March 2010 Northern Hemisphere

[Panu]

I must say, I´m a bit jealous. Last night it was -27 °C. And the night before that and the next night seems be as cold also...

[Maggi Young]

I have sympathy for you, Panu... and for Janis in Latvia and Ramsis in Lithuania..... and I expect, Olga and friends in Russia ...... where winter is still evident. Makes me appreciate the  fact that we are getting some spring improvement here! 

[Ragged Robin]

Great looking plants flowering for you Wim and I'm intrigued by Scoliopus bigelowii - where is it native to?

[Maggi Young]

Robin, it's a charming little Californian plant.... see here:
http://www.srgc.org.uk/bulblog/log2005/010205/log.html and here....
http://www.srgc.org.uk/bulblog/log2006/080606/log.html  and here.....
http://www.srgc.org.uk/bulblog/190303/log.html .... there's a bit about its  brother Scoliopus hallii , too... it's even smaller !

[Ragged Robin]

Maggi, thanks for the links to Ian's bulb logs including the intriguing and altogether charming little plant, Scoliopus bigelowii and its little brother, thriving in Scotland a long way from its native home    Aren't plants amazingly adaptable? 

[Sinchets]

This Anemone pavonina was smart enough to flower after the snow, rather than before it - like its squashed sisters elsewhere in the garden.

[cohan]

a very cute little thing!
my friend was on the roof yesterday checking a chimney and swears there were bees out, but i can't imagine what they would be doing--nothing in flower here for a long time yet--pussywillows are probably coming out, but wouldn't likely be flowering yet, i think, have to go out there and look (in the wild)...

[Maggi Young]

my friend was on the roof yesterday checking a chimney and swears there were bees out, but i can't imagine what they would be doing--nothing in flower here for a long time yet--pussywillows are probably coming out, but wouldn't likely be flowering yet, i think, have to go out there and look (in the wild)...

I'm thinking your friend disturbed some bees that were in the chimney or in the roof somewhere and "forced " them out for a quick fly round.... they'd be crazy to be out naturally with you yet, I would have thought?!!

[TheOnionMan]

We've got bees out!  After 3 days of near gale force winds and 10" (25 cm) of rain, the bulbs are ready to pop.  My many self-sown hybrid seedlings of Crocus chrysanthus have been showing color for a week, holding out until this warm day.  Frankly I'm surprised by these busy bees being here so early... several visited each color form, mixing it all up 

Checking my photo records over the past 10 years, this is the earliest flowering on C. chrysanthus types by two weeks.

Here are three bee-views taken moments ago.

[Ragged Robin]

March has been colder here in the Alps than February but today the bees are out wallowing in the open crocus and trying to force open those that are in bud.  On the rockery the ants are on the move once more - the hebes have surfaced from under the snow and look fresh as a daisy 

[Armin]

Mark,
handsome crocus hybrids. And pollinators already out there! Good for lots of seed

[Gail]

Wonderful sunny day here and both bumble and honey bees were out in force.  It always amuses me when people say a cold winter will kill off all the bugs as we also have great clouds of midges, earlier and more numerous than usual.

Crocus with bees - Blue Pearl and Ard Schenk.  The yellow one I got as C. gargaricus, is that right?
Final pic is Ribes laurifolium, another plant very popular with the bees.

[TheOnionMan]

Wonderful sunny day here and both bumble and honey bees were out in force.  It always amuses me when people say a cold winter will kill off all the bugs as we also have great clouds of midges, earlier and more numerous than usual.

Crocus with bees - Blue Pearl and Ard Schenk.  The yellow one I got as C. gargaricus, is that right?
Final pic is Ribes laurifolium, another plant very popular with the bees.

What, no bee in your C. gargaricus!

How hardy is Ribes laurifolium and where is it from?  Is it evergreen.  Unique flower presentation for a Ribes, a genus I like

[Lampwick]

Photographed yesterday.
Iris histrioides 'Katharine Hodgkin' grown outside in a fine composted bark.

[Gail]

How hardy is Ribes laurifolium and where is it from?  Is it evergreen.  Unique flower presentation for a Ribes, a genus I like

Ribes laurifolium is from China, introduced here by Ernest Wilson in 1908.  It is evergreen and hardy (sorry I don't know zones) but in winters with very cold winds the leaves get a bit browned off at edges.