Temperate Spring

James Waddick jwaddick@kc.rr.com
Tue, 20 Mar 2007 13:34:59 PDT
Dear Friends;
	As Jim and Boyce and others have already stated spring has 
appeared in temperate regions of the US. Unlike the mild and gradual 
slide into 'spring' seen on the west coast, here spring pops into 
being. One week we are encased in ice, then a week of melt and then a 
rainbow begins to develop from nothing.
	Each day seems to bring attention to another 'star' of the 
garden. The last couple of days it has been Chinodoxa 'Pink Giant'. 
Surprising how much color and attitude from these tiny bulbs. Even 
more extreme is the minute Scilla bifolia. Just one would be a very 
minor 'minor bulb', but they self sew around and form little dots of 
bright blue. I bought a number of bulbs of the typical (blue 
flowered) form along with 'alba' and 'pink'  a few years ago, but 
only the typical has persisted and flourished. As the name suggests 
it has 2 thin short leaves ,but s small stalk of starry bright blue 
flowers forces your attention.
	The Juno Sindpers is at its peak with at least 1/2 dozen open 
flowers and now other Junos are forming buds.
	I anticipate the full force of typical blue Anemone blanda, 
then 'White Splendor' to follow and later A nemorosa forms.

	JimMc mentions early tulips. Mine is always T. turkestanica. 
This goes from a few narrow leaves with no hint of a bud to shining 
white stars open wide in a day. We often fail to notice any sign of 
buds one day to find a display on the next ray of sunshine!
	Here the Crocus are going fast, even the big Dutch cultivars 
that persist in the grass. 'Pickwick',  and those big self colored 
white, deep purple and gold plus a scattering of 'Lady Killer' and 
'Ruby Giant' .
	The Muscari are just sending up foliage for next week's show 
and more will follow.

	Every day something else pops- sometimes all at once and 
sometimes just a hint before the big explosion like the half dozen 
open Daphne genkwa flowers that will soon cover the 4 ft bush. A few 
golden Forsythias, but a prelude to a golden glow by the weekend.

	And so it goes here. Today a much needed "spring rain' (a few 
hours before the equinox) and more showers to stir more bulbs and 
buds. With luck we'll have a few weeks of mild days, no freezes and a 
wave of one bloom after another. Mostly we'll go to 'too hot' too 
soon. We have learned to savor each mild spring day and each 'act' of 
the long running spring review of bulbs and perennials.

	Hooray.		Best	Jim W.

-- 
Dr. James W. Waddick
8871 NW Brostrom Rd.
Kansas City Missouri 64152-2711
USA
Ph.    816-746-1949
Zone 5 Record low -23F
	Summer 100F +


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