As usual for a February GBBD the Adonis is the most striking flower in our garden.  They always begin even when snow may be falling and they shake off the cold days.  Good luck finding any because nurseries seldom carry Adonis any more.  If you find them scoop them up in a hurry.

Elsewhere there a lot of winter aconite, hellebores, and snowdrops.  The snowdrops are showing an increasing ability to propagate into the lawn and are multiplying every year.

And the winter aconite are everywhere, both where I’ve put them and where they are now spreading.

There are even a couple of unusual cultivars that are spreading as well.

The Hellebores are just getting started but their flowers are always arresting and we usually cut some for display in the house.

And out in the woods the Helleborus foetidus has continued to put out its flowers.

Of course it’s also worth noting that the early daffodils are just finishing.  Many more to come.

And the first of the Camellia japonicas putting out their wonderful flowers.

Of course in the midst of everything the crocus are doing their usual springtime thing.

Sometimes when you walk about the yard you go just to inspect the things that you expect to be blooming.  I almost missed the first ot the small Iris sticking up its little flag.

And over in the alpine bed I found this little polygala putting it’s first flowers out.

It’s worth pointing out the greenhouse also has flowers to share with us.

There’s also a tiny thalictrum that needs to be planted outside

We recently returned from California with its flowers galore so I was very pleased to see how many things were in flower here in Maryland.  I put together a little SLIDE SHOW to share the general effect of my first walk around the yard last weekend.