First Signs of Spring at My Farm
It’s always so exciting to see the gardens transform this time of year.
Spring doesn’t officially begin for another nine-days, but at my Bedford, New York farm, signs of the coming season are emerging with vibrant color. It’s always nice to see nature come to life again - we're seeing flowering crocuses, snowdrops, winter aconite, and hellebores. The trees are filled with buds, and so many of the daffodils are peeking through the soil.
Enjoy these photos.
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- The weather here in the Northeast this week has been very pleasant. Temperatures are warm enough to melt most of the leftover snow around the farm. And it’s expected to get even warmer this weekend – before a cold front brings cooler temperatures once again.
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- All around the farm, we’re seeing signs of spring. Eranthis, or winter aconite, is a genus of eight species of flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae – the Buttercup family.
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- Winter aconite produces such cheerful yellow flowers that appear in late winter or earliest spring. And, they are deer resistant.
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- I have winter aconite down near my stable barn, and every year, they’re among the first to display their brightly colored blooms. The common name winter aconite comes from the early flowering time and the resemblance of the leaves to those of the related genus Aconitum, the true aconite.
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- The daffodil border that stretches along one side of my farm is also showing spring growth. There are many varieties planted here – all in large groupings, providing a stunning swath of color when in bloom. The original daffodil border was begun in 2003. It now stretches all the way down from my Summer House, past the stable, and ending at the Japanese maple grove.
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- I also have daffodils planted in various garden beds and most of the tree pits around my home. These daffodils are just peeking through the soil beneath the fallen foliage of the bald cypress trees across from my pergola.
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- Here are some that are a little more developed. Daffodils are among the easiest flowers to grow and are ideal for novice gardeners in most regions of the United States. The flowers are generally white or yellow with either uniform or contrasting colored tepals and corona. I will be sharing many more daffodil photos as they open.
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- The witch-hazel is also blooming nicely. It grows as small trees or shrubs with clusters of rich yellow to orange-red flowers.
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- Witch-hazel is great for splashes of winter color. They’re very hardy and are not prone to a lot of diseases. I have witch-hazel growing outside my Summer House and along one side of the farm near my stable.
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- Witch-hazel is a genus of flowering plants in the family Hamamelidaceae. Most species bloom from January to March and display beautiful spidery flowers that let off a slightly spicy fragrance.
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- Witch-hazel flowers consist of four, strap-like petals that are able to curl inward to protect the inner structures from freezing during the winter. Most are familiar with witch-hazel as a medicinal plant. Its leaves, bark and twigs are used to make lotions and astringents for treating certain skin inflammations and other irritations.
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- Temperatures on this day were warm enough to open the doors of the hoop houses so fresh air and light could circulate inside. This is my citrus house – filled with beautiful citrus trees including lemons, limes, calamondins, blood oranges, kumquats, and more.
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- Spring buds could be seen on many of the trees such as the horse chestnuts at the foot of my stable. These sticky buds develop into clusters of flowers from April to mid-May.
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- Here are some hellebores by my blog studio. Hellebores are members of the Eurasian genus Helleborus – about 20 species of evergreen perennial flowering plants in the family Ranunculaceae. They blossom during late winter and early spring for up to three months.
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- Colors range from dark purple, apricot and pink to bright green and white, often with purple backs and green undersides.
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- Here is a hellebore flower. Hellebores have rose-like blossoms. It is common to plant them on slopes or in raised beds in order to see their flowers, which tend to nod.
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- Here’s a crocus – another one of the first flowers to appear in spring, usually in shades of purple, yellow and white.
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- They only reach about two to four inches tall, but they naturalize easily, meaning they spread and come back year after year.
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- Crocus is a genus of flowering plants in the iris family made up of about 90-species.
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- Snowdrops produce one very small, pendulous bell-shaped white flower which hangs off its stalk like a “drop” before opening.
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- There are bunches of snowdrops, Galanthus nivalis, in various beds around the farm. These flowers are perennial, herbaceous plants, which grow from bulbs. Snowdrops don’t often multiply from seed in a garden, but they will multiply through offsets – new bulbs that grow attached to the mother bulb.
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- The flower heads can be ‘single’ – one layer of petals – or ‘double’ – multiple layers of petals. The snowdrop’s grassy foliage is a vibrant light green. What are your favorite harbingers of spring? Share your comments below – I always enjoy reading them.
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