don’t do well in my garden, but these are now blooming in front of a west facing wall, where the afternoon sun melts snow and warms soil early in the year. Notice the rabbit pellets (droppings? Poop? Manure?) all over? They spent the winter nibbling away at a nearby Ogon Spirea.
Not far from those snowdrops, I spotted the first tulip leaves to poke up. I’m pleasantly surprised the bulbs escaped the voracious chipmunks last year!
About a metre from the emerging tulips – evidence that my resident chipmunk family seem to have emerged from hibernation… uh oh!
I planted a few new Allium species last fall – this is Allium ‘Summer Drummer’ – I first noticed these starting to emerge during a short January thaw. Thanks to the insulating snow cover we had since then, the only damage seems to be from rabbits nibbling away at the tip.
Also emerging from the snow, in a different garden, is my Sedum trough, where the snow was deeper and will likely remain for a few more weeks.
Finally, we’ll come back inside. I’ll be setting up my grow light thingy this weekend and starting tomatoes and peppers, but until then – I accidentally knocked off a leaf from my Christmas cactus a few weeks ago. I plunked it into the nearest available pot, whch happened to have an Amaryllis in it. Seems to have rooted a bit as I spotted this tiny new leaf on Thursday – it shall be re-potted later this spring.
Chipmunks love to dig up tulip bulbs, generally after blooming, and nibble on other things throughout the year. Rabbits eat anything vaguely tender and above the snowline in winter, then anything green and tasty throughout the year! It’s a journey of discovery when planning and planting!😊
The snow has disappeared for you and spring is coming as you say, you will soon catch up with us! I hope your allium will recover from this opportune nibbling…
Well….as forecast, we woke to 15cm of fresh snow this morning! At least with warmer temperatures at this time of the year it should likely be gone in a week or so!
I had no idea chipmunks would hibernate. I’m envious of that new Christmas cactus leaf, too. I was given a beautiful one as a Christmas gift, and even though it’s remained healthy and green, there’s no evidence yet of new leaves. Of course, it was in full bloom when I got it, so it might be one of those that’s on a somewhat different schedule.
Snowdrops are so cute; they always make me smile, but I’ll bet you smile even more when you finally see them peeking out from the ground.
You have to wait a long time to see your first snowdrops. I hope your garden will soon becoming back to life. I was intrigued to read you have chipmunks. I’m not even sure what they look like.
Hmmmm….chipmunks…think small squirrels, brown with two long white stripes running along its back. Oh, and cheeks bulging with dug up bits of tulip bulbs!😆😆
Oh my! I forgot that this is the last week of winter. Of course, it has not been like winter here for quite a while. We had gotten frost at night though! That was unbelievable while the days were so pleasantly warm. Rain would be nice this spring. Except for a rain shower on January 4 or so, there has been no rain this year, and this is our rainy season. If we get no more this spring, it will not likely rain again until autumn.
I can’t imagine having chipmunks AND rabbits to share my garden with! Mice, voles and hares are our culprits, nibbling at any fresh green and eating bulbs. Great to see signs of life appearing in your garden. Our snowdrops are just over and crocus are out. I wonder how long it will take for your garden to overtake mine this year! My alliums are also coming up now. I had forgotten all about them until I saw the little shoots. 😃
Our deepish snow cover this winter meant rabbits were searching for anything edible, it seems. More protective measures will be called for in the fall…
County Gardening 
Lovely to see snowdrops – they are such pretty flowers and signs of spring.
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After a cold winter they’re such a welcome sight!
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Isn’t it exciting when the first signs of Spring arrive? Do the chipmunks munch your garden flowers?
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Chipmunks love to dig up tulip bulbs, generally after blooming, and nibble on other things throughout the year. Rabbits eat anything vaguely tender and above the snowline in winter, then anything green and tasty throughout the year! It’s a journey of discovery when planning and planting!😊
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The snow has disappeared for you and spring is coming as you say, you will soon catch up with us! I hope your allium will recover from this opportune nibbling…
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Well….as forecast, we woke to 15cm of fresh snow this morning! At least with warmer temperatures at this time of the year it should likely be gone in a week or so!
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😱 a last hug of winter ?!
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Something like that!
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I had no idea chipmunks would hibernate. I’m envious of that new Christmas cactus leaf, too. I was given a beautiful one as a Christmas gift, and even though it’s remained healthy and green, there’s no evidence yet of new leaves. Of course, it was in full bloom when I got it, so it might be one of those that’s on a somewhat different schedule.
Snowdrops are so cute; they always make me smile, but I’ll bet you smile even more when you finally see them peeking out from the ground.
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I do smile when I see them!!!
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You have to wait a long time to see your first snowdrops. I hope your garden will soon becoming back to life. I was intrigued to read you have chipmunks. I’m not even sure what they look like.
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Hmmmm….chipmunks…think small squirrels, brown with two long white stripes running along its back. Oh, and cheeks bulging with dug up bits of tulip bulbs!😆😆
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Oh my! I forgot that this is the last week of winter. Of course, it has not been like winter here for quite a while. We had gotten frost at night though! That was unbelievable while the days were so pleasantly warm. Rain would be nice this spring. Except for a rain shower on January 4 or so, there has been no rain this year, and this is our rainy season. If we get no more this spring, it will not likely rain again until autumn.
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It’s supposed to rain later next week, which will help melt the five inches of snow we got overnight! I’d send some your way if I could!
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California has an unpleasant history of taking water from others already.
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Love the black and white image. Yay for tomatoes and peppers!!
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I’m so looking forward to fresh tomatoes…the grocery store ones right now are pretty horrible!
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I know..I am dreading grocery store tomatoes, March is the last month to plant tomatoes here. I am feeling compelled to plant another batch.
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I can’t imagine having chipmunks AND rabbits to share my garden with! Mice, voles and hares are our culprits, nibbling at any fresh green and eating bulbs. Great to see signs of life appearing in your garden. Our snowdrops are just over and crocus are out. I wonder how long it will take for your garden to overtake mine this year! My alliums are also coming up now. I had forgotten all about them until I saw the little shoots. 😃
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Our deepish snow cover this winter meant rabbits were searching for anything edible, it seems. More protective measures will be called for in the fall…
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