Hi everybody!
I have my first blossom of the new year -- a Narcissus bulbocodium hybrid, sometimes called a hoop petticoat. This is in the same family as the ones from the catalogs, but those were bred to be pot plants and don't reliably bloom the second year -- and they also bloom 4 months later.
For most people the Snowdrop is the earliest, but these are even earlier!
Suzy
Suzy, Is this it's normal bloom time or has the weather been a factor?
ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh such a pretty little flower..................
This is normal bloom time == anytime after about New Year's Day when the ground isn't frozen solid. (usually the first thaw)
If you look closely, you can see the foliage has been frozen pretty bad. One of its parents blooms at Thansgiving, but really isn't hardy here, the other parent blooms Feb-Mar. I'll take another picture when the other flowers are open in the clump.
Suzy
Wow, first bloom! Pretty little thing. They could be tucked almost anywhere couldn't they.
I have regular daffodils pushing up the dirt and a couple leaves in view. Luckily they've stopped. They aren't even early bloomers. I don't think they have ever shown themselves in January.
Pam, YES! We have robins and a bunch of tohers, too. I dug in some plants yesterday and all the worms are at the top of the soil -- no wonder the ground feeders were out infull-force yesterday! I feel sort of bad -- I bring in all this organice matter for the worms, only to have them fatten up and be eaten by the birds. It's like i am adding to their demise.
BillyP - Yes, they can be put anywhere! With the sun at such an acute angle in the sky, they can even be put under large evergreens (on the south side).
Suzy
You know, I typed that as I was looking out the window at my little Fat Albert Pine Tree!! I was thinking it would look good under there.:)) Are they fall planted like any bulb?
My bulbs are all trying to show theirselves, but we've got freezing temps on the way tonight.
You mentioned robins, well three days ago I looked out my back door and found my entire backyard covered with robins, probably 50 of them. I love the birds, but I'm not familiar with their habits. They looked like they were at a great party, eating and drinking away. I will occasionally see a robin, but never in mass. Surely they didn't eat all the worms out of my garden!!??
Cool! If they found them they ate them! :))
My pipes froze last night, we had probably 11 degrees last night. We have never had frozen pipes here so we did not think to let the water trickel through the lines. great.
I have unnaturally blooming daffs in January. A first I've ever heard of.
Those look like newly planted daffs. Dave no wonder they're confused. Where I am in Virginia I don't have crocuses
or more than an inch of daffodil leaf sticking out of the ground, but the buds on the flowering quince have started to turn color, and closer into the city I saw some blooming.
What I am really waiting for is the asparagus to start coming up. That happened in January once when my kids were little. Yummy!
Please pass the butter...
It's finally cold here (30 degrees). I had 5 daffs blossom that I picked. Another 10 budded but didn't make it to blossoming.
dayli, they probably are daffs I planted this fall. 2 questions:
Does this occur more often in new plants?
How could you tell that "they look like newly planted daffs"?
Thanks
I think bulbs have more of a tendency to bloom out-of-synch with local conditions their first year.... I know I can't ever make assumptions about "what blooms together with what" the first spring. The only reason I'd say yours look newly planted is that they haven't formed clumps yet...
Our weather has turned cold here too, but fortunately I don't think any of the spring bulbs actually put up buds yet.
Dave -- 18 degrees F is the magic number for blooming/budded daffodils. Above that and they may lay down, but they'll get back up when the sun hits them. 18 degrees & below, they are down for the count.
Watch for black foliage. It is soot or fire or something like that and will spread to other plants by way of splashing rain. It must be clipped off and thrown away (No compost pile). I am pretty sure the black comes with temps below 10 degrees.
Suzy
Critter & Suzy,
Thanks very much for the info!
Dave
