First Flower of Spring

Sure Sign of Spring

Sure Sign of Spring

Budded in front yard, March 16, about 6:20 pm CDT. Rather shy, it will open a bit more tomorrow. More photos to follow from thrilled gardener who has been awaiting spring as patiently as possible.

(Not very!)

I even hear robins singing their “pretty pretty pretty bird” trill.

First Sign of Spring

Melting

Melting

In Wisconsin, the first sign of spring has nothing to do with flowers popping out of the ground.

It is all about the big melt.

Trio of Orchids

Phalaenopsis Orchids

Phalaenopsis Orchids

The sun is shining more, and the snow is melting, though I still have over a foot of snow in my yard. It will be awhile before I see flowers popping out of the ground in my neighborhood.

The next best thing is taking a drive across town to Olbrich Botanical Gardens and spending a couple of hours in the Bolz Conservatory which is Madison’s answer to tropical paradise. Yes, even in the snowy northern climes, we know how to grow hot house orchids!

Fuzzy Ficus

Fuzzy New Growth on PLant

Fuzzy New Growth on PLant

A first glance, it appears that these ficus leaves have encountered a cold weather frost. Not so. This ficus plant grows in the Bolz Conservatory, the glass greenhouse that keeps the tropics alive in a tiny part of wintry Madison. And the white is the fuzziness of its new growth.

Organ Pipe Cactus

Sonoran Desert

in the Sonoran Desert

The Organ Pipe Cactus is one of the giant cacti, second in size only to the more iconic Saguaro. Instead of having a single trunk with branches, the organ pipe has 6 to 20 stems all growing from a central trunk. It will typically grow about 15 feet tall, though specimens have measured more than 20 feet in height.

Its habitat is limited to Sonora and Baja California, Mexico, and southwestern Arizona. In the United States, the largest number are found in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument located near the Mexico/Arizona border.