Blooming February
Galanthus nivalis
Perhaps I should have called it Blowing A Gale February.
Cowering close to the ground, the snowdrops are proving resilient so far. They are the main feature of the garden this month. In some places their nodding heads literally carpet the woodland floor.
Galanthus nivalis and Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’
I transplanted some of the snowdrops into the formal flower beds. I like the contrast against the jet black leaves of the Ophiopogon. Unfortunately it appears to make them even easier for the pheasant to spot. Grrr.
Hellebore, unnamed seedling.
The other stars of the February garden are the hellebores, of course. The pinks seem to be coping with the weather rather better than the whites.
Hellebore, unnamed seedling.
Cyclamen coum
Up on the bank, some cyclamen I planted a couple of years ago are starting to spread nicely down the slope.
Camellia (inherited, variety unknown)
Flowers any day now.
Daphne odora Aureomarginata
A Daphne I took as a cutting from a mature plant in my mother’s garden. It’s still very small and the leaves look a bit rough, but it is covered in flower buds. Looking forward to the fragrance when this one blooms.
Dwarf Iris Cantab
My purchases this month have all been bulbs. Risky, given the mice. But a garden without bulbs though the late winter/early Spring is going to look very bare. So I have devised a cunning plan. I shall plant the Iris bulbs in wire mesh cages, with some gravel in the bottom to help with drainage, and then sink the whole lot in the ground.
Narcissus cyclamineus
This one may need to bulk up a bit before it gets planted out. I much prefer the smaller flowered Narcissus to the big blowsy hybrids. In time I’d like to build up drifts of them, much like the snowdrops.
And finally, there is this.
Galanthus Jacquenetta
My first ‘special’ snowdrop. I’ve been waiting almost a week for it to open. Each day I think it gets a little plumper. But.. still waiting. Perhaps it has decided that a windswept Devon hillside is not really its thing.
Who can blame it.
 Linking to Carol and Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day at May Dreams Gardens, where you will find other February bloomers from around the world.
Wasn’t it a dreadful night, the wind howling through the trees kept me awake for most of it! We seem to have the same flowers this month, they do make a woodland look beautiful at this time of year don’t they. Your G.Jacquenetta is further on than mine which isn’t showing any white yet. I have been searching for years for some Narcissus cyclamineus bulbs, but can never find anyone selling them.
I bought the single small pot of Narcissus at Rosemoor, but at £6 a shot I’m not going to be getting drifts that way! I’d hoped there might be an internet supplier of dry bulbs, but I have to confess I’ve not looked yet.
You have a really a lovely selection of flowers. The hellebores should seed themselves quite freely. We gained a free daphne some years ago that just arrived in the garden presumably a gift from the birds. Ours daphne flowers on bare stems. We also have an unknown camellia which we bought cheaply but it is nowhere near flowering.
Thanks Sue. I hope that once I’ve got a critical mass of hellebores I can be self sufficient. They are great woodland plants.
That was a generous bird!
Beautiful Jessica, so many lovely flowers and so amazing that you have so much in bloom at this time of year! xx
Much of it is about to bloom rather than blooming! The camellia is quite a bit behind, last year at this time it was properly in flower.
What a wonderful selection of flowers you have at this time of year Jessica…… and, they all seem to be coping so well with this dreadful weather that we are experiencing. I LOVE snowdrops …. I think because my birthday is in February they have always seemed to be my flower. Hope that your ‘ special ‘ snowdrop opens soon …. perhaps she is waiting until next week when the weather is supposed to calm down a bit !!
Hope that you are not suffering too much with the wind and rain.
Have a lovely weekend and keep dry if you can !! XXXX
We’ve had some fencing blown over and there are many small branches littering the ground everywhere, but we certainly haven’t suffered as badly as some. I do hope it does calm down next week, can get a bit of tidying up done! It did get very wild last night.
The weather might be terrible but you have some lovely treasures to enjoy. I always feel that the flowers of February are the most exciting of the whole year. Isn’t that Iris Cantab the loveliest colour?
It’s a gorgeous colour Chloris. You kind of feel February flowers shouldn’t be here, but they are. And that so many of them are fragrant makes them extra special.
The dwarf iris is my favourite- beautiful colour, and I do love snowdrops, of course. x
This year I want to do a lot of snowdrop transplanting and consolidating them into specific areas. I hope they will make more impact that way. If only the weather would play ball..
Enchanting! Thank you for sharing.
Thanks Freda!
I totally agree with you on the big daffodils. I made the mistake of planting big fancy types and I really don’t like them now and much prefer to photograph the tiny little ones. I really like your N. cyclamineus – that’s the type of daffodil I wish I’d bought years ago. I hope you stay safe and dry as you’re having horrific weather down there.
Isn’t it Scotland that’s supposed to get the worst of the weather?!
Our predecessors were blowsy daffodil fans. I have dug up loads, but the bulbs get themselves down really deep, it’s going to be an endless task.
Gorgeous pictures 🙂
We have a whole bank of snowdrops on the verge near the road they look wonderful, but as we are widening our driveway in the near future they will all have to be relocated. At least we now know where they are and can begin to move them soon. I would have hated to lose them.
I hope we are going to see a photo of your new special snowdrop when it finally bursts open.
Thanks Sue. They would look lovely on the edge of your woodland.. possibly not where the chickens can reach them!
I almost have the tripod set up ready.
The snowdrops are wonderful, I only have a few dotted about my garden but they do really need to be grown en mass like yours are to have an effect. I’d love to grow some ‘special’ ones but they’re so expensive, funds won’t allow at the moment.
I couldn’t believe how much some of them cost Jo. Tulip mania all over again. I could have got one already open, but I thought buying a bulb in bud would give me all the pleasure of the anticipation. Didn’t expect it would stretch to a week though..
It does the spirits good to see the renewal of the spring flowers – lovely combination of snowdrops with the Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’. Glorious colour from the Dwarf Iris Cantab.
The sun has finally come out again today and the snowdrops are positively glowing. Putting them in front of the black grass emphasises the effect. And makes them more noticeable to things with beaks.
You never let us down, there’s always something beautiful in your garden. Several somethings in fact. I love the snowdrops against the black grass, and camellias are some of my favourites, I’ll look forward to seeing it when it’s out. I think your snow drop will be fine, who wouldn’t love living in Devon.
We’re lucky that the soil down here is slightly acidic so camellias grow quite happily in the ground. But I need to crack the technique for taking cuttings, I’ve tried two years running without success so far.
Oh to have blooms in February … oh to actually see the garden in February.
British weather has been dreadful this year, hoping it improves soon.
Strangely maybe, I envy your climate. Proper winters and proper summers. Ours has tended toward a mixture of the two all year round. Mostly that means rain!
Very pretty!
Happy Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day!
Lea
Thank you Lea, you too!
Snowdrops with black mondo grass is a brilliant combo! Good luck with your plan to put bulbs in metal mesh, I’ve seen that recommended elsewhere to keep critters out. Happy GBBD!
That sounds encouraging Alison, it might actually work then!!
So lovely to see these beautiful spring flowers in your garden
They are a cheering sight aren’t they.
Oh how lovely to have carpets of Snowdrops and Cyclamen, how lovely they look. I do hope your daffs do as well. I just loved the Iris, what a fantastic blue they are, one of my favourite flowers. You do have lots blooming.xxx
Late winter flowers look so delicate don’t they, and yet they manage to cope with the conditions.
You have so much colour for a February garden. I am drawn to the dwarf iris. Such a lovely shade of blue.
I love blue flowers, this one is a gorgeous shade.
Dramatic combo, Snowdrops and Ophiopogon. I hope your lemon grass mentioned in the previous post takes off. I save a few culms in a pot for the cat to chew on through the winter, then plant it out in warm weather.
I’m really hoping the lemon grass will work. I use it quite a bit in cooking, but always have to buy larger quantities than I need. And picking anything straight out of the garden to cook is such a pleasure.
I’m with you on the dwarf daffs too, Jessica. Lovely to see your ‘ordinary’ but nonetheless still lovely snowdrops opening – ours are all just in buds still apart from the doubles. Shall I send you a picture of my fully open Jaquennetta to tease you?! Don’t you just love hellebores? I do… Great pictures 🙂
I saw Jaquenetta and could have bought it in flower, but decided one in bud would add to the excitement. Didn’t expect it to keep me on the hook quite so long though!
Beautiful colors, it gives hope that spring is just around the corner.
I hoped that all the rain didn’t effect you, and feared about your river overflowing it’s banks.
~Jo
Jo, thank you for your thoughts. The weather has been awful this year, so many people flooded. The river stayed put, but it is a long way down the hill too, thankfully!
Some gorgeous photos of your late winter/early spring flowers. The blue of the Iris is beautiful. The Snowdrops are lovely too; I hope Ptolemy leaves you plenty of them. I’ve planted clumps of Cyclamen but they’ve never spread very much. I think, seeing how yours are spreading, that I must plant some more to encourage them.
Thanks Wendy. It has taken the cyclamen a couple of years to do anything. I had thought of doing the same, if I add the new ones I bought in January I should have a really good show in a couple more years.
I’d be interested to know how your daphne gets on – the old lady up the road told me that they don’t like having cuttings taken, but do well with layering. So, ever impatient, I graciously accepted a bought potted one from Himself for my birthday!
My mother was about to move when I took these cuttings, so layering wasn’t an option. But three survived. One is doing well but has no flowers, this one has tatty leaves but lots of flowers, and one has been eaten by something! I bet yours is lovely.
Oh congratulations on your first named snowdrop Jessica – you are now on the road to a fatal addiction 🙂 The carpets of wild snowdrops are even more gorgeous though. Avon Bulbs sell narcissus cyclamineus – will have a look to see if I still have the autumn catalogue to check prices.
Thanks for the tip on Avon bulbs, I have been looking at their snowdrops on your recommendation. I think it’s going to become an addiction all right!
Gorgeous! Whatever that Hellebore is….I have the same one. Nice to be back in the world of technology. x
Tech hasn’t been going well here either.. We have broadband but only just. There have been yet more heated discussions with BT.
Did you plant all your Snowdrops Jessica or did you inherit them with the house? They seem to spred slowly in our wood – I keep moving a few each year but it is a slow job. Beautiful pics by the way – I need to learn to use my camera better – it doesn’t focus very close.
Thanks Viv. The snowdrops were here when we moved in, along with carpets of bluebells. Although they are not all in the right place, so I will be doing some shifting around too, to create the effect that I want.
You have so many pretty things in your garden and it isn’t even spring!
I’m trying to create more of an all seasons garden but, snowdrops aside, outside of the summer months it’s still a drop in the ocean yet.
I like the combination of Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’ and snowdrops too, I think I will borrow that idea 🙂 I can see your Daphne odora Aureomarginata has lost a lot of leaves too, even though it is evergreen, mine was bought only last November so I don’t know what to expect – how old is yours? How long does it take for the leaves to grow back?
And your special snowdrop is very nice! I haven’t splashed out on any of the ‘specials’ yet, but I have been tempted….
Happy GBBD!
Mine is just a cutting Helene, about two years old. I don’t know why it has lost its leaves either, because I have another cutting that has retained them. This one is in part shade, the one that retained its leaves is in full sun. Maybe the combination of shade and excessive wet? I was wondering whether it might send up new shoots from the bottom in Spring.
I like the snowdrops with the Ophiopogon. They are a good combination. And the dwarf iris is stunning. I love the color! I can see that spring is on the way in your part of the world! Our spring is coming early with unseasonably warm weather. We hardly had winter. It just doesn’t seem natural!
We hardly had what I would call a ‘proper’ winter either. It’s been very mild, just exceptionally wet. But there is still time for snow here yet, so I’m not counting my chickens.
Snowdrops seem to have done really well this year. I love your hellebores and the colours of the dwarf irises. Julie x
I don’t think I could ever have enough hellebores!
What a beautiful collection of blooms for such a miserable time of year :}
Thanks Jayne. When the rain stops for a minute and I can get outside they do cheer me up.
The snowdrops look wonderful against the black grass. I am going to remember that for my own garden!
Hi Francesca and welcome to rusty duck.
I originally saw the combination in a container arrangement along with a red stemmed dogwood. Very effective!
Beautiful february blooms from your garden Jessica! Love that lenten rose and of course the snowdrops.
Marian
With the increase in light level now as well, it’s starting to feel a bit more positive isn’t it. A beautifully sunny day here, I do hope it lingers. Thanks Marian.
Wonderful February blooms! I love the flowers at this time of year – all so pretty and so welcome after such a dull, dark and wild winter:)
Absolutely Rosie. Spring can’t come soon enough.
Those snowdrops looks fabulous! And what’s not to like about hellebores … I may be no gardener but I do adore flowers 🙂
I have tried growing hellebores from seed, it will be ages before they reach flowering stage, but hopefully then I can have some serious clumps.
Lovely pics Jessica. The Ophiopogon is a marvellous foil for lots of ‘little’ things. Your little special snowdrop is full of anticipation isn’t it. Good luck in protecting those new bulbs, pesky mice eh!
Lovely scenes for February bloom day 🙂
Pesky indeed. I’ve lost virtually every bulb I’ve planted so far, it needs to work!
I’ll take your weather right now. So nice to have blooms to enjoy and things greening up.
Here we have 2 feet of snow on the ground. A few more inches due in on Tuesday. We’ve had to shovel for the dogs to go out. Still indoors I have some clivia setting buds. I keep them in my sewing room. It’s cool in there and the flowers stay for a long time. Spring is not to far away.
Lovely photos as always.
Thanks Suzanne.
Your weather is on our news, as well as the other way round. I was given a clivia many years ago. It has flowered, but the flower stems stay too short so the flowers grow squashed in amongst the lower leaves. Any ideas?
Hmm, I’m no expert but I can tell you what I’ve done.
In the autumn just before frost is expected I bring them into my basement. I let them stay in the dim cool corner. It stays about 52 degrees F down there. At the end of January I bring them into my bright sewing room and I water them just slightly. I keep that about 62-65 degrees F at night. The stalks start to show second or third week in February. I water lightly once a week just because we have a wood stove and it makes the house very dry.
Mid May after danger of frost is over they go back outside. I have had them bloom slightly in July the past two summers. Did you know they are fragrant? It was a surprise to me.
I’ll post photos soon.
Thanks Suzanne. I will struggle with the basement phase because I can’t think of anywhere we have with those conditions. But I think I will try putting it outside this summer… I don’t usually do that. I didn’t know they were fragrant. An added incentive to get it properly into flower! Look forward to the pics.
Oh what lovely “babies” you have! The photo of the single hellebore is especially stunnng! Blessings, Natalie 🙂
It was taken from quite a distance away that one, the only way we could get low enough to look up into the flower. That’s the only disadvantage of hellebores. I saw a trick at a local garden of planting them above the level of a path, so I’m trying to do that now where I can.
You do have a lovely selection of flowers there. I’m going to have to do some serious planting to have something similar next year. On a smaller scale of course.
There were very few winter flowers here too when we arrived, apart from the snowdrops. I have a lot of planting still to do. Photographing them individually and close up gives the impression that the garden is a lot more colourful than it is!
Those are such a wonderful sight. The bulbs are lovely but the star of the scent has to go to the Daphne odora Aureomarginata. We have one in our garden too, but I haven’t seen any buds on it yet. Has it taken a long time to grow from a cutting? Sarah x
It’s two or three years old and still only about six inches high. I was surprised by the number of flowers because I have another, the same age, which is twice the height but has no flowers. Weird!
Love the snowdrops, mine are tinsy winsy clumpettes, though to be honest I am just glad to see them back again this year! More on order. I completely agree about the smaller daffs, the larger ones always seem to look awkward, whether planted in borders or naturalised. I’ve just ordered some cyclamen coum too, to mix with snowdrops under the sorbus. Sigh. And can I just say what excellent taste you have in planting snowdrops alongside ophiophogan?!
You are so kind. The snowdrops and cyclamen under the sorbus will look fab. My next challenge is Spanish bluebells, which are coming up in droves. And they go deep too. What I want to know is, why do the mice eat the delicate and tasteful bulbs I plant and leave the Spanish bluebells alone??
Snowdrops and Cyclamen…..
What happened to the rest of my comment?
It was witty…..colorful…..gosh, I’m disappointed…..
Snowdrops and Cyclamen…..
Forget it!
Nooooo!!!
I can’t find anything obvious that went wrong, but sorry it’s been a problem. I shall be forever wondering..
Drifts of snowdrops & the smaller daffodils sounds divine.
I found some Tete a Tete flower buds today too, so good to see Spring starting to happen.
Although I like snowdrops I’ve had to give up on them because they don’t like my garden. And Iris reticulata – among my favourite flowers – something’s been nibbling them ahead of flowering so they look tatty and, I think, will come to nothing. Good thing I like daffodils because they always do well. Lovely to see your photos and wish your plants were here!
I can really sympathise with things being nibbled. It’s an uphill battle. I end up with ‘specials’ encased in wire mesh, which somewhat detracts from their aesthetic appeal!
Lovely photos. Your garden is looking great. I hope the wildlife leave plenty for you to enjoy 🙂
Thanks Debbie. I would be happy to share, trouble is they want the lot!
While agreeing wholeheartedly with all these comments about the loveliness what I want to know is “Where are the creeping buttercups and bit of couch grass which are all around my snowdrops and hellebores?” What is the secret? I suspect it might be weeding which is a bit grim because my garden went to bed in the autumn with no attention whatsoever. I simply turned my back on it and slunk off inside.
Now that is the beauty of close up photography Elizabeth. They are cunningly concealed just out of shot! The weather has been so demotivating, I haven’t done much either. The soil is still claggy, standing on it would do no good at all. I just hope these occasional warm and sunny days will do something to dry it out. Trouble is, they are interspersed with more rain.