Hello February 2024

This February has an extra day for Leap Year and that's nice, isn't it? As usual January flew by because it's my favorite month. It was a busy one with several snows but they weren't too bad. We had some very cold days  that didn't last very long, thankfully. I repotted several geraniums and rooted some clippings and potted those too on a day I could work outside with potting soil and compost. I'll be seeing my snowdrops mentioned in the poem above soon. They are the true harbingers of spring. xo

PS: This morning (February 1st) my snowdrops are breaking through the soil and are up about one inch. Will post photos when they flower.

Snowdrops Under a Tree Overlooking My Cottage

Are you tired of snowdrops yet? I have seen so many blooming daffodils in friends' yards but mine are all still in the bud stage. Snowdrops never disappoint and keep on blooming until the other spring bulbs start performing. I started these clumps in the fall and they are loving this woodland setting. Have a great Wednesday evening. xo

Please Don't Eat The Snowdrops

This must be in England because I have snowdrops everywhere and nothing has ever eaten them. It's an adorable photo though, isn't it? Happy Friday! It's raining at my cottage and will continue all night into Saturday. Have a great weekend no matter the weather. via

xo 

I searched Google Lens for source of original photo and found this. 

The rabbit is eating snowdrops in a meadow in Germany.

Snowdrops are for Sharing

I discovered some rogue snowdrops on a bank where I threw some weeds from one of my beds with snowdrops and daffodils. It's impossible to weed those areas and not pull up snowdrop bulbs so I am careful to dispose of the weeds in a designated area. Each spring I have blooming bulbs to share with friends. I took these two pots to a friend who lost her mom recently and told her to plant them where she can see them. They always bloom in February and will be the start of her memory garden.

Have a great weekend.

xo

Saturday Snowdrops

My snowdrops are pretty excited about the first day of spring tomorrow and they are putting on a big show for her. I got up nice and close with my camera to show the green detail on the inner petals that looks as if one of the garden fairies applied it with a watercolor brush. Hope you are having a great weekend. xo

Snowdrops are So Delightful

This photo doesn't begin to capture the true beauty of a clump of snowdrops along my walk and almost against the foundation at my front door but it will have to suffice. I moved a few more clumps I found in the woods to different locations in the front and back yards. I cannot ever remember doing so much gardening so early in the year and I'm loving it. Hooray for mild winters. All of my snowdrops are the result of just a few clumps I brought from my last house. They are trouble free and they multiply like crazy. The bulbs are very tiny and it is hard to weed around them later in the year without pulling up a few so I try to dump the weeds in certain spots in the woods so I can dig them up again a few years later after the clumps become sizable.

Take care, try to stay healthy, and wash your hands often. The only thing I have stocked up on so far is Bathroom Tissue. I went to Costco yesterday and there was none...the shelves were bare. I went immediately to Wegmans and got what I needed and then some to store away. It's my favorite brand anyway. No panic buying there....yet. xo

My Snowdrops are Starting

I took this photo on Saturday and was shocked to see a large clump of snowdrops emerging. They usually don't start until February. There is a lot of very cold weather coming and I hope they can withstand it. They are such dear little things and unusually hardy too. Fingers crossed. xo

My first SNOWDROPS to Bloom this year.

I just went outside to jump rope on my balcony and I couldn't believe how warm it was. I checked my phone and it's 73° and most of the snow is gone. As soon as I finished jumping, I ran to the front yard to check my biggest clump of snowdrops and they are in full bloom. They have been buried under deep snow for over a week. Hooray! These spring flowering bulbs are true harbingers of spring.

Happy Friday and have a great weekend. xo

Wild Snowdrops

I saved this Instagram photo of naturalized snowdrops on the grounds of an English Manor House. Mine are just sending up their green shoots but it will be a while before they are mature enough to bloom. I brought them with me from my old house when I moved in my cottage. Snowdrops are my favorite harbingers of spring.

Hello February

Another month has come and gone, hasn't it? February will go even more quickly since it's the shortest month of the year. I hope the fair maiden in this drawing by Walter Crane sees the Polar Vortex on its way out. I am looking forward to seeing my snowdrops as they always emerge in February. xo

My Only Visible Snowdrops

I covered this clump of snowdrops before the first Nor'easter a couple of weeks ago. Since then we have had two more so I never took this cloche off. It really came in handy and the spring bulbs look very happy in their own special hothouse. My other galanthus are buried under about a foot of snow but they will be fine once all the snow I shoveled on top of them melts. They are the earliest spring bulbs to bloom and they are very hardy and they come by their name honestly. I plan on enjoying this sunny weekend with beautiful blue skies and no clouds. These sweet little flowers can double as my good luck shamrocks for St. Patrick's Day. xo

Snowdrops: Storm Ready

This clump of snowdrops by my front door has open flowers that I don't want to get trampled if we have really hard rain along with the wind if the Nor'easter comes my way. So I went out to my garage/barn and located a cloche to protect them.

Now I can relax because these early blooming spring bulbs will be fine! They are also called Galanthus.