Primordia Rules – except at the garden center.

Our state flower of Massachusetts – the Mayflower, Epigaea repens , is in bloom late this year, as it usually blooms in our woodland in March, and not mid-April, but our snow cover just melted last week. Also known as the Trailing Arbutus, this is one of the only native plants currently in bloom aside from the maple trees and skunk cabbage.

The Goldfinches are begining to convert to transform into their summer golden color, but as you can see, the woods behind them are still grey and dormant. With temps today staying in the 40’s, our gradual thaw continues.

Our spring clean-up continues, as I tried to focus on the greenhouse today, as it was a bit too blustery outside to get anything done.

My best advice? Wherever you live, look not at the trees and shrubs in your neighborhood, for most landscape plants are from China or Japan, and tend to leaf-out far too early, look instead at your woodland plants, for they will know when to leaf out, and if you native plants are experiencing a late, cold spring as we are, you may notice that they are all quite late in emerging. Native plants rarely get tricked by Mother Nature, but even now and then, a late frost or freeze can damage native species ( I remember Christopher Lloyd visiting the US in 1999 when on May 15 we have a killing freeze that killed many of our local oaks which had leafed out early.

Just so you know that everything is not perfect here, this is our main entrance after Joe used the leaf blower to clean out the alpine garden.

I had planned to start my tomato seeds this weekend, but I am holding off for one for weekend. I say this as I saw people buying tomato plants at the nursery this weekend. Here in Massachusetts, it’s advisable to plant tomatoes out into the garden on or near June first, when the soil temperatures reach 55º F. Still, there are many seeds or plants that can be set out into the vegetable garden right now – peas can still be planted, as should potatoes. Onion seedlings can be set out, but I am waiting for another week so that mine can harden off – become accustomed to our cooler outside temperatures this year. The same goes for leeks, pansies, shallots and seeds such as lettuce, beets, carrots and turnips.

Inside the greenhouse, I finally was able to tidy up one side, stacking clay pots, and filling nearly four wheelbarrows with trash. I am always surprised by how much junk I can collect in just one winter!

The alpine garden near the greenhouse has many small bulbs planted in it, and each spring, I enjoy seeing how many have self seeded in the loose gravel. This miniature narcissus ( a name which I have lost) looks like a standard daffodil when seen in a photo, but when I place it in scale, you can see how tiny it is.

More Lachenalia, this L. aloides v. luteola  has beautiful olive colored petals.

Lachenalia aloides v luteola

I transplanted many Primula this weekend that I started from seed. They are still quite tiny, but soon each will fill these 3 inch pots. Here, are some trays of Primula sikkimensis.

When I Google the name of a plant and mostly my images come up in the image search, I know that I’ve crossed over into plant collecting geekyness. Such is the case with this Melaespharula ramosa, a prolific blooming bulb related to Gladiolus. It may be a weed in warmer climates, but for those who have cold alpine houses, it is a treasured small bulb.