February Flowers

It's beginning to feel a lot like spring, especially today. What a difference a day makes. It seems as thought we've had rain for the past week. The past two days were extremely wet, too miserable to get outside. I never thought I suffered from seasonal depression, but I think I'm beginning to, especially when the gray days go on for long stretches. 

Today, we are back to sunny and dry, and it looks like it may continue for at least a week. Hooray, there's so much to do. And there are things to see...

The little yellow crocus at the top of the page has been blooming for several weeks. The purple ones were just beginning to bud this morning -

By the end of the day...

A few days ago, as I was taking the kitchen compost out during the endless drizzle, I almost stepped on these Iris reticulata 'Little Gems'. I planted these last fall. They were on the end-of-season markdown at Lowe's. 

The hellebores have been blooming for some time now. I know people complain that you can't see the flowers unless you get down on the ground (true), but I think they are really pretty from the top -

I did manage to get down and get a view from below -

The snowdrops are very beautiful this year. It has taken several years for them to get going -

I love Euphorbia 'Ascot Rainbow' early in the season. Later, not so much -

And last but certainly not least - the Azara tree (Azara microphylla). The fragrance has been noticeable for about three weeks now. People describe it differently (vanilla or chocolate being the most common). To me, it smells like a cigar. 

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy