“First Spring Flowers”, a copyrighted post, was written for my WordPress blog called Always Growing by Jan in Covington, Louisiana
After record cold, record rains, and record cloudy days, the last few days have been a great improvement, and to top it all off, the first spring flowers showed up. The camellias have been blooming, but they are really winter flowers. The forsythia, quince, magnolia and peach trees are just starting to bloom, but those are trees or shrubs. It is when the first garden flowers show up that it really feels as if winter is over.
For me, that means the Tete a tete narcissus have started opening. I checked the garden Thursday, and there were no little yellow flowers showing. Then, on Saturday, I saw clusters of them. To say I was elated to see them is an understatement.
The last few days, while still being in the low 30’s overnight, have warmed up to our more normal temperatures, and I am sure this is why the flowers have so quickly popped open.
I have stayed with the small flowered narcissus because the large flowered ones do not always repeat bloom well here, and I don’t feel it is worth the effort to prepare a bed, buy the bulbs, and plant them if they will only give one year of good blooms and just a few in subsequent years.
The small ones suit me just fine especially after a long, cold, dreary winter.
Always Growing 
Carol Flower Hill Farm said,
March 7, 2010 at 7:20 pm
One can never see too many of these cheery yellow daffodils! Lucky you… Happy gardening! Here we still have snow. ;>) (
Jan said,
March 8, 2010 at 5:27 am
Carol, I can’t imagine still having snow. What a winter.
Jennifer Frazier said,
March 7, 2010 at 8:12 pm
Silly me planted later flowering daffodils and narcissus. I am envious of your early blooms! Thanks for sharing.
Jan said,
March 8, 2010 at 5:30 am
Well, Jennifer, you will just have to plant some early flowering ones this fall for a longer bloom period. The late flowering ones don’t do well because we warm up so early here. I wish we could grow them, though. It would be nice to have some around Easter.
Randy said,
March 7, 2010 at 8:20 pm
Tete a tete here is barely out of the ground. We do have 4 kinds of crocus open and a rock iris. Dafodils are at least a week away.
Jan said,
March 8, 2010 at 5:32 am
Ah, I bet those crocus are a beautiful sight, Randy, after this winter. I was beginning to think spring wouldn’t get here until late April.
Lana said,
March 7, 2010 at 11:45 pm
I saw some white violets out in the yard today. Also a few other, very tiny wildflowers that I can’t yet identify. I’m delighted, nonetheless!
Jan said,
March 8, 2010 at 5:34 am
Lana, I love the white violets – always a good sign spring is here. My neighbor has so many in a side yard that when they start blooming it almost looks like snow. I saw my first violet Sunday. What a delight.
Randy said,
March 8, 2010 at 9:28 am
Isn’t yellow such a happy color? What a great one to start spring with every year!
Jan said,
March 8, 2010 at 4:12 pm
I couldn’t agree more, Randy.
muhammad khabbab @ Garden Geek said,
March 9, 2010 at 3:02 am
I love the color and shape of these daffodils. Spring is rapidly being replaced by coming heat in our area and i am afraid many allium bulbs i planted might not be able to bloom.
Jan said,
March 9, 2010 at 5:24 am
Oh, that happens here, too. Some years it warms up so fast or the winter is very mild and certain plants don’t get the chilling they need to bloom. That is why they say that late blooming tulips do well here. They must be able to take the warmer weather better. I hope you do get your allium blooms in any case.
Phillip said,
March 9, 2010 at 9:27 am
Jan, are you anywhere near New Orleans? I’ll be there in 2 weeks. I’m excited – it has been over 15 years since I’ve been there. Will there be much garden interest this time of year?
Jan said,
March 9, 2010 at 4:31 pm
Phillip, I am about thirty miles north of New Orleans. The gardens in N.O. have already started waking up since that area never gets as cold as we do. Many spring flowering trees have been blooming for almost two weeks. With even warmer temps that are on the way, things should be nice by the time you come. Too bad you aren’t coming in April, you would have loved the Garden Show in Audubon Park.