We’ve had a LOT of rain in the past few weeks, with thunderstorms on their way, again, later today and overnight, but we’ve also had some deliciously warm and sunny days. That combination has encouraged spring bulbs and sleeping edibles to explode with fresh foliage and many, finally, flowers. I’m able to join Jim at Garden Ruminations this week with just six (well, maybe seven or eight, depending on how you count…) things from my garden.
First up is the first Muscari to bloom. I’ve found M. latifolium, the broad-leaved grape hyacinth, to be an eager self-seeding rabbit resistant flower. It doesn’t form clumps like the more common M. armeniacum, which is still a few weeks from flowering, but it does spread seed quite joyously. Not obnoxiously, yet at least, but this year in particular, after having planted the original bulbs maybe six years ago, they’re quite abundant. I love the two toned blue of the flower and how the stem itself can get quite tall.
Two more blue flowers, the first Hyacinths now in full bloom, and full scent, as well as the lovely Chionodoxa, called by some Glory of the Snow, although I don’t know why. The snow had melted away at least a week before these started to bloom. They’re starting to spread as well, popping up in unexpected places, and are lasting a bit longer than snowdrops and crocuses which are now, sadly, done for the year.
On to daffodils! The first to bloom in any garden, I think, is the little Narcissus ‘TĆŖte-Ć -tĆŖte.’ A few weeks ago I bought some in pots – they’ll be planted outside somewhere next month, somewhere close to the house I think. They do look good when planted with something blue though…
Just a few days after N. TĆŖte-Ć -tĆŖte began blooming the Jetfires started to open way out back, in a sunny protected area. They’re taller than tĆŖte-Ć -tĆŖte and their larger petals curve back and their corona, the central round tubular thingy part of the flower, have a slight reddish tinge. At least, they used to. Not so much this year, eh?
On to the kitchen garden. Rhubarb is starting to cast its spell, unfurling crinkled and wrinkled ruddy leaves that will soon be huge, weighing down deliciously tart stalks to fill pies and jam jars:
And my garlic raised bed is looking good…in just three months I’ll harvest 50 or so large bulbs, I hope… I’ll leave you with that – have a great weekend everyone!
Nice to see things are finally popping. We share much the same plants. Those Jetfires are robust!
Robust, long lasting and very welcome! The patch shown in this post was planted a good 25 years ago!
I was just wondering when I was going to start making my rhubarb tarts and jam! One more week and I’ll get started.
Great job on the garlic plants: do you manage to keep them well through the winter? That’s the problem here, which is why instead of planting 50, I only plant about 10.
Ha – yes, keeping garlic is the problem for me as well. They’ll last until about the end of February with no issues…after that…not so much. But we use a lot so this crop will be just about right!
Itās really enjoyable & fun to see all that grows. Rhubarb has such a delightful taste. We have Dandelions in bloom, but havenāt seen any Honeybees. Andromeda is blooming and the Bumbles are abundant on it. 4 Hummy feeders went out last week Fridayā¦eagerly awaiting their arrival. Lots of Pansies & Violas are planted. Enjoy your weekend and all that Spring brings.
Thanks Alice – I haven’t seen any bees at all yet here, which is such a pity with all the snowdrops and crocuses that were blooming last week. Lots of small flies though, and I’m sure the first bees will make an appearance in the coming days. Well, maybe not in the coming days, it’s going to get cold again, but in the coming weeks!
That smaller Narcissus is unbelievably cute — and so bright and cheerful. I agree with you that blue and yellow make a fine pairing. I only recently learned that new growth on some plants is red or reddish due to the presence of anthocyanins: pigments that act as a natural sunscreen that protects the new growth from UV radiation, cold, and even herbivores. As foliage matures and develops chlorophyll, the red fades to green. I wonder if that’s true of your rhubarb. When I think about rhubarb leaves I knew as a child, I remember them as green. Possible explanations aside: pie! yum!
That is an interesting fact about foliage pigmentation and possibly true – although rhubarb leaves are poisonous to begin with so I can’t see any animal wanting to eat them. Sun protection, on the other hand, makes sense, since they emerge so early…rhododendrons and a few coniferous shrubs are very prone to early-in-the-year sun scorch here…they must have missed the anthocyanins injection when evolving…or perhaps just a pointed reminder that they’re not meant to grow here!
Fabulous to see spring well and truly arrive with you! The blues and yellows really enhance one another. Beautiful. And tasty š
It is quite fabulous!
I love the bulbs. All of them. What do you do with that much garlic?
Oh My Gosh – this will only last until the end of February, maybe, not only because I don’t have the right storage conditions and the cloves will start to go soft/shrink/sprout by then, if there are any remaining in the pantry, but we go thru about a head a week…so theoretically this harvest SHOULD last most of the year. But it won’t, because what with having friends for dinner and other ‘big’ meals it shall be used up lickety split. (Also need to keep a few of the best to split up and re-plant for next year…)
I have visions of you braiding garlic.
Been there, done that!!
Everything’s looking lovely! I had Chionodoxa for the first time this year and they really do last longer than the other early spring bulbs! A great one to add to the display, as are the Muscari.
The sky blue Chianodoxa really gives a lift to the early spring garden — I think you’ll love it every year!
I use fresh garlic in almost every dinner I cook! Just baked Salmon with a a little avocado oil, minced garlic, little bit of cream cheese, then fresh chives on top when it came out of the oven.
Alice, that sounds divine…and I have the chives already!
Look at all that garlic–yum! And the rhubarb, too! Looks like you’ll have plenty to bake some delicious pies. Enjoy!
Pies, tarts, scones, cookies…and lots cut up into the freezer to use throughout the year!
A lot of bulbs . . . and rhubarb. It is good to see that rhubarb is still being grown. It is actually more popular than I thought it was.
OMG every farm home and may properties larger than a city lot has rhubarb here. Strawberry-rhubarb pies and tarts EVERYWHERE for a few weeks in the spring!
Rhubarb pie is better without the strawberries.
I’m not even going to press the ‘Like’ button for this!!! š
Rhubarb pie is RAD!
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Lovely to see that spring has arrived for you, over this side of the Atlantic the Chionodoxas arrive at almost the same time as the snowdrops so yes, they are the Glory of the Snow if we have snow!
Aha! Good to know and my mind is now at rest – thanks Pauline! It must be lovely to see the blue against white snow!
Lovely Muscari and Narcissi Chris. But I envy you the garlic most! I didn’t have anywhere to plant mine last autumn as the old veg bed had to go to make way for the greenhouse build. We ate our last, small 2024/2025 bulb this evening in fact!
I just had a thought…what if you plant garlic in scattered locations throughout your garden beds this fall…let them come up next year, enjoy the scapes, and then harvest as usual in the summer, placing a marker of some sort where they had been growing. Then, next fall, plant a tulip bulb there…I wonder if there would be a lingering scent of garlic that might deter squirrels/chipmunks… I wonder if I’m thinking about this for my OWN garden!!