Crikey, it's cold out there this morning.
Yes, to my eternal shame, I have grass!
Despite the cold, the natives are restless.
Me too. I'm out there every day, even in the rain showers, checking on their growth. The dog's tooth violets (Erythronium dens-canis), a wildflower native to Europe, are close to full flower, but not quite. By next month's Wildflower Wednesday, they'll be past. (Don't worry, I'll post pictures).
She hides shyly behind a leaf
There, that's better!
"I'm ready for my close-up."
(Edit:) By 4 p.m. on the day I posted, my shy dog's tooth violet had opened
Her little sister waits nearby for her moment of glory
Ah! The sun turns the frost to dew
Fawn lily (Erythronium tuolomnense), a California native, is also close to flower. Two bulbs were bought and planted last Fall, but only one shows signs of life. The leaves are a bit chewed up, but thankfully so far the flower buds are safe.
I don't think I posted about my Flower and Garden Show purchases. I bought several bare-root Trilliums, rather dry and dusty in their little plastic bags of moss. Looks like they were indeed alive.
Trillium recurvatum and Trillium sessile, pictured here, are not actually Pacific Northwest natives. Last Spring I bought a couple of native Trillium ovatum, but I haven't seen any sign of them returning. (I'm not an authority on Trilliums and trout lilies, I just try to grow them. For information, follow the live links by clicking on their names. And don't forget to click on my pictures to make them larger.)
Several patches of western bleeding hearts (Dicentra formosa), planted last Fall, are showing themselves. No sign of flowers yet, but hopefully by next month...
Western columbine (Aquilegia formosa), also planted last Fall, have shown up.
In other news, another wildflower, Oregon fleabane (Erigeron speciosus), sown inside a milk bottle cloche, is sprouting.
And (Trumpets Please!) at least one of my red flowering currants has flower buds!
Wildflower Wednesday is a blogging meme hosted by Gail Eichelberger's blog Clay and Limestone. It is "about sharing and celebrating wildflowers from all over this great big, beautiful world. Join us on the fourth Wednesday of each month. Remember, it doesn't matter if they are in bloom or not; and, it doesn't matter if we all share the same plants. It's all about celebrating wildflowers."
Follow the link to her blog to see more posts about wildflowers.