March 2013 in the Northern Hemisphere

[Maggi Young]

At least you have some big snow drops, Olga? 

Looks like ONE BIG snow drop to me......... perfectly white, too!

[Olga Bondareva]

Looks like ONE BIG snow drop to me......... perfectly white, too!

Yes, one big snow drop. 

I am very thankful to all posting pictures here. They give me a hope all this snow melt and spring come.

[Leena]

I am very thankful to all posting pictures here. They give me a hope all this snow melt and spring come.

I feel just the same! We don't have quite as much snow left, but still freezing day and night, and no sign of anything green yet.

[angie]

Just starting to snow here again. WILL THIS EVER END 

Angie 

[ranunculus]

It will be gone by January, Angie.

[angie]

It will be gone by January, Angie.

Cliff it feels like that at the moment. If it doesn't warm up soon I am going to jump on a plane and give Anthony a visit. Don't tell him as he might not let me come for a visit 

Angie 

[Hoy]

I can't complain of snow, in fact it has been very dry here and much sunshine but too cold to garden as the soil is frozen solid.
However a few spring flowers emerge from the bone hard ground like this Corydalis bracteata (I think), Crocus tommasinianus, Leucojum vernum, Galanthus 'Wendy's Gold'  and Eranthis hyemalis. Nothing special but the first signs of spring - a month late.

[WimB]

Trond, great to see your spring has sprung too!

Did you plant that 'Wendy's Gold' in between the Eranthis to see if it's really yellow? 

[Hoy]

Trond, great to see your spring has sprung too!

Did you plant that 'Wendy's Gold' in between the Eranthis to see if it's really yellow? 

My spring doesn't spring, it is crawling slowly . . .
In fact I had forgotten the Eranthis when I planted Wendy's Gold. Will see if I have to move any of them. But the colour is rather similar

[Zdenek]

Here are the first three flowers which appeared in my Alpine House whilst there is 15 cm of snow oudoors. All three pots are plunged in that blanket of snow for photography.

Colchicum kesselringii
Dionysia 'Zdenek Zvolanek'
Ranunculus calandrinioides

[Jozef Lemmens]

Nice plants, Zdenek. We all, are waiting for spring.

[Melvyn Jope]

I know plenty of plant lovers think its crazy but I really like celandines and think they put on a great show with both leaves and flowers before they disappear. Now that the snow has almost all gone from my garden I was checking out the celandines and have found that once again wood pigeons have eaten almost all of the leaves.

In the first photo they are all unnamed forms with the exception of  the second from right bottom row which is Ranunculus ficaria ssp chrysocephalus 'Pencarn'
The second photo is a plant selected last year and potted to look after it, the distinctive colouring sets it apart from any others I grow.

[Maggi Young]

Not surprised that the wood pigeons find the leaves tasty, Melvyn - I believe that the young leaves are edible by people, too 

[Gail]

Not surprised that the wood pigeons find the leaves tasty, Melvyn - I believe that the young leaves are edible by people, too 

Don't think I'd try them! I do eat several of my garden weeds but celandines, like many other members of the buttercup family, contain protoanemonin which can be toxic. Young leaves may not have built up high levels and it is supposedly degraded by heat or drying but if you are having guests round they may prefer other greens in their salad....

[Maggi Young]

Don't think I'd try them! I do eat several of my garden weeds but celandines, like many other members of the buttercup family, contain protoanemonin which can be toxic. Young leaves may not have built up high levels and it is supposedly degraded by heat or drying but if you are having guests round they may prefer other greens in their salad....

I quite agree, Gail, but seemingly our ancestors were partial  to the freshly emerged foliage.  In those days there was a distinct lack of fresh greens from a polytunnel and/or the supermarket, for sure!

We spoke about this before- probably many years ago in the old forum, so I don't remember where I learned this stuff - I just remember that every time I see the foliage emerging, I think of the poor souls who were hungry enough to eat it at one time...