The violets are still going strong, although they are so demure I expect only a few people have noticed them.
Profusion of Violets
Category: Perennials
Fallen Comrades
Although most of the cold-hardy perennials return each year, this winter seems to have been unusually challenging, and a few of the trusty standbys seem to have passed away.
I’ll need to find some new plants to take the place of the one little rose bush that didn’t make it, as well as the small azalea, and some of the grape vines.
The Elms Have Awoken
The little volunteer elm trees that I’ve woven into the fence are starting to leaf out.
A Tiny Sea of Green
Our sidewalk treebeds are truly activated, with a variety of bulbs putting up their spring growth to produce overlapping regions of different shades of green.
First of the Violets
The violets are flowering!
First Sign of Violets
Violets are definitely not the showiest flower in our garden — in fact, I suspect a lot of our neighbors walk past them without ever noticing their little blooms during the brief span of weeks when they’re out each spring… but I think they’re adorable, and I’m glad they have so thoroughly colonized the sidewalk treebed outside 215 W106th St.
In this photo you can see their first leaves poking up through the dried twigs and stems of this winter’s pruning, with the much taller leaves of some flowering bulbs looming over them in the background.
Return of the Strawberries
We planted a few strawberry plants in one of our sidewalk containers last year where they yielded a few tiny berries, and I wasn’t sure they’d built up enough strength to survive the winter, but here we are in the middle of March and I’m pleased to see that they’ve put up a health set of new growth.
Roses Starting to Leaf Out
It’s still early, but a couple of the roses have decided that the risk of frost is over and have started to put out new leaves.
They may be jumping the gun — we’ll still have a few more hours late tonight that are just below freezing — but hopefully they’ll be able to weather that and will have a running start when daytime temperatures start hitting the fifties next week.
Snowfall
As is to be expected, many of the annuals in the garden have died back for the season — but a fresh layer of powdery snow highlights the ones that have retained their color despite the frost.
Holly Berries for Winter
Our little holly bush has set some colorful fruit for the oncoming winter season.
