Aquilegia: first growth

Aquilegia, known in English as "columbine" and in French as ancolie, is a genus of perennials native to the northern hemisphere. They have very pretty delicate three-part scalloped leaves, and unique flowers, usually with long spurs.

I'm not sure what type of columbine this is, as it just volunteered last year and hasn't bloomed yet. (Even without flowering, it contributes to the garden as a foliage plant, in my opinion.) This is the first year I've paid attention to the very early spring growth of columbine; what a pleasure to see these very pretty purple rosettes coming up!

Eranthis hyemalis: first growth

As I mentioned earlier, I was worried that my winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) wasn't coming back this year, since the neighbours' snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis) and crocuses are already up, and my aconite hadn't shown up at all. So you can imagine how thrilled I was to see this tiny, not-yet-opened winter aconite emerging in front of the house this morning.

I rooted around under the leaves and found two more baby Eranthis. (And then I tucked them in under their blanket of leaves once again.) Maybe tomorrow I will have a photo of a fully-opened bloom to post!

(I'm not sure what those long thin leaves are, but they are definitely not the aconite, which has leaves like a clown's ruffle under the flower.)

Tulips coming up all over!

Tulipa, known in English as "tulips" and in French as tulipes is a genus of flowering bulbs native to Eurasia and north Africa. The city of my birth, Ottawa, has an annual Tulip Festival in May, which I've never been to because they started doing it after I moved away. But I do have fond memories of the beautiful tulip beds which abound in Ottawa, thanks to Netherland's Princess Juliana, who donated 100,000 tulips to Ottawa in gratitude for the safe home Ottawa provided for the Dutch royal family during the second world war.

Today it seems all of a sudden the little bed in front of the house is full of tulip shoots! At least some of these should be the 'Angelique' tulips I put in last fall (less than $2 including tax, shipping, and handling thanks to a generous offer from Brecks: $25 off, no minimum order.) Here's a close look at an especially beautiful plant. I can't wait until the tulips start blooming!

Hosta: first signs of life

Hosta is a genus of herbaceous perennials native to northeast Asia. The genus name is generally used as the common name in English and French, although sometimes the name "plantain lily" is used (hostas are no longer considered part of the lily family). These shade tolerant plants with showy broad leaves, often variegated, are common in Toronto gardens. Here the first new shoots emerge from the remains of last years foliage. The purple colour disappears as the weather warms up.