What do you see on your garden walks? 2013

[Michael J Campbell]

A few more.

[Michael J Campbell]

Helleborus niger, battered by the rain.

[McDonough]

Michael, beauties each and every one! 

The difference in climates is amplified this time of year, when seeing plants in bloom during the dead of winter, when everything is quite frozen and dormant here, thankfully with a layer of snow still present. But its a pleasure seeing such magnificent Hellebore blooms, even when it seems off season to us in New England.

[Hoy]

Michael, I have to echo Mark: They are beautiful! You seem to have escaped the winter cold so far?
Although some of my plants showed colour at Yuletide the last 3 cold weeks brought a stop to that. And now we have gotten 10cm of snow but today it is raining

[Michael J Campbell]

Hepatica  Japonica  Kosino maboroshi,
Hepatica japonica Kuukai
 Hepatica Purple  Nidan Saki
hepatica nobilis dark blue.

[cohan]

Lovely hellebores, Michael! I really like those that are single but with striking colours, ditto for the last Hepatica. We are still 2-3 months away from seeing the ground let alone signs of plant life outdoors

[Hoy]

The snowdrops have stood like this for about a month now but the snow has disappeared and come back several times. The last inch of snow came yesterday.

   

[cohan]

They are waiting patiently!

[bulborum]

For me it is amazing that around the bulbs
it seems to be warmer or they reflect the warmth

Roland

[Janet Novak]

I can think of two explanations for the snow melted around the snowdrops. First, the plants will be actively metabolizing, which generates heat. Second, plants -- and anything else that isn't white -- will absorb more sunlight than the snow, causing them to be warmer. 

[cohan]

I know nothing about whether the plants give off heat, but I can say for sure that any dark thing sticking out of the snow- soil, rocks, sticks, etc- will cause faster melting of the snow compared to undisturbed smooth white areas...

[Hoy]

I think Janet's last explanation is the right one. They do indeed absorb heat also when it is cloudy. Even dead twigs get a similar area of no snow around them and they certainly have no metabolism

[bulborum]

Well whatever it is
It looks funny
I know Symplocarpus "produces " heat in the flower

Scilla cilicica collected in Cyprus at Smiyies start flowering here
also Scilla aristides and Leucojum vernum var. carpaticum

Roland

[Spiegel]

Michael, I just visited your Lewisia and alpines site.  What a feast for a new englander midst snow and cold!  Your pictures are superb and I loved the Daphnes you showed.  I noticed almost everything seemed to be in pots.  Do you grow these (Lewisias, daphnes) outside as well?  What is your usual minimum temperature?

[Michael J Campbell]

Do you grow these (Lewisias, daphnes) outside as well?  What is your usual minimum temperature?

I live in town and  don't have a very big garden so about 60%of my plants are grown in pots. I have both Daphne and Lewisias planted out in a scree bed and some Daphne's in the shrub border.see pic below of one in a scree bed.
Winter temperatures from about -5°C to +14°C (  23°F to  57°F)  summer temperatures from +16 °C to 24°C (60.8 °F to 75.2°F) Annual rainfall 1000-1400 mm  (40-55inches)

Daphne x susannae cheriton