Bogturtle's Garden March 2026

This may be just a deep violet example of C. thomasianna. I certainly did not put a bulb at the base of the trio of WitchHazel trees where this showed up.

 The 'Tommy' Crocuses are all over the place. I think the ants spread the seeds, as those have a sweet coating the ants like. At any rate. Crocus thomasanianna, if that's the spelling, seems the only sort that dependably comes back. And more than that, it multiplies. And then the Honeybees are all over it. Where the hive may be is a mystery.

The first of many Eranthus haemalis, the Winter Aconite. This clump has not increased, strangely enough. But some, planted in the chips in the bed in the center of the lawn are coming on nicely. 

Came home with it snowing. And the Edgeworthia chrysantha is almost opening all its silvery white buds.  

The twinned flowers of the Honeysuckle, Lonicera fragrantissima, are opening, and snow is on them also. Usually with several honeybees visiting, so I expect that on the next pleasant day. Also called 'Breath of Heaven' and the lemony scent is beautiful.

Look forward, each Winter, to seeing the amazing sight of snow on the opened blooms of the Witch-Hazels. 

And the half inch wide flowers of the hardy Cyclamen coem keep on.

Yesterday one of the trail cameras, this on the little landing, caught a video, as will usually happen with any movement. It was of me. So I stopped its showing on the computer and took a 'snip' of it. The yellow Witch-Hazel 'Angelly' and the rust colored 'Robert, once again.

A cluster of Eranthus haemalis has closed its buds, but will emerge unscathed from the snow. 

I think a friend would enroll my wife in a 'plant a month' club, and that is where she got our several orchids. Of course they came budded or blooming, but were reluctant, since. But I ordered a spray designed to fertilize them, and all have responded with, at least, flowering stems. This one is the only one blooming, so far, and it is unusual for the dark colored leaves.

Really minor, but a seeming success, I introduced 3 sorts of Violet to the lense shaped bed where the roses bloom. This one is a strong red, much like the color of the orchid pictured. No doubt a named sort, and it seems to like where it is planted. Maybe Viola riviana 'Rosea'. 

A little ways over, a candy pink sort of Viola Odorata is also doing well.

And a little further in the bed a clump of Viola vilmoriana, if I have that right, is also increasing. Described as a pale apricot yellow. It never has done as well as V. odorata, here.  Kind of silly of me getting down to the ground to photograph these 3, but I am glad they have caught on.  

Planning to post more recent photos, that show the little plants seem to be really thriving. 

Edgewortha chrysantha is in full bloom. It does have an odor, and I dislike it. But the smell of flowers must be a personal choice, and some may really care for it.

Abeliophylum distichum is, I think, not especially common, anymore, as a wild plant in its native Korea. But surely not rare here. And it does come in a pale pink, as well as this fine white. Commonly called the 'White Forsythia', it is not closely related, as far as I know. And mine is sparse, growing crowded among other plants along the side of the front walk. I did take some cuttings, dipped them in rooting compound. Giberellic acid, I think, after exposing the green under the bark, at the base of the cuttings. They are stuck at one edge of a raised bed, after being watered in. And I tried to pick twigs with no flowering buds. We'll see how that works out. 

These like where they are planted. Mostly shade, and I never gather the seed that forms. So new ones are showing up in the colony of them. White and pink are the only two colors, but the available array, on the market, is impressive.  And some with double the normal number of petals or petals with a different margin color. An improvement would be upward facing flowers.

Right now Viola riviana 'Rosea' and V. Vilmoriana (if I have that right) are exceeding expectations.

Corydalis 'Gotoana' is one of the finest.  Another sort grows near the bird feeder, and its annoying that the squirrels find the flowers appetizing. I haven't seen them eating C. Gotoana, but that is not near the bird feeder. 

Yellow seems the color. The Japanese species, C. officianalis. This is a kind of Dogwood that lacks the big white or pink bracts around the little yellow flowers. And 2 weeks earlier than the more common, Eurasian or European species, C. mas. My beautiful and old Cornus mas 'Golden Glory' fell over and it will be cut up. The recent, very wet snow was too much for it, and many another branch on the property. I may have said that I took cuttings, dipped them in rooting compound, and they are now stuck in the edge of a raised planter bed. I do hope they root, to replace the massive one. 

I found out that this native shrub blooms at this early date. But its twinned little flowers are not attractive enough, and I should not have bothered. The Wicopy, that must have been used in basket making by our first settlers. Dirca palustris. 

Brilliantly colored. This bulb is a sort of Corydalis. C. solida 'G.P.Baker'. Has returned for about 5 years now. I think the foliage dies down before Summer and the bloom is early and brief. Inch long blooms.

One of the three sorts, called Winter Blooming Honeysuckles. I think one is Lonicera fragrantissima, recently shown, L. standishii, and what I think is a hybrid of those two, L. purpusii. All originally Chinese, I think. 

Another of the Corylopsis, and this one really blooms a lot. But each little chain of flowers has only a few blooms per chain. C. pauciflora, which species name may reflect the few flowers per chain, as compared to the recently shown C. gotoana. 

Scilla siberica, and it is a little darker than the photo shows. This grows at the side of the front walk way. A true blue. 

Another of the amazing plants that can bloom in Winter, here.  Thankfully a little late, this year, as it is often blasted, or turned brown by the bitter temps. and wind. I wanted it, immediately, and it is difficult to find. A Korean plant, but usually a purplish pink, and I always prefer the white to that. Rhododendron mucronulatum 'Album'.