Last weekend I did a wee walkabout in the garden with my camera. There were hellebores
and mahonia japonica (oregon grape)
with their frant yellow wee blooms
By the pond there were more hellebores, rosy buds just emerging from their cover of leathery green leaves. . .
so that you have to peer closer
and closer to spot them . .
The viburnum bodnatense (Dawn) is, of course, a fearless winter-blooming who’s been playing in the cold for months, but I suspect it wasn’t averse to a taste of spring either . . .
Eyes back on the ground, peering again, I find a sole crocus brightening up a dark mossy corner. . .
and in the sunshine, they’re popping out all over, thrusting through the mulch cover of last fall’s leaves. . .
It’s got stormy since then, and this weekend we’re warned to expect snow, so I hope these charming blooms don’t get blasted by the cold.
No matter, though, if winter does try to impress us this weekend. We know spring’s knocking on the door. . . .
We’re heading to Victoria to celebrate our son’s engagement with the happy couple and to talk a bit about plans for the beach wedding we’ll host here later this year. I hope that snow stays off the mountain pass, but we have good tires and I have a great driving companion. I’m off now to find the perfect book to read to him as we drive, our habit for road trips. . . .
And you, have you pleasant plans for the weekend? Or pleasant un-plans?
Congratulations on the engagement. And I love my hellebores, the Lenten Rose as it is also called. Don't you love gardens most for the turns and changes?
Yes,it's true, the shifts they signal through their changes are a big part of their charm.
We also have Christmas roses, hellebores with dark blooms (they've never bloomed for Christmas, despite the common name). . .
A beach wedding sounds wonderful!
Our garden is bursting with blooms and new leaves due to unseasonably warm weather. One bed is full of yellow daffodils. I'm not ready for Spring! Your quieter winter blooms would please me more.
Our trip is next week! So exciting. We're busy this weekend running last-minute errands.
Aren't you lucky your daffs bloomed for you before you head off to Europe — have a fabulous trip!
That's exciting! An engagement and a beach wedding…
lovely images of those Hellebores. Mine are in bloom as are snowdrops and crocus bulbs.
Enjoy Victoria I hope the rain holds off while you are in town 🙂
It was cold and windy last night, but no rain (nor snow, thank goodness!)
Oh, you are so lucky to be able to read in the car. It makes me feel sick after about five minutes. I hope you find the perfect book.
I'm always been a teeny bit appalled by the idea of motion sickness that stops one from reading — what an affliction!
Was it Robin Williams who said "Spring is Nature's way of saying LET"S PARTY!!!"? It looks as though the party is getting started….
Our elm tree is leafing out much earlier than normal, happy to see that vibrant new green.
Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
If not, it sounds like the kind of thing he'd say — and I can imagine his face proclaiming it gleefully! such a great sentiment.
I adore hellebores and my caretaker for the New York home said they were blooming early this year. I miss them. I think I will have to be adding a few things to my small yard.
That will be hard to do, someday, leave these blooms behind . . . But then other gardens take shape, as with you. . .
A wedding to plan – I wish you all the joy of it. We're having a very good time planning too.
The forecast is on-again off-again for snow, but I have my fingers crossed for a false alarm. All those sweet crocuses and blossom buds don't deserve to be frozen.
Just the lightest sprinkling evident on the Malahat. . .
I'll be tracking the parallel wedding plans . . . joyous, yes!
A beach wedding … that sounds wonderful! Congratulations to the happy couple. We still have snow here – had a big snowfall on Friday – but we are off to Arizona in 12 days' time, so hopefully we'll get some spring weather there. P.
I can imagine how much you're looking forward to that Arizona sunshine — enjoy!
Congratulations on the upcoming wedding. it is always so thrilling to see the first signs of spring. I think you have more signs that we do at the moment. It will be another month before the crocus bloom.
I hope the snow stays off the pass, too. Our daughter and her husband are driving northwards to pick up a crib from a friend in Duncan. And you are coming southwards. A few flakes twirled madly then collapsed here. But it's cold! Winter's last blast, I hope. Love all the spring glimpses.
Hope the crib-transport trip went well. Now does that mean there's a new baby on the way for Nana?
Frances my friend! Congrats on the upcoming wedding.I hope this works I have no idea how to do this blogging thing,I am really steppig out of my box here. Just wanted to say amazing walk about around your garden, I enjoyed so much in the Skeena days. My healing place I call your beach/garden. Everything is just how I remember but
bigger. Thank you for the tour.
Catherine
So glad to welcome you here, Catherine! You know you're always welcome to do the real garden walk as well — stop by one of these days. I'd love a chat!