Dear Gardeners:

Stately, grand, luxurious, and mysterious: Hostas are one of the most beautiful choices for any shady garden. As beautiful as these perennials are, it's hard to believe they are so hardy and easy to grow. Even novice gardeners can enjoy cultivating Hostas for their gorgeous foliage and fragrant flowers.

This time of year we count on a giant rodent to predict whether or not spring is near. Hmm... maybe we gardeners would be better off to look to the botanical world for the best signs that spring has finally arrived. After the daffodils and crocus have melted away with the snow there are a few plants that burst into bloom earlier than most other garden perennials.

Early blooming perennials like Irises ('Baby Blue' and 'Berlin Tiger') make the early spring landscape pop with stunning color. Although, they are tall plants, the Columbines, like 'Blackcurrant Ice,' grow and bloom quickly as soon as the snow melts, usually holding their bloom for weeks.

However, nothing says "spring" as poignantly as the tightly curled fiddleheads of lush Hardy Ferns. The floors of shady gardens mysteriously come alive with the quiet growth of these beautiful plants. Not shocking, loud, nor ostentatious, but nonetheless awe inspiring with their beautiful and natural splendor.

Happy Gardening,
The Bulb Lady®