First outside blooms of the season

What a difference a week can make.  Remember the rock garden picture last week and all the snow?  Well now there is not a flake of snow to be seen!

It is certainly an early season.  We rarely have much open before the end of April but already there are several plants blooming outdoors.  Last week I showed a few flowers but they had the advantage of an alpine house to boost their early blooms.  These guys are blooming on their own.  Below left is February daphne (Daphne mezereum), a highly fragrant shrub that blooms before it leafs.  Below right is one of our lungworts, Pulmonaria rubra.














The first spring bulbs are blooming in the shade garden.  Here is our winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis).

The first spring heath is blooming.  This is Erica carnea 'Pirbright Rose'.

The first pots of bulbs are blooming in the bulb frame.  Sorry, these current bloomers will be long gone before we open May 1.  Below left is Chionoscilla X allenii, below right is Tulipa pulchella while at the bottom is Narcissus 'Tete-a-tete'.