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The First Reward

February 7th, 2012

Remember all those bulbs I planted this past fall? While we were out tapping all the maple trees on Sunday afternoon and I spotted the first reward from all my hard work. One tiny snowdrop was blooming on the back hillside.

I’ve been meaning to plant snowdrop in the garden for years and always forgot to purchase the bulbs in the fall. I’d always think about them when they were blooming the spring and then completely forget about purchasing bulbs when I needed to. Late last winter, when the snowdrops were blooming, I flipped forward in my calendar and wrote “ORDER SNOWDROPS” in September.

Lucky for me, I did buy bulbs for ‘GALANTHUS ELWESII’ last fall and now I’ll be able to enjoy snowdrop blooms in my own garden this spring. This isn’t the earliest flowering plant I have in the garden, there’s a Mediterranean Pink Heather on the front hillside that starts blooming in early January.

What’s your earliest flower that appears in your garden each year?

13 Comments to “The First Reward”
  1. Kathi Cook on February 7, 2012 at 7:30 am

    I bet you can’t wait to see all those beautiful bulbs you planted!

    Reply to Kathi Cook's comment

  2. Corrie on February 7, 2012 at 8:53 am

    Fragrant Honeysuckle, followed closely by winter aconite and snowdrops.

    Reply to Corrie's comment

  3. Mary W on February 7, 2012 at 9:23 am

    The snowdrops are always earliest. With our mild winter, the oldest, most naturalized started blooming a month ago. The more recently planted bloomed last week. The species tulips are peeking out, but haven’t bloomed.

    Reply to Mary W's comment

  4. daisy on February 7, 2012 at 9:33 am

    How beautiful! Can’t wait to see what comes up next! Enjoy!

    Reply to daisy's comment

  5. Melissa on February 7, 2012 at 9:33 am

    Crocus are usually the first around my house, planted by the former owner. They’ve been up for at least 2 weeks now. With this crazy warm winter we’ve been having, I’ve already got daffodils blooming! I have a bouquet of kale and daffodils on my table right now- what an unlikely combination!

    Reply to Melissa's comment

  6. Justin on February 7, 2012 at 10:41 am

    Last season when you did all the bulb planting, I meant to ask…what inspired you to put bulb plants in the *middle* of the lawn? That’s an interesting technique that I’ve never seen or heard of before.

    It does make a lot of sense, as most bulb plants don’t last much longer than it takes for the grass to grow in. So by the time you’re ready to mow, it’s probably time to lop-off the stems.

    Reply to Justin's comment

  7. Sofie Dittmann @thegermanfoodie on February 7, 2012 at 10:46 am

    in german they’re called “little snow bells” or “Schneeglöckchen” – and just like crocuses they’re a reminder that life isn’t dormant forever. :)

    Reply to Sofie Dittmann @thegermanfoodie's comment

  8. Jennifer Krieger on February 7, 2012 at 1:06 pm

    Happy Spring! I predict you will get another good snow or three, but flowers are always welcome.

    Reply to Jennifer Krieger's comment

    • Susy on February 7, 2012 at 3:40 pm

      Oh yes, we usually get our last snow sometimes in April.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  9. KimH on February 7, 2012 at 6:30 pm

    Beautiful little thing, isnt it.. Happy Spring Flowers! :)

    Reply to KimH's comment

    • KimH on February 7, 2012 at 6:33 pm

      Oh yeah, I think the crocus are usually what I see first.. My snowdrops didnt come out that early, I dont think.. My hellebores come out really early too and last a long time.. I love them! ♥

      Reply to KimH's comment

  10. itchbay on February 7, 2012 at 6:46 pm

    It’s pretty temperate here in Northern California, so we have some flowers that bloom all winter. Right now, I can see my primroses, lenten rose, and campanula. In the front, I have snapdragons, stock, and pansies.

    Of my bulbs, I haven’t had any bloom yet, but I’m waiting on the spraxis.

    Reply to itchbay's comment

  11. Alley on February 7, 2012 at 11:15 pm

    I noticed we had a snowdrop blooming when I was refilling the birdfeeders this weekend! Our tulips, irises, and daffodils have been trying to come up since November… hopefully they bloom when Spring really comes!

    Reply to Alley's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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