Sent from my iPhone On Jan 21, 2010, at 1:32 PM, Jim McKenney <jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com> wrote: > Galanthus elwesii is beginning to bloom in the lawn here in USDA > zone 7 > Maryland. These plants in the lawn are scattered and don't show up > very > much. > > On the other hand, on December 18, 2009, I dug a clump of what I > call my > Christmas snowdrop and planted the clump - in full bloom - in one of > the > cold frames. I did this because a heavy snow fall was predicted. > Now, over a > month later, this plant is still in full bloom and is very handsome: > no > complaints here about that! > > In one of the cold frames given over to pots of seed sown in > November there > are already many signs of germination. It's always interesting to > observe > the patterns of these germinations. For instance, Tulipa cretensis is > germinating strongly, yet several other species of Tulipa show no > signs of > germination yet. Fritillaria tuntasia is germinating strongly, yet > so far > it's the only species of that genus to show germination. Iris > dichotoma is > germinating freely, but other members of that genus are still quiet. > Several > Allium are germinating, others are still. Various umbellifers and > crucifers > are germinating freely, too. > > There is still snow on the ground from the December 18 snowfall, but > most of > it has by now melted. Helleborus foetidus and various Hamamelis are in > bloom. > > It's still winter in the open garden, but in the protected cold frame > Narcissus bulbocodium pallidus has been blooming for about two weeks > or so. > In fact, this year there has been a Narcissus of one sort or another > in > bloom since September. > > I'm getting close to the point where it will be possible to have > various > representatives of the genera Galanthus, Crocus, Cyclamen, Narcissus > and > maybe even Iris more or less continuously in bloom from mid-fall > well into > late winter in the protected cold frame. With the addition of some > Primula > acaulis and Helleborus niger, it makes for a very cheery winter > season. > > > Jim McKenney > jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com > Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, 39.03871º North, 77.09829º West, U > SDA zone > 7, where a red fox has been visiting the garden. > My Virtual Maryland Garden http://www.jimmckenney.com/ > BLOG! http://mcwort.blogspot.com/ > > Webmaster Potomac Valley Chapter, NARGS > Editor PVC Bulletin http://www.pvcnargs.org/ > > Webmaster Potomac Lily Society http://www.potomaclilysociety.org/ > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/