Is it Fall or Spring?

Crocus speciosus 'Albus'

We finally saw one of the two Fall Crocus varieties that we planted in September.  I had just about given up on them when lo and behold there they were popping through the grass.  Leaves have just about finished dropping from the trees and the nights are getting chillier but the days still have gone into the 60′s on occasion.  Enough so that some plants seem to think we are actually moving to Spring, skipping Winter altogether.

A highlight is the Camellia Japonica ‘Spring Promise’ that we got from Logee’s last Spring.  It is still a small plant but covered with buds that are bursting into bloom.

Camellia Japonica 'Spring Promise'

Spring Promise is one of the Ice Angel series of Camellias that were specifically bred to extend the Camellia range up into zone 6 territory.  I’m very impressed by this one so far although it seems to have put most of its first year of growth into producing flowerbuds rather than new branches.  It has the big leaves of the Japonicas rather than the smaller leaves of the Sasanquas.

Some of the other plants are also showing spring-like growth.  The Anemone Coronaria has put up new leaves in the rock garden.  Maybe this is why they don’t usually last long in this area.

Anemone coronaria leaves

I also see that the Star Magnolia and the Flowering Quince, two reliable harbingers of Spring are fattening their buds.

Star Magnolia bud

The forecast for today calls for nearly 60 degrees and no frost is predicted in the ten day forecast so I think that some of these spring-like fantasies are likely to continue…

We also had a visit from a hawk yesterday that reminded me that I need to clean the windows and remove the screen so I can take better pictures in the wintertime…