I love to see all the blooming flowers and trees in the spring. Unfortunately, we have two “stupid” trees–our two early spring magnolias. Every year, they are as eager for spring as I am, so as soon as we have a few warm days, they open their buds to show off how pretty they look.

Except for one year in the 15 years we’ve had these trees, there has always been a severe frost while these trees are in bloom and, the next day, all the blossoms are wilted and brown. This year, they were happily blooming and, 3 or 4 days after they opened, the overnight temperature dropped to the low 20s and the daytime high afterward was in the upper 20s. Naturally, all the blossoms turned brown. Again.

Our daffodils, on the other hand, must be among the hardiest bulbs in the universe! In Fall 2024, we had warm temperatures through most of November. When the first snow fell, some outdoor growth was still green. Enjoying the warm November, our daffodils started growing and were about 4 inches tall when the first serious frost hit and winter arrived. I was disappointed, because I assumed that, since they had already sprouted, we could forget about seeing daffodils blooming in our yard in Spring 2024. Unbelievably, the 4 inches they grew remained green and above ground all winter and–lo! and behold!–they burst into full bloom in the spring.

This year, they were happily blooming again when we had that killing frost (above). When I looked out the window the next morning, every single daffodil stem had fallen and was lying on the ground. I was surprised to see that the blooms did not look wilted or brown. I was even more surprised when the temperatures warmed up (we topped 90 degrees 3 days after the frost) and the daffodil stems started rising. Only a few lacked the strength to stand, but they all continued to bloom brightly.

Years ago, we had some crocuses at the front door. I loved them, because they were the first announcement of spring, blooming in February, often while there was still snow on the ground. Last fall, Ted planted some more crocuses for me. They weren’t eager to come out into the cold to start growing, so the daffodils bloomed before the crocuses. We had a few blooms, and I thoroughly enjoyed them. I hope we have more next year.

Every spring, when the forced bulbs appear in the grocery stores, Ted buys me a pot of spring flowers. This year, it was red/white tulips.

I’ve never seen tulips with an edge like this on the petals.

Flowering spring bulbs are one of my favorite treats from Ted. You can see why I love that guy so much–he plants and cares for all these spring flowers to bring joy to our yard during my favorite season of the year.