Floral variations of spring

It's somehow springtime in Germany, 

but most of the time we still have winter temperatures and far too little sunshine.

So many harbingers of spring, except for snowdrops and crocuses, take their time to flourish this spring season.

But step by step you can find more and different spring flowers.

A very early flowering species is Helleborus niger - the Christmas or Easter rose - with a great variety of blossom colours.

Floral Easter decorations - with feathers of the guinea fowl.

Recent Saturday we found even more harbingers of spring - any idea in which famous German (tourist) town I took the photos???

There, along the Philosophers' Way, we found some of our springtime favourites as well...

... the very first magnolia blossoms 2016 and...

...almond blossoms.

Some of them started flourishing already before Christmas 2015 because of the very mild temperatures in December.

Happy & peaceful Easter to all of you! 

 

First harbingers of spring 2014 in Germany

Snow in the south of the USA,
snow in wide areas of Japan,

...

...

...

and snowdrops (but NO snow at all)

and many other early flowering plants
in Germany

in the month of February 2014.

;-)

This year's winter weather is really crazy!

While many countries left and right of Europe have to suffer the consequences of a severe winter with plenty of snow,

our German winter is one of the mildest we ever had.

I can't remember the last time I took photos of crocuses in the middle of February!

All the other spring flowers around - winter aconite and helleborus niger - are valued in cultivation as one of the earliest of all flowers to appear.

But crocuses?

Last year I took crocuses in late March and April!!!

 Helleborus niger - commonly called Christmas rose or black hellebore.

Here's the white version of the flower, borne on short stems blooms from midwinter to early spring.

Eranthis hyemalis - the winter aconite - native to woodland habitats all over Europe.

Or: native in the garden of my father-in-law.

;-)

Variations of Helleborus niger.

Christrose, Christmas rose or black hellebore

Traced at the first garden exhibition 2011 - the Christmas rose and Easter exhibition at ...

 ... the castle of Burgellern near Bamberg, Upper Franconia.

Here's a red variant of Helleborus niger.

The spotted purple hybrid is my favourite...

...it looks lovely, but the species is poisonous.

Regardless of its colour.

So it's certainly not the favourite snack for the two castle donkeys.