The latter half of February brought unseasonably warm days and gave us an early glimpse of our springtime blooms. We head into March with early flowering bulbs promising a wonderful spring.
Winter aconite (Eranthus hyemalis) was the first to surface, with bright yellow drifts brightening the landscape around the Tubbs House and surrounding gardens. Crocuses (Crocus) and snow drops (Galandthus nivalis) emerged later and added lavender and white accents. Throughout the rockery, there are hidden treasures such as Persian violet (Cyclamen hederifolium) waiting to be discovered.
In the Cottage Garden, look for the swelling pink buds of fragrant viburnum (Viburnum farreri) mixed in among the witch hazels (Hamamelis). Fragrant viburnum is a native of northern China. If you have any in your garden, it makes for a pleasing cut stem if brought inside for forcing. The blooms will be appreciated indoors, as we likely face many more cold mornings before warm weather is here for good.
Around the corner from the Cottage Garden, on the south side of the stone cottage, is winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum) cascading down the wall.
Wander into the conservatory to check out several cultivars of camellias (Camellia). The pink camellia ‘Berenice Boddy’ is especially floriferous. Scattered throughout the conservatory are the tubular flame-like flowers of lachenalia (Lachenalia bulbifera). These flowers are held on spikes above the foliage and are a visual contrast to the cool whites and pinks of the camellias.
As the weather improves, we will be adding new bloom reports to this page.
