What's blooming in late winter...

We've seen tremendous color as the warm weather of last weekend pushed things open. Last weekend gave us 70 degree plus highs. Never mind about the snow this morning, that's normal March weather.
Sunday drivers would have seen the forsythia that appeared overnight, the pink saucer
magnolia (Magnolia x soulangiana ), and perhaps even some hyacinth blooms. Flowering quince, more daffodils, star magnolia and so on.
Thank you, by the way, to the folks who prune their forsythia to a natural shape. There's nothing like those tall yellow arms reaching for the breeze.

Easily overlooked however...are some happy blooms and shoots emerging in shade and woodland gardens.




















Celandine poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum, above) one of my favorites. It will grow well in deep to partial shade and blooms bright yellow May through summer. It's not blooming now, but the foliage is well emerged and it's a nice promise of color to come.
Want more winter color? Try Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica, next image ). Easy to grow in rich soil, again part to full shade. Already popping out, pink in this photo but they will show their blue soon. And finally, I saw a tiny Dutchman's breeches in this same woodland garden, couldn't grab a photo, sorry, time to upgrade my camera!

Finally, no blooms yet, but I was thrilled as I always am, when I saw my trilliums pushing through the mulch and compost. I don't know what it is but this plant has always inspired awe for me.

(And in the weed department...winter annual weeds that are blooming now: common chickweed, henbit, and purple dead nettle. Pesky as these are, look closely at the bloom of the henbit. It's actually quite beautiful. Now mow it or pull it before it goes to seed.)

So much to see, both grand and demure, and all this before the first day of spring. Put on a coat and go look.