For two weeks I’ve been waiting for them. They’re late, but, finally, here they are: the first snowdrops of the year. All it needed to expose them was to brush off last autumn’s leaves. I love their botanical name which is ‘Galanthos’, milk flower, from the Greek ‘gala’ (milk) and anthos (flower). Very soon now they will appear all over the garden and outside it too; I have been spreading the bulbs around for years. Their sweet, small, pure white bell shaped flowers gladden the heart and make me believe that spring must come.
ah they are beautiful...they def bring joy...smiles...
ReplyDeleteBeautiful - we have one or two that I'm always pleased to see. I think the field mice eat the bulbs so they don't get a chance to spread - the bulbs, that is:-)
ReplyDeleteOh they ARE beautiful. It's a bit on the early side for even crocus to appear around here quite yet, so I will enjoy yours. :-)
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year! Lovely snowdrops. We don't have any but we do have primroses! x Jo
ReplyDeleteCrikey! That's early! Whatever next? Crocuses? Actually, I was out working on my van this morning and I fancied that the blackbird's song had changed slightly. It appeared to have a more happy-go-lucky and lighthearted tone to it; less defensive of its territory and more welcoming (to lady blackbirds). Or perhaps it is just wishful thinking. But it does feel like we have crested a difficult peak and are now beginning to gather speed down the other side. Or perhaps it is just because it is unseasonably warm (I swallowed a fly whilst cycling yesterday. In January???) I missed Spring last year for one reason or another. I am certainly not going to miss it this year!
ReplyDeleteSo lovely and delicate – I can see how they gladden your heart.
ReplyDeleteWOW! You have just posted a lovely photo of my most loved flower since my earliest years in Hannover! It is rare that I get to see , let alone smell it. I'm smiling now. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteOh, I adore snowdrops. Mine are never out this early. Thank you so much for sharing yours--they make me smile, too!
ReplyDeleteSoon as your image opened I felt uplifted! Fitting that you spread bubbles of light everywhere outside of blog ville too...
ReplyDeleteAloha
Are you kidding? Snowdrops already? I love them, but I've had trouble finding them in stores in our area. I ordered some online...will be watching for mine. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteBalisha
Hi Friko - love snowdrops ... when we were kids our garden always had a skirt of snowdrops around the (old) oak tree - great swathes of them ... always lovely to see ... beautiful photo ... cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteI love snowdrops. I'm amazed that you have them already. I've not known them to bloom anywhere I lived earlier than about March. So nice to have them now!
ReplyDeleteThey really are beautiful - but I guess we'll have to wait quite a while before the first ones will appear here, I don't think I've ever seen any in January.
ReplyDeleteSeeing them gladdens my heart, too! :-)
ReplyDeleteI saw my first for this year as I walked on Thursday. They gave me quite a lovely little 'zing' to the heart.
ReplyDeleteOh wow - Friko, what a welcome sight. Haven't seen any here yet, although lots of green shoots and bulbs poking through.
ReplyDeleteOf course, spring will come! I love snowdrops, we call them 'it's under snow' because they growing under snow when it begins to melt. Once I was shoveling and saw snowdrops in snow, under my shovel.
ReplyDeleteI am going to have to have a walk over to Central Park within the next few days to see if any beautiful, brave little snow drops are saying Happy New Year. I do think it's at least a month too early, but perhaps not....
ReplyDeletexo
het zijn denk ik wel de eerste ,maar wat zijn ze mooi.
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful, Friko. We have snow, but it is months too early for flowers of any sort here on the bald prairie. I wonder if my young sister-in-law on the coast of BC is finding any snowdrops yet.
ReplyDeleteSigh.
A beautiful sight to sigh about.
K
Summer is almost half over here, so it must be true. Spring is coming your way. Hug for Millie x
ReplyDeleteBeautiful...
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful image to end my day with, Friko! No snowdrops here, but hopefully I'll see some in the valley before long.
ReplyDeleteI need to go out and look for mine. I have just a few, but am spreading the bulbs around and hope to have them all over, just as you do. Such a hopeful flower!
ReplyDeleteHow beautiful - both the description and the photo. This is definitely mindful writing - you should join the river of stones.
ReplyDeleteThose beautiful little snowdrops are well worth waiting for! The cycles of the seasons and growth are so life-affirming! I just picked dozens and dozens of Meyer lemons from my little tree in the backyard. The cycle starts with the sweet-smelling blossoms as winter ends and spring begins, with the growth of the tiny green lemons for month after month through the blazing summers and warm falls here. And then, just in time for the holidays, there are the sweet/tangy lemons. (Meyers are a cross between lemons and Mandarin oranges.) So each stage along the way is a treat to the senses, giving one something to anticipate. It sounds like it's much the same with your snowdrops -- a comfort during winter, a harbinger of spring.
ReplyDeletevery sweet. we have nothing in particular blooming here now.
ReplyDeleteLovely Friko. I never knew they were called that, and that they are winter flowers. I thought they came in spring - Dave
ReplyDeleteOh, I love to see my snowdrops appear. They are the first sign of spring and usually sprout in late February here.
ReplyDeleteHow beautiful. I look forward to ours each year as well - in fact to all the spring bulbs but the snow drops are one of the first. Such an encouraging sight they are...
ReplyDeleteThe bloom of Snowdrops would be nature’s way of reminding that spring is not far away. I love snowdrops for its name and the pristine white. How fascinating your garden would be when filled with their loveliness. Have a happy, healthy, and creative year ahead with lots of smiles.
ReplyDeleteYoko
Beautiful ! I'll go and mooch about the park later but it's a little early yet ... the days are still short and very dark , so I don't expect to find any .
ReplyDeleteSoon , though . Very soon !
The are gorgeous!! You captured them beautifully!
ReplyDeleteHugs
SueAnn
With our winter in the U.S. having hardly begun, it's hard to believe that you have already discovered some evidence of spring. Given your weather last year, however, you certainly deserve it! Spring always comes, both literally and metaphorically.
ReplyDeleteHello Friko! You snowdrops are beautiful. By the way, in estonian language (I am Katrin, estonian, liveing in Finland ) snowdrop called lumikelluke, snowbell. And the same is in finnish language, lumikello - snowbell, jingle bell.
ReplyDeleteThey ARE beautiful, but I am SO envious! Seeing anything blooming here is months away!
ReplyDeleteOh, what beauties! And what a wonderful set of wishes for the new year in your previous post. Mindful living at its best.
ReplyDeleteThese are lovely, Friko. May they foretell a beautiful spring ahead. Far ahead, but perhaps not so far!
ReplyDeleteWell, perhaps the appearance of snowdrops is a sign that it's time for us to put an end to our holiday excess. Ah, for me, in my climate, that means I have at least six more weeks of overeating!
ReplyDeleteWonderful image...thank you.
ReplyDeleteI used to look forward to them making the river walk white...
I love how shy and polite they look, always bowed! Happy New Year Friko :-)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photograph. Here, we have snow without the drop. While lovely in its own way, and we had a beautiful walk today, I'm eager for snow WITH drop, so it was great to get a preview. Sorry not to have been by as much. I have been keeping to staying offline more than on and enjoying reading books and essays and doing what passes for thinking about it all. To a wonderful 2013!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pic. Mine are really late, haven't appeared yet!
ReplyDeleteOh it will be May here before we see these delights. How lucky you are. They really signal the beginning of the year....
ReplyDeleteXO
WWW
How beautiful and delicate they look! I love their droopy heads, as if they are in a perpetual winter sleep..
ReplyDeleteFlowers blooming - in January! Our snowdrops will not appear for another 3 months! Right now a foot of snow covers the ground and though the air for the next few days will be mild, the cold has promised to return. Thanks for the glimpse of spring to come - I will have to return here often to keep my hopes buoyed!
ReplyDeleteFlowers in winter! Outdoor vegetation -- oh, how I love spring...
ReplyDeletePearl
Weder Schnee noch Blumen, so um Null Grad, hartnäckig der Husten, morgen keine Schule für´s Kind.
ReplyDeleteViel Freude mit diesen schönen Blumen dir !
Einen guten Dienstag dir.
What a delight these beauties are! I wish I could see, and smell, them in person.
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous shot! And snowdrops already? Winter is only just getting going for us...
ReplyDeleteSnowdrops are beautiful and spring is just around the corner
ReplyDeletePerfect! And the first ones are always special ...
ReplyDeleteBelated Happy New Year to you.
What a joy to behold! We won't see ours until February, so it is a thrill to see them here on your blog, Friko.
ReplyDeleteLovely picture. I've not yet seen any snowdrops, but then I've not been out and about to see them. Maybe this weekend :)
ReplyDeleteOur Galnthus nivalus are up. A different species will come up in a few weeks. I can see their green tips poking through the mulch.
ReplyDeleteAs it was warm (49 degrees) and sunny, today we planted crocus, hyacinthoides, and scilla. A little late, but they will come nevertheless. Dianne
Thank you for this touch of Spring - about 4+ months away for us in the northwoods.
ReplyDeleteCan't believe it ! I am jalous ! here is nothing blooming !
ReplyDeleteHow beautiful they are - bowing their heads to the passing of winter. Spring and the new life of it, the earth reborn, will soon be with us.
ReplyDeleteAnna :o]
How beautiful!
ReplyDeleteHallo Friko,
ReplyDeletedas Wetter ist bei us auch viel zu mild. Schneeglöckchen habe ich allerdings noch keine gesehen. Haselnuss-Samen sprießen allenthalben, der Goldregen blüht, erste Knospen von Tulpen und Narzissen wagen sich aus dem Boden. Es soll aber kälter werden. Im letzten Jahr war das extrem: da war es tagsüber kaum wärmer als minus zehn Grad.
Gruß Dieter
Oh, they are beautiful! But it's too, too soon. We've not had winter yet, and it's too soon to be seeing flowers. I'm longing for gray, for cold and wet. January may provide for us - three inches of rain in the past two days, a great blessing. But all the leaves haven't fallen yet, and I'm just not ready for spring.
ReplyDeleteI will say this - if spring came so beautifully as it does for you, I might be more eager!
A Happy New Year to you, by the way. I'd planned to be all caught up with post-holiday reading and such by the end of the first week of January, but as you can see I'm scootching by that just a bit. No matter. Your words and images always wear well.
Beautiful, it is worth waiting for.
ReplyDelete