early flowers
A few perennials have adapted to thrive on the edges of the growing season for the privilege to have the whole garden to themselves. Some, like the hellebores, bloom in the middle of winter, often under the snow, undeterred by single digit temperatures or biting winds. Others, like the toad lily, wait until every perennial in the garden has retired for winter in order to delight us with their orchid-like flowers.
Winter aconites are the first flowers of spring or the last flowers of winter, depending on your perspective. They bloom really early, from the end of February to mid-March, when their cheerful yellow flowers are the first signs of life in a landscape that is still dormant. The plants are actually related to the buttercups, not the aconites, but are just as poisonous as the latter, which is probably how they got their name. All the plant parts are poisonous, including the pollen, it seems. So, I guess, don’t smell them?
They are not the only flowers in the garden, I noticed with glee during my quick stroll through the back yard. There are hellebores of every color, an enthusiastic hepatica, even an early orange crocus. Everything else is still in dry stick mode, full blown spring is still a couple of weeks out.
Have you ever noticed how, after hesitating for what it seems like forever, vegetation comes to life suddenly, almost overnight? It makes you feel like you went to sleep in February and woke up in June.
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