Hepaticas emerging

Every day now is an opportunity to walk around the garden (maybe more than once a day) and see what it stirring from winter slumber.  It has to be my favorite time of year.  Each of the little spring ephemerals has it’s own way of surprising as it sends up the first exploratory shoots.  The hepaticas with their hairy stems are especially charming to see.  The first off the mark is one of the very tiny Hepatica nobilis.

Hepatica nobilis 'Deep Red-Pink'

The startlingly red color more than compensates for the small size.

Trillium and trout lilies are putting up shoots and in the woods the little striped squalls are in full flower.

Puschkinia scilloides var libanotica

Also in the woods the wonderful early Daffodil ‘Little Gem’ is brightening up the forest path.

Daffodil 'Little Gem'

The Hellebores are continuing to amaze.  I plan to be shopping for more this week.  A very strong grower is Ivory Prince.

Helleborus Ivory Prince flower

Helleborus Ivory Prince Plant

Surprisingly the Fritillaria raddeana is blooming almost as it’s coming out of the ground this year.  I remember it usually being much taller before the flowers come out.

Fritillaria raddeana

And one of my favorite plants, the variegated winter daphne, is opening up its flowers.

Daphne odora 'Aureomarginata'

This is a flower that I have never satisfactorily photographed.  I think it’s partly because I ‘see’ it also with my nose and that fragrance makes it beautiful beyond compare.  The plant is large enough to create a cloud of incense as you walk by.

Daphne odora 'Aureomarginata' plant

Fragrance, flowers, and winter-hardy evergreen plant.  What more could one ask for?