January 31, 2021

January Blooms

Winter started out really cold. Cold enough to kill off all my broccoli plants. Then came rain and mild days, and that has meant discovering more things blooming in January than I ever recall. They are all small and indiscreet, but welcome color nonetheless. All of these have presented themselves this past week.

Rosemary, always a winter bloomer.

Yarrow, just a few blooming here and there.

I have no idea what these are. Tiny pink buds, white flowers.

Another one I'm not sure of. At first, I thought
it was heartsease, but the leaves say differently.
I think it's germander speedwell! Thanks, Boud!

Here's one I do know. Chickweed
amongst the turnips and garlic.

Speaking of turnips, these are a new variety for me.
 
It's fun to find these little gems of color, while the one I usually expect to be first, hasn't bloomed yet!

Daffodils fixing to bloom.

Does it mean spring is right around the corner? It's tempting to start thinking about early spring planting, but I know better than to count on it! So, rather than second guess it, I just try to appreciate whatever it brings. That's one of the joys of seasonal living. 

25 comments:

Cockeyed Jo said...

When the daffodils bloom around here, I expect snow. It happens every year. I think the little bluish purple flowers are either wild violets or Johnny Jump Ups.

daisy g said...

Wow, your daffs are even further along than ours! I did have some hyacinth bloom last week, although we've had steady temps in the 20s and 30s in the morning. Go figure.

Enjoy the early color!

Retired Knitter said...

Confusing weather messes with Mother Nature!

Boud said...

The little flowers might be germander speedwell. Worth checking. I love identifying wildflowers.

Leigh said...

Jo, come to think of it, I have quite a few pics of daffodils in the snow! I thought the same of those little purple flowers, but the leaves don't match either of those. Almost more like creeping charlie.

Daisy, hyacinth! I think I used to have a few of those around. They usually make an appearance before the daffodils. Daffodils seem to vary quite a bit in blooming, anytime in January or February.

RT, I've come to expect that here in the SE! Keeps things interesting. :)

Boud, thanks for the lead! I'll look into it. I don't recall seeing these before, so of course, I'm curious.

Leigh said...

Germander speedwell - yes, I think that's it!

Ed said...

Ice and snow up here yesterday and today. Already had a foot of snow on the ground before that. Nothing green is showing unless it is a house painted that color.

Leigh said...

Ed, I won't crow too loudly. We still have plenty of time for some of that ourselves!

Mama Pea said...

What a treat to see blooms! Of course, we're a long way from seeing any blossoms around here, as you know. But those little spots of color are a joy to behold. It must be that I just want something crisp and fresh from the garden, but I could take a big bite out of one of those white turnips dirt and all!

Nancy In Boise said...

After I say I saw your photo I just remembered that rosemary blooms! I haven't seen any on mine for years and years but I did winter mine over this year indoors to go back out on our deck so we'll see if it does it .

Toirdhealbheach Beucail said...

Leigh, I think that is one of the small, hidden wonders about being in a place for a while and having plants, be they gardens or the forest or just a simple yard: you find all kinds of variables and unexpected things that sometimes are literally every other year or every fifth year. This is something that the parts of our society that are highly mobile and disconnected from the natural world (except for weather) miss out on.

Hill Top Post said...

It is encouraging to see your spring-like photos. Now I am inspired to go looking to see what I can find.

Leigh said...

Mama Pea, it's the time of year to start hankering for fresh veggies! And for color. Still a ways to go before spring is official, though.

Nancy, actually, I'm surprised mine makes it through the winter. We do have a number of really frigid spells that kill other things. Your winters are harsher than ours, so maybe bringing it indoors was a good thing.

TB, the other thing is learning to not be so busy all the time as to not notice the little things. I used to allow myself to be time pressured, so that I didn't take time to enjoy nature's little gifts. It's a lesson I'm so glad I learned.

Mary, thanks! Spring is always a happy event!

Goatldi said...

Blooms here too. Chickweed is pretty much year round. No yarrow yet and my rose bush is bud less with the frequent hard freezes.

We have a common bloomer. Come on over!

Cederq said...

Not sure where in Southern Appalachia ya'll reside. I am living in the panhandle of Idaho and we had 45 degree temps today and over the weekend it is supposed to be in the mid 50s... through next week. I will be moving back to Alabama this spring, possibly the Bankhead area around Decatur or more Eastern, North of Gadsden. Getting tired of the cold and shorter growing season.

Leigh said...

Goatldi, your chickweed blooms year around? Lucky you! It's one of my favorite foraged edibles for salads, but it always dies back in summer. :(

Cederq, well, I can't blame you there. I used to want to move back north because I missed a "real" autumn. But the older I get, the less I want to deal with really cold winters! The shorter growing season would be a negative point too.

Henny Penny said...

How exciting. I haven't seen the first bloom of anything around here. There are a few jonquils (sp) coming through the ground. Our weather is so unpredictable! Your plants are so pretty...and those big turnips. We love stewed turnips!

Kathy P said...

Plants blooming! We have 2 feet of snow and expect more tomorrow. Today it was - 20 'C. Spring is probably about 6 weeks away.
Is your mystery plant a shrub? The leaves and flowers remind me of wild honeysuckle.
Kathy P

Leigh said...

Henny, that unpredictable weather is what keeps things interesting! We're nosediving downward in a day or two, so the promises of early spring will be forgotten.

Kathy, we're supposed to get snow by the end of the week! Yes, the mystery plant is a type of shrub with long thorns. And it sends out long branches and climbs up nearby trees. I haven't been able to ID it yet. The flowers are very sweet smelling.

wyomingheart said...

Nice to see the blooms! Nothing here but snow and cold...soon...

Leigh said...

Wyomingheart, we've dipped back into another frigid spell as well. No snow though!

Nina said...

Living vicariously through your plants in bloom. It will be weeks before we get any plants in flower here! The ground is still frozen solid and blanketed with white. :)

Leigh said...

Nina, winter blooms are an advantage of living as far south as I do. On the other hand, our blistering hot summers sort of negate that advantage!

Rosalea said...

Lovely. I've never been able to overwinter Rosemary, or see it bloom! My daffs are under knee-deep snow, but the daylight is lasting longer, and the sun is strong. I love these winter days, and I think they make the promise of spring so much more exciting. February is half way between the winter solstice and the spring equinox.

Renee Nefe said...

I couldn't tell if our daffodils were attempting to come up yet because we got about 2 inches of snow last night. I did notice that our maple trees were thinking about budding though. sigh! We don't have any flowers right now, but the snap dragons were greening up.