I congratulate myself for refusing to whine excessively through this overly long and chilly winter. While not cold to an extreme, a month of snow cover is reason enough for sorrowful moans and groans, and yet somehow I survived in good spirits to experience this glorious week when spring has undeniably arrived.

With spring bulbs (Narcissus and crocus, above), hellebores, and late winter flowering shrubs delayed by the chill, a crescendo of blooms was expected by early March. Of course, this was also set back, but as mid-month passes, we’re a warm day or two from the peak.

While the peak has not been reached, the past week of warmth has accelerated the process of catch up. A week ago, only half of the garden’s hellebores were flowering. Today, all, though a few are halfway to their peak. I cataloged photos of a fraction of the splendid bloomers last week, but many more delightful flowers should now be added to the list.

The long awaited bloom of paperbushes (Edgeworthia chrysantha) is here, nearly a month later than the average when the first edge of color is seen in February with full bloom the first of March. Weeks earlier, I feared that flower buds would be lost when temperatures dipped to three degrees (Fahrenheit) overnight, but soon after, it was apparent that no damage occurred.

Regretfully, few of the lily-of-the-valley flowers of ‘Dorothy Wycoff’ pieris (Pieris japonica ‘Dorothy Wycoff’, above) can be viewed close up. As the evergreen shrub has reached gutter height at the corner of the garage, lower branches have been selectively pruned so the walkway is not obstructed. While flowers of ‘Katsura’ and others are excellent, ‘Dorothy’ is the favorite with exceptional flowers and foliage and a tolerance for clay soil and summer heat. Compact growing ‘Cavatine’ and ‘Temple Bells’ will typically flower two weeks later.