Snow.  Freezing temperatures.  Rain.  Wind.  I think it’s safe to say that the weather this week has dampened the spirit of gardeners and flower enthusiasts, but hopefully not for long.  Six inches of snow in early April is never desirable, but especially not when the weather this winter was mild enough to encourage spring bloomers to open early.  Many of the earliest daffodils were beginning to put on a show prior to the sharp change in weather.  Despite the dire circumstances, the daffodils appear to have withstood the worst of it.  The foliage and flower stems may be a little bent over, but the blooms live on.  Those happy flowers refuse to be completely downtrodden by the snow.  This resilience is so endearing!  How could I not appreciate a plant that is almost totally submerged in snow but keeps blooming anyway?  Luckily, the blooms that have yet to open are still standing tall and should open to their full potential in the coming days and weeks.

The daffodils aren’t the only ones that have prevailed despite the snow.  Two of the early blooming varieties of Tulips in the cutting garden were blooming away surrounded by snow.  With their icy blanket melted away in the rain, those intrepid tulips look none the worse for wear.  It’s almost as though the snow never happened!  Hyacinthus ‘Festival Blue’ also took the weather in stride.

Did your spring bulbs surprise you this week?  I hope you get the chance to see the daffodils here at Blithewold in the coming weeks.  They are beacons of hope and life!