Just like that, one day you wake up and it’s spring in Bluff City
What a difference a week makes!
Spring is sprinting out of its winter sleep with such speed and splendor we simply must pay attention.
This annual occurrence always astonishes a nd sur prises me. British author Ellis Peters described t his phenomenon p e r fe c t ly by writing, “Every spring is the only spring.”
(Peters, I learned, is one of several pseudonyms used by the late Edith Mary Pargeter, author of the delightful and award-winning series of mysteries featuring Brother Cadfael, a medieval monk and herbalist.)
Cold weather during February kept the forsythias bare until about 10 days ago, when a few wispy yellow flowers appeared. Now the shrub in my front yard is a blazing ball of gold.
Flowering trees and shrubs such as Bradford pears, star and saucer magnolias and various quinces are either at full bloom or close to it.
Yoshino cherry trees planted along Cherry Road in Audubon Park are also in full bloom.
Deep inside the botanic garden is a magical place every spring — a grove of Japanese magnolias.
The white flowers of the star magnolias are so bright they almost glow in the sun while the pink to purple blooms of the saucer magnolias flourish against the blue sky.
Some people call saucer magnolias “tulip trees” because their blooms are similar to a favorite spring bulb.
The beauty of spring bulbs is intense but fleeting, so don’t wait to see a display of hyacinths planted near the Four Seasons Garden in the botanic garden.
Deep pi n k Mi s s Sa igon , Delph Blue and White Pearl are some of the largest and boldest hyacinths I have ever seen.
They a re a stark contrast to those I tried to force into bloom in my collection of lovely colored glass vases designed for that purpose.
Out of about a dozen hyacinth bulbs purchased in the fall and kept cool until about eight weeks ago, only three produced wimpy versions of hyacinth flowers, and the rest failed to develop healthy root systems and did not bloom at all.
If anyone has had consistent luck with this process, please let me know how you do it by writing me at chrisagang@hotmail.com.
Daffodils continue their annual show on our lawns and flower beds.
Hellebores, including the familiar Christmas and Lenten rose varieties, are actually past their prime now.
But we need to keep them in our thoughts because they will be offered for sale this spring at commercial nurseries and also at the plant sales put on by the botanic garden and the Dixon.
You may know hellebores as pretty but shy flowers that are always looking down at the ground. But now numerous hybrids proudly hold their heads up so you can admire them without bending down.
Ivory Prince and several oth- ers will be available at “Spring’s Best Plant Sale” on April 17-18 at the botanic garden.
Once established, Ivor y Prince has an abundance of waxy flowers that turn from light green to ivory to peachy pink.
Others at the sale include Pink Fizz, Winter Sunshine and Angel Glow.
Dixon’s “Garden Faire” on April 24-25 will feature several upright hellebores including the dark red-stemmed Jacob; Josef Lemper with long-flowering white blooms; Pink Frost, Yellow Lady and Frilly Kitty, which is hard to resist with its memorable name and double pink flowers.
Dale Skaggs, Dixon’s director of horticulture, was a teenager when he first planted nodding hellebores in his parents’ yard.
“They’re still going strong with clumps as big as washtubs,” he said. “I love them.”
Hellebores prefer shady areas that get morning sun or lots of dappled sunlight throughout the day. They need humus-rich friable soil that is moist but not wet. “If they are happy where they are and not too dry, they are tough, carefree plants,” Skaggs said.