A March Snowfall
The calendar says spring, but the recent snow and drop in temperatures here in the Northeast remind us how unpredictable Mother Nature can be.
Although we’ve had a very mild winter this year, temperatures have been very erratic. Yesterday, it felt more like February than the end of March - cold and damp with rain and snow. The outdoor grounds crew had already removed the burlap covers from all the boxwood, and so many of the season’s early flowers had already opened. Fortunately, this recent system was short-lived and today is expected to be in the 50s with sunshine and clouds.
Enjoy these photos and please stay safe and healthy.
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- This view outside my Winter House is among my favorites. These iconic apple trees have been here for many, many years. The fence surrounding the apple trees is the same 100-year old Canadian white spruce that surrounds my horse paddocks.
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- I always notice how the snow outlines the pavers on my terrace parterre.
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- So many of the flowers had already started blooming around the farm. It’s so nice to see the bright spring colors. In the distance, you can see the snow-topped boxwood. Thankfully the snow didn’t weigh it down too heavily or splay any of the branches.
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- I take stock of my daffodils every year to see what is growing well and what is not, so I can learn what to remove, where to add more, and what to plant next.
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- Chionodoxa, known as glory-of-the-snow, is a small genus of bulbous perennial flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Scilloideae, often included in Scilla. This patch is across from my long clematis pergola. The structure in the background is my Basket House where I store many of the baskets I’ve collected over the years.
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- The gardens were nearly all covered in blankets of white, disguising the beautiful flowers that had already begun to bloom.
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- On the other side of the Basket House is this crocus patch growing beneath my bald cypress trees – I love the deep purple color.
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- Here’s a closer look at the flowers. These only reach about four inches tall, but they naturalize easily, meaning they spread and come back year after year.
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- The pachysandra is almost unrecognizable under this thin blanket of white.
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- The snow seemed to stick to everything, and every branch, but not for long – this system was mixed with rain, which continued into the night.
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- Here are more daffodils in the tree pit across from my tree peony garden not far from my Summer House.
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- And here is a view looking up at my great daffodil border which is broken up into various groupings – different varieties, different shapes and sizes and different blooming times. This provides a longer splash of color during spring. There are about 35 to 40 varieties planted in the daffodil border – and we add more every year.
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- Just the day before, one could see daffodil blooms popping up all along the border, bursting with color – I think they are okay.
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- Last autumn, I decided to fill an area behind one side of my Linden Allee with more daffodils, extending my long border of these beautiful spring flowers. I can’t wait to see them in bloom. Some of the varieties planted here include ‘Cassata’, ‘Barrett Browning’, ‘Delibes’, ‘Snowboard’, and ‘White Lion’.
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- Daffodil bulbs should be planted where there is full sun or part shade. Most tolerate a range of soil types but will grow best in moderate, well-drained soil.
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- Depending on the type of cultivar and where it is planted, the daffodil’s flowering season can last up to several weeks.
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- Crocus is among the first flowers to appear in spring, usually in shades of purple, yellow and white. There are about 90 different species of crocus that originate from Southern Europe, Central Asia, China, the Middle East, and Africa.
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- Patches of crocus can be found everywhere around my farm.
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- These crocus flowers are white with purple and just about to open.
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- This urn is one of a pair of stately Kenneth Lynch garden urns flanking the entrance to the flower cutting garden. They are more than 500-pounds each. The pair, which is wrapped in burlap during winter, was just uncovered – only the plywood on top remains.
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- During the cold season, I put up bird feeders on the decorative wooden rafter tails of the clematis pergola for all our avian friends who love to perch on the beams overhead, but they are removed once spring arrives and nature’s food is more abundant. I wonder if the birds are confused by the weather.
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- Fortunately, it was not damaging snow – everything is intact, and today’s weather here in the Northeast is expected to be warmer and sunnier. I hope you are able to get outside today and enjoy some fresh air – even for just a short while.
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