I write about these every year; these winter flowers keep me going. I think people are always a little surprised by the thought of flowers in winter. Snowdrops are not quite as surprising as witch hazel, but they are both reliable winter bloomers that don’t quite make it to spring most years.
This year was a little unusual, but you already knew that. I was fully expecting the witch hazel to bloom late because winter was so late, but it didn’t. It was early. The first flowers opened on Christmas, and within a few days the plant was covered with flowers.
Closeup of a branch with fully opened witch hazel flowers. It rained in the morning, so everything was wet. In the background, the lawn is still green. Photographed on December 28, 2023.
These are not delicate flowers; they normally bloom at the end of January and make it through February into March. February temperatures can dip into single digits, and occasionally, lower.
Within two weeks, most of the witch hazel flowers are open during the day.
Meanwhile, the snowdrops were also active. They broke ground in December, with the flower buds just peeking out.
By February, the flower buds are clearly visible between the leaves. The plants may be an inch or so high.
By the end of February, there will be at least four broad swaths of snowdrops in bloom. A rabbit cautiously nibbled a plant a couple of years back, and not touched them since.
As spring approaches, other bulbs start to appear, like dwarf irises. The rabbits love them, but not so much when they are mixed in with snowdrops.
By the time it’s officially spring, these snowdrops will be setting seed, and garden activity will get bigger and more obvious.