Signs of life

[Lori S.]

While it is also the earliest spring ever here for crocus to start blooming, it is nowhere near as advanced as the much more southerly and/or warmer areas we've been seeing here... but things are progressing!  
1) There will be flowers open today on the most precocious of various self-seeded Hepatica nobilis; the leaves on hepatica take quite a beating over the winter here, so it seems it is only much warmer areas that can produce those photos showing spectacular flowers and beautiful leaves at the same time!
2) Pulsatilla vernalis
3) Potentilla nivea
4) Potentilla porphyrantha
5) Calyptridium umbellatum (evergreen)
6) Inula rhizocephalum
7)Caltha leptosepala
8 ) Flower buds on Androsace carnea alba; Aethionema saxatile in the background; both are evergreen
9) Furry little nubbins on Pulsatilla campanella
10) Gentiana verna is evergreen

[Hoy]

Lori, where I am heading now the Pulsatilla vernalis is still covered by feet of snow! It is a common plant some places in the interior of Norway. Hepatica nobilis is also common but along the coast. The latter is difficult to grow well in my garden, some beetles devour the leaves in summer . The leaves are however never damaged in winter.

[Lori S.]

Now open, it's modest but it is the first!  This seedling Hepatica nobilis shows the sort of ratty old leaves that are typical here... the new leaves get to be in good form pretty well after the bloom is done.  I love the colour of these (not quite captured by my camera) - the standard, rich royal purple on an ordinary flower form suits me much better than any of the exorbitantly expensive hybrids!

[McDonough]

Lori, seems like spring is springing into action for you.  Love the golden-haired bud on Pulsatilla vernalis.  What is Potentilla porphyrantha like... where is it from?  An old friend, Calyptridium umbellatum... I used to grow these by the dozens, they can be quite variable, fun little urchins to grow.

After unseasonably mild weather early on, last night went down to 18 degrees F (-9 C), slowing things down a bit

[Lori S.]

Yes, spring is slow in coming here, but a very exciting time!
I'm not personally familiar with Calyptridium - it doesn't occur this far north.  I grew some from seed last year, planted them in various places and am hoping I get to see blooms this year!

Potentilla porphyrantha is one of the pink-flowered potentillas, this one from the Caucasus.  In The Caucasus and It's Flowers, Holubec and Krivka describe it as endemic to Armenia and Nakhichevan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakhchivan).  There are a couple of nice pictures in the book, of course.   I bought the plant from Beaver Creek (http://www.rockgardenplants.com/plantcatmain.htm) a couple of years ago. 
Here's a close-up of the flowers, from last year:

[McDonough]

Yes, spring is slow in coming here, but a very exciting time!
I'm not personally familiar with Calyptridium - it doesn't occur this far north.  I grew some from seed last year, planted them in various places and am hoping I get to see blooms this year!

Potentilla porphyrantha is one of the pink-flowered potentillas, this one from the Caucasus.  In The Caucasus and It's Flowers, Holubec and Krivka describe it as endemic to Armenia and Nakhichevan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakhchivan).  There are a couple of nice pictures in the book, of course.   I bought the plant from Beaver Creek (http://www.rockgardenplants.com/plantcatmain.htm) a couple of years ago. 
Here's a close-up of the flowers, from last year:

Ooohhh, one of those pink-flowered Potentilla beauties... nice!  The Calyptridium is a "hoot", a funny little prostrate plant... the succulent foliage is most variable, often wrinkled and delightfully dimpled, and tinged with color, and the fluffy "catkin-like" flowers on prostrate stem "spokes" are quite amusing and attractive.  It is not long lived, but so easy to raise from seed.  Great for troughs.

[Hoy]

Hope you continue posting picture of spring flowers! Where I am now all is covered by 3' of snow. We are going to stay here for a week (must be crazy seeking out the snow when the spring is unfolding at home and a lot of tidying up need to be done back home!).

[Todd Boland]

I posted my Crocus and Scilla in their respective threads but here is my Galanthus nivalis 'Flore Pleno' and regular form.

[Todd Boland]

And here is my Eranthis hyemalis...no Hepatica or Pulsatilla yet so Lori you are well ahead of me!

[McDonough]

I posted my Crocus and Scilla in their respective threads but here is my Galanthus nivalis 'Flore Pleno' and regular form.

Seems like spring has finally arrived for you.  When I posted a photo of what was eventually identified as Galanthus nivalis 'Flore Pleno' on the Scottish Rock Garden Club forum, in a thread about snowdrop identification, I was told by a galanthophile supplying the ID that it was an ugly plant and he wouldn't have such a thing > ,

I think it is pretty nonetheless, in spite of disparaging comments, my clump is not nearly as large as yours.

[McDonough]

After 5 days of rain and cloudiness, the sun shone today and it became very warm; everything is ready to grow:

1.  Epimedium x versicolor 'Versicolor' - fuzzy shoots emerge
2.  Epimdeium grandiflorum 'Red Queen' - red shoots emerging
3.  Aster sericeus - fuzzy rosettes emerging, a dryland Aster... thanks Panayoti!
4.  Allium crenulatum 'Olympic Sunset' - shoots emerging
5.  Trillium decumbens
6.  Jeffersonia dubia & Primula kisoana - emerging shoots
7.  Pulmonaria - named forms don't last, self-sown seedlings from them do.
8.  Corydalis nobilis - a powerful species with beautiful foliage.
9.  Corydalis solida - colorful seedlings, lots of good reds... joyful ephemeral weeds

[Hoy]

I have a clump of G. 'Flore Pleno' myself but I have to admit that I like the ordinary form better! I have 8-10 different selections of Galanthus I think. I am very excited by the thought of how far the spring has come when I finally arrive home (only one week away but still...). That's the worst - and best - by travelling!
Pulmonaria and Corydalis I have in swarms. They self-sow but not true to type! Corydalis nobilis is short lived here but I know it is very popular and easy in the northern part of Norway.
I try to gather a population of Jeffersonia in my woodland but have had limited success, not that easy from seed?
And Eranthis! Have tried many times but something nasty eat all the plants and the seedlings every time!

[Lori S.]

More signs of life...
1) Adonis amurensis 'Fukujukai'
2) Balsamorhiza hookeri var. lagocephala
3) Besseya alpina from seed last year, emerging.
4) Corydalis nobilis, going into action here too.
5) Corydalis magadanica, still tiny, from a planting in 2008.
6) Pulmonaria altaica
7) Dracocephalum palmatum - actually, this one is evergreen, and always winters over very well.  Perhaps it will finally bloom this year!  (I grew some of these from seed a few years ago.)

[Todd Boland]

My signs of life:  Pulmonaria angustifolia, Pulmonaria montana, Saxifraga 'Marianne', Viburnum X bodnantense

[Todd Boland]

Omphaloides verna and Corydalis solida