For the first time in a very long time, I have outdoor blooms to show off for January Bloom Day. Winter finally arrived here in Chicagoland with, yes it's true, actual snow. The girl and I couldn't be more pleased. Endless Fall was turning into Extreme Early Spring before the snowstorm Thursday dropped about 5 inches. It's not cheating for me to post a shot from Wednesday of my snowdrops. Just because they are no longer visible doesn't mean that they aren't still blooming.
Also on Wednesday, I noticed that there were serious buds on several of the hellebores. The furthest along is this one on Helleborus x hybridus 'Pink Lady Strain'.
Of course it won't actually open for at least a month, despite the return to above freezing temperatures this week. So many things are already sprouting and seem to be about a month ahead of usual. (Note I'm not saying "normal." I doubt there is such a thing anymore.)
While snowdrops may be exciting for me, if you want real floral excitement, visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens for all the Bloom Day posts, where gardeners from around the world, including those from California and other places warmer than here, will be showing off their blooms.