Winter Wrap-Up

Can you believe we’re just a little over a week away from the beginning of Daylight Savings? Maybe you can - after all, the days have been getting noticeably longer, the weather is slowly warming (although perhaps falsely), and the eyes of spring are beginning to peek out from their slumber.

Among these early-emergent peepers, a mixed bag of plant material can be found, from cool season grasses like Nassella tenuissima to succulent summer bloomers like ‘Autumn Joy’ stonecrop. Native fern species like Polystichum acrostichoides are beginning to unfurl their crosiers into tiny fronds, while reliable groundcovers such as Heuchera villosa ‘Autumn Bride’ are pushing through leaf litter and debris to reveal brand-new, downy baby leaves.

Meanwhile, some of the first fragrances of the year beckon like aromatic cartoon fingers pulling a drooling thief to a freshly baked pie cooling in an open window. Rare ornamentals like Edgeworthia chrysantha summon passersby with their delicate floral fragrance, often beguiling unsuspecting garden visitors with their peculiar end-of-winter flower clusters. Witch hazels such as Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Diane’ follow suit, their lemony, bright-smelling crepey blooms exploding into a flurry of cardinal-red baubles. Fuzzy Salix buds are starting to push their caps off, bringing a much-needed softness to the late winter landscape.

Even some semi-evergreen perennials are starting to show their true colors, literally - Phlox subulata ‘Drummond’s Pink’ is an excellent example of winter hardiness, already pushing through its bronzing with sporadic hot-pink blooms to signal the arrival of spring. We’re also excited to be introducing a smattering of new selections this year, one new arrival being Allium sphaerocephalon. This special plant is also known as drumstick allium, which has already begun emerging as onion-grass-like basal foliage. Come the end of spring and early summer, dense clusters of spherical, magenta-purple flowers that give this perennial its name erupt on wiry stems above the equally wiry foliage, and we couldn’t be more excited to see this baby in action.

Make sure to get yours soon to see the show for yourself!