Garden Bloggers Bloom Day

The 15th of every month is Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, a day where garden bloggers everywhere photo-document what is blooming in their gardens. Since it coincides with the day of the week I publish my posts, I thought it would be fun to get in on the action. I had to cheat a little, I admit. I've been so busy at work, Joy Creek Nursery, as we've just opened for the season, that I have not had an opportunity to be in my own garden very much. I give you Bloom Day à la Joy Creek Nursery and a few tidbits from Chickadee Gardens. 

 Corylopsis pauciflora or buttercup winter hazel is in full, glorious bloom in the gardens at Joy Creek Nursery this week. The bees are going crazy for it and you can smell its sweetness long before you see it. It's about 6' high and just covered in blooms. A wonderful addition to the winter garden.

Here it is from a few feet back. Kind of an interesting growth habit.

Anemone nemorosa 'Robinsoniana' is normally a dark blue purple. This variation caught my eye, surrounded by the traditional color seen in the background.

Pachyphragma macrophylla, a self-seeding (politely, thank you) white woodland plant that is semi-evergreen.

Ribes sanguineum 'Pokey's Pink', a version of our native flowering currant, Ribes sanguineum. This plant is a little lighter pink than the species.

 Pulmonaria seedlings in the garden.

 Speaking of pulmonaria, I know this is cheating because it's in the greenhouse, but I had to share the spectacular show. The super blue in the background is Pulmonaria 'Benediction', a personal favorite.

A crazy flower of Anemone nemorosa 'Green Finger' for something a little different. Even though they are summer dormant, they are worth tucking in here and there for some winter color.

The common, cheerful daffodil. I love them so.

Magnolia x loebneri `Leonard Messel' just beginning to bloom. This is really a stunning tree and brings a lot of cheer to the winter garden.

Spiraea thunbergii 'Ogon', a simple and elegant shrub in a shady place. The branches arch downward on this particular plant; the effect is like a waterfall of stars in the shadows.

One of my favorite and most versatile, easy plants is Veronica umbrosa 'Georgia Blue'. I have it in both sun and shade, it's evergreen and blooms so freely. It's a low-growing ground cover plant, ideal for the front of a border.

Unknown crocus coming up next to Carex siderostica 'Variegata'.

Spent tassel flowers of Garrya elliptica, our native, evergreen silk tassel bush. Like a chandelier, so elegant.

This is another sort of cheat, it is blooming in the garden but I didn't have a good photo of it. It is our native Synthyris missurica ssp. stellata, commonly known as Columbia kittentails. Such a cutie plant! The foliage is evergreen and is, as you can see, early blooming.

Little star flowers of Ipheon uniflorum 'Album'. 

 Now for my own garden:

 Euphorbia rigida flowers that will turn pinkish as the season progresses.

 Erica x darlyensis 'Kramer's Rote', commonly known as darley heath. It may seem boring or common, but it provides for pollinators in winter and is evergreen.

 Not quite open, the buds on Grevillea lanigera 'Coastal Gem', an evergreen, low spreading grevilllea that is ideal for rock gardens or a ground cover. I will include photos once the blooms open up, they are so interesting.

Arctostaphylos x densiflora 'Sentinel', although only a year in the ground, is blooming away along with all the other arctos. This is a very valuable genus in my neck of the woods for winter pollinators.

One last heath, Erica x darlyensis, a clean white flower on a small evergreen shrub.

Pretty soon there will be more to photograph than I have time for as spring rushes in at an overwhelming pace. Although flowers are a bit sparse this time of year, the ones out there are incredibly valuable for pollinators, for color, and for interest in the garden. Mostly, they provide a large quantity of cheer, worth their weight in gold. It's fun to document what blooms when, be sure and check out other blogger's bloom day posts by going here, to host May Dreams Garden and her fabulous blog.

That's a wrap for this week at Chickadee Gardens. Thank you so much for reading and commenting, and happy gardening one and all! Spring is just about here, hang on, everybody!