Spring has Sprung!

My gardener was right: winter aconite (Eranthus hyemalis) and snow drops (Galanthus nivalis) are blooming on this client's slope.

This natural planted area in Queens gets afternoon sun and is snow free now — unlike many other areas, especially north-facing slopes, which still have ample snow cover. My guess is the snow cover moderated soil temperatures, and when the afternoon sun finally melted through, it began to warm the soil, speeding these little gems along.

Whatever the mechanism, this is the only site I see in bloom just now — although I'm sure there must be others. 'Arnold Promise' witch hazels (Hamamelis x intermedia 'Arnold Promise') are about to pop and paperbush's (Edgeworthia chrysantha) odd buds are quite swollen, but neither is yet truly in bloom.

Bright color has returned to the landscape!

Winter aconite and snowdrops on a sunny westward slope in Kew Gardens, Queens.

Brrrr... Where are the Flowers?

One of my employees reported seeing winter aconite last week, so I went to the park today to see if any of my local Eranthis, Galanthus, or Crocus were in bloom, but the slope was still blanketed in snow. If anything is going on under there, it's very hard to say ( I didn't want to disturb the beauty of the pristine snow cover).

We most definitely had all of those species in bloom at this time last spring, and witch hazels (hamamelis) too.

I have not been out and about extensively yet, so I cannot give a report on the progress of other early spring bloomers, like paperbush (Edgeworthia), but we will finally get a 50 degree day this weekend, and I hope to finally be out in the landscape planting and observing.

More Memories of Winters Past

Here's a witch hazel (Hamamelis) from this day in 2010. Formerly located near the Carrere stairs in Riverside Park, NYC.

Memories of Winters Past

Alternate-side parking regulations resume in New York City today after a 22-day hiatus, which can only mean one thing — the snow has finally melted.

What effect this extended snow cover will have on botanical life remains to be seen. On one hand, the blanket of snow buffers the soil from the coldest arctic air and preserves soil warmth; on the other hand, it reflects the sunlight that would otherwise fall on and warm south-facing slopes — the slopes that usually produce the earliest blooms of snowdrops and crocus.

I saw a few clumps of daffodil foliage breaking through the soil surface in Staten Island this weekend, but have yet to see anything actually blooming. In years past, we have seen snowdrops (Galanthus) blooming by now. Here's a photo from 2010.

Snowdrops blooming at the New York Botanical Garden in 2010

More Winter Green

Here's a nice bank of green poking out of a snowy roadside bank in Staten Island. Dog hobble, also called drooping laurel (Leucothoe), has two species which I'm not sure I can tell apart : L. axillaris and L. fontanesiana.

Since I was walking in the High Rock native area of the Greenbelt Conservancy, I'm guessing its L. fontanesiana, because that species is native from New York south, while L. axillaris is native from merely Virginia southward — although now that we are a warmer USDA zone 7B, Virginia natives should certainly do well here.

There are cultivars of L. fontanesiana available in the trade which I like to use in winter planters. Besides being winter-hardy and evergreen, they have the added bonus of turning a lovely burgundy once colder weather sets in. When admirers ask what the plant is called, I'm never quite sure which is less disappointing: dog hobble, or drooping laurel. Neither seems appropriate for this beautiful shrub.

Dog hobble and mountain laurel peeking out of a roadside snowbank in the Greenbelt on Staten Island

Buds Are Swelling

While this winter has been far from the coldest, the seemingly harsh weather has been historic in one regard — it's among the snowiest on record. With Tuesday's .16 inches in Central Park, New York City has had 48 inches of snow in January and February alone, setting a new record for snowfall in the first two months of a year.

Today, however, is a balmy 45 degrees Fahrenheit, and tree buds everywhere are beginning to swell. I first noticed the Cornelian cherries (Cornus mas) in Central Park pushing sap last weekend, but in the past few days, the vernal flood gates have opened. Pregnant nodes on street trees everywhere are beginning to show.

The cycle of growth resumes.

Pyrus calleryana, Bradford Pear, buds swelling on West 101st Street in Manhattan.