Seasonal Transition: GBBD, March 2023
As we approach the vernal equinox, the days are getting longer and warmer in Maine and the snow is melting quickly. And this transition from winter to spring brings with it a transition from indoor blooms to outdoor blooms.
The indoor blooms still have pride of place as my potted amaryllis bulbs are putting on a show in shades of red. In my living room plant window, the big double flowers of Hippeastrum ‘Dancing Queen’ are just starting to fade while the newly opened flowers of H. ‘Charisma’ bloom beside them.
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The flame-red flowers of (I think) Hippeastrum ‘Red Lion’ are lighting up my bedroom. Another potted bulb in the bedroom has a tall bud that I expect to open in the next week. Judging from the appearance of the bud, I think this may be another H. ‘Charisma’ – an offset that has finally grown big enough to bloom in its own pot.
Even as I enjoy these beautiful indoor blooms, the outdoor show is about to begin. Snow melting away from the south corner of the house foundation has revealed clumps of Crocus vernus ‘Pickwick,’ with fat buds that are just waiting for some warm sunshine to coax them open. These are always the first flowers of spring in my garden.
Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day is hosted each month by Carol Michel at May Dreams Gardens. Visit her blog for links to other gardeners’ March blooms.
Jean's Garden 
I’m glad to see the evidence that winter is retreating in your part of the country, Jean. As you might expect, spring is well underway in my area, although we’ve been colder (as well as wetter) than usual this year so many blooms are lagging 2 weeks or more behind. Today witnessed the warmest temperatures we’ve had in months – 75F! But it’s supposed to come down sharply once again tomorrow as yet another atmospheric weather starts to move in.
Kris, the winter-into-spring period here is a two-steps-forward-one-step-back experience. It snowed last night, but most of that snow melted as temperatures went up into the forties today. My crocuses are blooming in the heat trap by the foundation of the house, and spring is slowly but surely coming.
Did you escape the big snowstorm that hit New England this past week? We still have had no snow this winter!
Jan, That big storm kind of fizzled here. We did have howling nor’easter winds, but the temperature was a bit too high to support much snow accumulation. We ended up with about 5 inches of heavy, wet snow, and most of that melted within a couple of days. I think the amount of bare ground in my garden will surpass the snow-covered areas sometime this week.
I’m always so envious of your Amaryllis (Hippeastrum), Jean. No doubt you’re itching to get outside after a long winter. I keep trying to but we’re having “April Showers” in March and it’s always just so wet. I do hope there’s no “False spring” to deter the first emerging flowering plants in your garden.
Sunil, Indoors, the Hippeastrum are just finishing up. This was a particularly good year for them, the first time I’ve ever had an offset get big enough to bloom! Let’s see if I can repeat the success next year.
Outdoors, my first flowers (crocus bulbs) are in bloom, and I have started trying to go out and walk around the garden to see what’s happening — although there’s still too much snow cover in some areas to make that easy. I hope to get to some dormant season pruning in the next couple of weeks and to begin spring clean-up by the second half of April.