March 2023 in the Northern Hemisphere

[Robert]

Leena,

Thank you for sharing your husband’s photographs of the Northern Lights. The Northern Lights can be so very beautiful. The number of stars in the night sky amazed me. Only on a very clear night at the highest elevations of the Sierra Nevada Mountains can we see so many stars. 

It appears that spring will be arriving soon in your part of Finland. Locally, in the highest regions of the Sierra Nevada Mountains there is currently 16.7 feet (509 cm) of snow on the ground. Spring will not be arriving to these regions until late June or early July.

Shelagh,

I think that I would rather deal with 1 inch of snow than 16.7 feet. In the past I have visited homes buried by this much snow. It is like entering an ice cave. It is a strange experience. Spring is arriving in your parts? 

[Gabriela]

Just to prove we can get a Hepatica to flower outdoors in Bury. It's not quite up to the standard of our Sewell Medal winning 6 pan. Maybe next year. Sorry to boast Re medal but we've not much to boast about.

Congratulations Shelagh, your container grown Hepaticas are getting better one year after another!

[Gabriela]

Shelagh, your potted Hepaticas are amazingly floriferous!!

Here it is still snowy, but temperatures are rising so I hope to see snowdrops in couple of weeks.
In the earliest spot they are peaking through snow.

Last week one night there were northern lights even in the south of Finland.
My husband took these pictures of them.

Great pictures of the Northern Lights Leena - many thanks to your husband. That's the only way we get to see them.
And I see your first snowdrops Here there are more and more, and after heavy rains yesterday I also spotted the first Eranthis,  plus a Helleborus bud on a specimen uphill. Spring is definitely getting closer.

[Leena]

Leena,
Thank you for sharing your husband’s photographs of the Northern Lights. The Northern Lights can be so very beautiful. The number of stars in the night sky amazed me. Only on a very clear night at the highest elevations of the Sierra Nevada Mountains can we see so many stars. 

It appears that spring will be arriving soon in your part of Finland. Locally, in the highest regions of the Sierra Nevada Mountains there is currently 16.7 feet (509 cm) of snow on the ground. Spring will not be arriving to these regions until late June or early July.

That is a lot of snow! Here in my garden it is about 20cm still snow, except some very early spots, and around trees or a wooden fence.
We live in countryside so there are not many lights to dim the starts, but my husband says that stars in the sky from our garden is nothing how the stars look in Lapland, where there can be tens of kilometres to the nearest source of light.

[Leena]

And I see your first snowdrops Here there are more and more, and after heavy rains yesterday I also spotted the first Eranthis,  plus a Helleborus bud on a specimen uphill. Spring is definitely getting closer.

It is nice to see that your snow is also melting and snowdrops are already so advanced.

[Jeffnz]

Always fascinates me when I see plants in snow with a diameter of melted snow, not sure why this happens.

[Robert]

Many tiny Narcissus are blooming in our garden at this time, both hybrids as well as species.



Nemophila menziesii is also coming into bloom in our Sacramento, California garden. There are many fine varieties of Nemophila menziesii, from example ‘Frosty Blue’, and ‘Penny Black’. I enjoy the wild forms of this species such as those found near our Placerville property. My breeding efforts will be toward retaining the deep blue color of the flowers as seen in the wild near our Placerville property. A much more compact plant habit and more flowers are also important to me. I enjoy breeding plants specifically for traits that I like and plants that will thrive in our garden.

[Jasmin]:

Shelagh:  Your six pan display is lovely.  It is wonderful when tender care and the weather combine into such a display.  When the weather has been as varied as it is these days, a photo and a moment of pride can reinvigorate the spirit.

Thank you everyone, for your thoughts and prayers!

The weather here has continued to include multiple warnings:  high winds, tempestuous rainfall amounts, and worrisome flood risk.  If you just see the satellite imagery, that alone is enough to spur one to pack up, ready to leave, or wish we were living in a houseboat:





What actually happened during the storm itself was rather odd:



The entire swath around us is embraced in rain, while our area remained in this clearing.

[Robert]

As the storm passed through, we did receive rain; however the storm split into two segments, north and south.





Many areas were still affected, and striving to cope with the parade of inclement weather.  However, thankfully, most of the snow is intact.  As warm as the rain was, the snow absorbed it, rather than melt.  So far, I have not made my way through all the terms to find the exact one, but thank you Maggi and Ian Young!

As Robert mentioned, the higher altitudes have deep snow, and there is the risk of “Snow smoor” suffocation by snow:



At the lowest elevations, the snow melted into the earth, which was better than having to deal with sØrpe/ glush/goor—sludge/slush/garbage!  Once the sun did appear, it was a shock—not only to the eyes (I felt like I had been a mole), but the entire body—Temperatures ranged from 10° C to an astonishing 20° C all of a sudden for a couple of days.

This was the opportunity to actually examine the effects of the latest series of storms on the garden, and it too was exploding out, just like the sun:

[Robert]

Somehow the flowers survived the thrashing winds.  I could see the whole tree wave by, a violent ballerina dance.

Many Brassica in the garden instantly began to bolt and had to be torn out, and Harlequin insects seemed to be crawling all over the place.  However, it was also the sudden pleasure of shoots, leaves, and flowers magically on display, a wonder in the face of the incessant onslaughts.





In spite of—or because of—the sun, all I could do was nap with the birds in the warmth of the aviary.  This was a good choice; today began yet another series of inclement days.



The last scene is of self-sown Nemophila maculata blooming in the garden.

[MarcR]

Robert,

My Nemophila have not yet shown themselves.

I grow N. menziesii, maculata, and phacelioides.

[Robert]

Hi Marc

Your Nemophila species have not germinated yet, or just no flowers yet?

Another Forumist grew Nemophila and other annual species native to California. They live in Northern Europe. I got the impression that the species bloomed during the summer, at least with their climatic situation. Their plants were blooming when ours were dying and ripening seed. It would have been very informative to learn if these species bloomed all summer in their location. Maybe they even bloomed into the autumn? There is still a great deal for me to learn concerning our California native annuals and how the preform with different climatic and day length situations.

[MarcR]

Robert,

At the time I posted, my Nemophyla had not germinated yet. They have since poked their heads above ground. I don't expect any more frost this year but I do anticipate snow mixed with rain at about 36F this Wednesday.

[Leena]

Always fascinates me when I see plants in snow with a diameter of melted snow, not sure why this happens.

Jeff, I don't know why either.
Here is another example.

This week snow has started to melt, but the last week of March will be cold  again with more! snow.

[Redmires]

Another Forumist grew Nemophila and other annual species native to California. They live in Northern Europe. I got the impression that the species bloomed during the summer, at least with their climatic situation. Their plants were blooming when ours were dying and ripening seed. It would have been very informative to learn if these species bloomed all summer in their location. Maybe they even bloomed into the autumn? There is still a great deal for me to learn concerning our California native annuals and how the preform with different climatic and day length situations.

Hi Robert

I grow some annuals most years and could try some Californians next season (I'm afraid I've done my seed-buying for this season). My garden is mostly semi-shaded, but if you're particularly interested in Nemophila I could try some in a couple of the sunnier spots - seed is readily available here (I like the look of N. menziesii 'Penny Black'). It wouldn't be a big trial, but I'd enjoy experimenting semi-systematically with different sowing times and situations. If you think such a project might provide you with interesting information please remind me around August, so that I can add the seeds to an order.

I tend to sow everything that is hardy enough in early autumn. I find that although autumn-sown plants don't put on much foliage before spring, they do seem to develop good root systems, leading to bigger plants and earlier flowers, although from my point of view the most important advantage is that by the time the spring rush of slugs starts they're big enough and tough enough to cope - or at least that is the theory. I haven't grown many Californian natives - almost certainly nothing from the hotter parts - but Clarkia amoena has done well for me from an autumn sowing and I was also quite taken with Gilia capitata. I've yet to repeat the Gilia because I don't know whether it would survive an autumn sowing and there are British natives with blue pincushion flowers (although not the pretty ferny foliage of the Gilia) to try - thinking about it, a comparison might be fun!

I'm slowly trying annuals and biennials that I think might be suitable for my garden as time, budget and my supply of seed trays permit. I'm interested in learning a bit about whether flowering is triggered by increasing day length or increasing temperature, as this obviously affects how early I can expect to get flowers, but I don't have the scope for systematic experimentation. I'd quite like to find an alternative to Erysimum to go under my fruit trees and flower around the same time (gorgeous visual effect, hopefully beneficial to fruit set) as I don't want to grow Brassicaceae there every year. My tentative plans for this autumn's annuals include Limnanthes, which I believe grows in California and might cope with an autumn sowing - its colours would fit very well in late spring if can be persuaded to flower then and it is reputed to be attractive to pollinators.

As far as climatic conditions in my part of the world go, I can't tell you much off the top of my head, but could search out some data to provide context. I think our rainfall is lowest in April, May and temperatures peak in July, when the mean daily max. has probably been close to 20 Celsius in recent years. Winters are cold (although lower than about -8 Celsius would be unusual), wet and increasingly unpredictable.

 

[Mariette]

Shelagh, I do admire the trouble and patience to grow such outstanding hepaticas in pots! Struggling myself to grow some in my garden, I share Your pleasure in succeding to do so in some spots.

Leena, to watch the Northern Lights must be a breathtaking experience, thank You for sharing it with us!

It´s fascinating to be given such diverse impressions of weather and vegetation at the same time here, especially  the contrasts shown by Robert and Jasmin within a relatively small area. One can only hope You´ll find the strength to cope with all these challenges!

In our area, the first geophytes are withering, and the followers take over. Märzenbecher is the German name for Leucojum vernus, alluding to their flowering in March. This one really does, most of them start flowering in February, nowadays.



Primulas and Corydalis offer a welcome change of colours after snowdrop-season.



This chance seedling is one of my favourites this year.



Some more.



For several years I bred hellebores, nowadays I just enjoy selecting chance seedlings.