Sarcocco confusa is in bloom and giving off a scent on the canals of King's Cross here in UK at the moment and honeysuckle just budding here in my garden in London.
I've been here 26 years now, so yes it's quite a while 😂
Winter here is funny, we can get days with temperatures in the 20's (°C), or get as cold as -9°C and never getting above freezing all day. Depends where the jet stream is hanging out- the last four years were warm, snowless, and the daffodils bloomed in mid-February! This year broke our snow drought and has actually been cold enough to warrant hats and scarves again - so we might see the daffs by March 1st. It makes it hard to tell how long our winters are on average, but I'd say that they're similar to SE England, and far more variable! They start a little later and end a little later as far as truly cold weather is concerned, and have a much shorter spring season following!
It's a little different here in Virginia, USA than it is back home... It's colder, for one, and a lot browner (we either have brown grass in winter or brown grass in summer), and the trees vary quite a bit (I really miss the horse chestnuts). But I've managed to find my own small signs of spring in the years I've been here. In the sunny spots of my garden, I can spy dandelions blooming (there is one in my driveway in the sun trap beside the house, that was blooming as soon as the snow there melted away) and the ever present speedwell and purple dead nettle often bring the first bits of colour with them. Most of the time they wait until after Imbolc, but in warmer years they're blooming. The maples are almost always the first trees to bud and bloom, but they usually wait for March...
While Imbolc usually seems to be cold and bloom-less here, we do have the good old Groundhog Day tradition to make up for it 😂
Oh interesting! Nettles are often the first blooms here too... March is exceptionally good for a sudden burst of colour, I can't wait. Have you been in Virginia for long?
It seems like a longer winter for you guys, but I guess that means just being cozier for a wee while longer <3
Sarcocco confusa is in bloom and giving off a scent on the canals of King's Cross here in UK at the moment and honeysuckle just budding here in my garden in London.
Stunning, I can’t wait for Honeysuckle, no sight of her budding yet here in Oxfordshire 🥲
I've been here 26 years now, so yes it's quite a while 😂
Winter here is funny, we can get days with temperatures in the 20's (°C), or get as cold as -9°C and never getting above freezing all day. Depends where the jet stream is hanging out- the last four years were warm, snowless, and the daffodils bloomed in mid-February! This year broke our snow drought and has actually been cold enough to warrant hats and scarves again - so we might see the daffs by March 1st. It makes it hard to tell how long our winters are on average, but I'd say that they're similar to SE England, and far more variable! They start a little later and end a little later as far as truly cold weather is concerned, and have a much shorter spring season following!
It's a little different here in Virginia, USA than it is back home... It's colder, for one, and a lot browner (we either have brown grass in winter or brown grass in summer), and the trees vary quite a bit (I really miss the horse chestnuts). But I've managed to find my own small signs of spring in the years I've been here. In the sunny spots of my garden, I can spy dandelions blooming (there is one in my driveway in the sun trap beside the house, that was blooming as soon as the snow there melted away) and the ever present speedwell and purple dead nettle often bring the first bits of colour with them. Most of the time they wait until after Imbolc, but in warmer years they're blooming. The maples are almost always the first trees to bud and bloom, but they usually wait for March...
While Imbolc usually seems to be cold and bloom-less here, we do have the good old Groundhog Day tradition to make up for it 😂
Oh interesting! Nettles are often the first blooms here too... March is exceptionally good for a sudden burst of colour, I can't wait. Have you been in Virginia for long?
It seems like a longer winter for you guys, but I guess that means just being cozier for a wee while longer <3