Snow!

It started when I awoke this morning around 6:15am - sleet pelting hard against the windows. By 8:00 am it was coming down in ginormous flakes, covering the garden in a quiet, soft, white blanket.



This is a medium size snowflake to give you an idea how large the flakes were! The snow is awfully wet and heavy.



So far there is a tad over 2 inches on the ground and it is still snowing lightly:



Front yard:



Back yard:



Side yard:



Out the side window:



Garden Lamp:



The birds are busy at the feeder today:



Agave:



Closer. I love the way the soft snow is piled up inside the super-spikey agave:



All signs of spring I previously posted about are hiding under the snow now.

Scarlet Quince:



Weeping holly:



Texas Ash tree:



Narcissus:





Glads and Tulips:



More tulips:



Hopefully the snow will protect these blooms from the expected hard freeze tonight:



Muhly Grass:



And look an the old coneflower seedheads. They look like little frozen lollipops:



OK, I'm gonna go roll around in the snow now....because it is FUN!

So we ended up with around 2 1/2" of snow. It snowed all day. I could not believe it. Usually, if we are lucky enough to see snow fall and stick around here, it falls at night and melts by noon. Today it started early in the morning and snowed all day. I have only lived here for around 8 years, but I don't ever remember seeing anything like this. A real snowfall in Central Texas! Awesome. I guess I can finally use that snow-ice cream recipe of mine!

Signs of Spring

Yesterday it was cloudy and misty, today it is sunny and 72. Spring is on its way, but we have some more hard freezes coming up next week to get through before it arrives. Nevertheless the narcissus, tulips, and hyacinth are beginning to bloom.

Spider web drenched with mist:



Various narcissus and crocus. The crocus are 'Tommies' and are new this year; so it will be interesting to see if they return in future years.:











Southern grape hyacinth. I cannot believe these made it though the scorched, baked, parched hell that was last summer, but here they are!:



New this year Yellow Species Tulips. So pretty!:







I'm sure almost all of these blooms are gonna freeze this next week, but for now they are providing me with an early spring show.

Bloom Day - February 15th, 2010

So, it has been a pretty chilly winter in Austin this year. Most of my flowers are still sleeping, but I have a few beginning to wake.

Here is the big show (or very nearly the only show, more appropriately) in my garden right now - Texas Quince:



And there are a few narcissus beginning to bloom:

Campanil:



Texas Star:



Old reliable Coral Honeysuckle is just starting to break into bloom signaling that Spring is just around the corner:



And the first crocus is just opening up:



Happy Bloom Day everyone!