So this is a start for blog contributions in 2017. We’re hoping for a lot more but time will tell. To begin I offer a picture of our Eranthis hyemaliswhich come up first each year and are replaced later by a bed of Hostas.
Of course there are snowdrops, Galanthus nivalis, here among some of the tufa from Ohio obtained on one of the chapter’s expeditions in summer 2015. These pictures are dated 23 February 2017.
All this when on 1 February 2017 a shot of the front looked as follows.
But then 25 February 2017 the scene had changed to the Northwest Flower and Garden Show in Seattle, so we have, just for contrast the stand for The Butchart Gardens from Victoria, B. C. , with, for instance prominent display of Veltheimia capensis in pots, which is very much a greenhouse plant in Ann Arbor.
and then sculpture in the show gardens
and unusual shrubs such as Viburnum bodnanentse “Dawn”
Finally as an indication of the show’s excess, we have the amazing planting of a Corylus tree among vast rocks. According to the garden designer Dan Robinson, this tree was dug up around 1930 and transported to their gardens, then it is shown from time to time, in this case being balled in a base of around 6′ x 8′ x 2.5′ to be moved. He has opened it up and pruned, taking advantage of the fact that the oringinal owner of the tree had reduced it to a single main trunk. Apparently Dan is a master bonsai artist, and that’s what he was sitting to one side of his rock pile demonstrating. Elandan Gardens which was the exhibitor was apparently founded in 1993.
This is Hepatica americana. Sometimes there are spots on the leaves, they must have reminded old timers of grandma’s hands trying to make liver taste good. In Michigan you can find Hepatica acutiloba also. To my eyes the flowers look the same, but the leaves are pointed at the ends. One of the wonderful traits of Hepaticas is they bloom before the leaves. 
We must not forget to look down. Hepaticas are just the thing to get you out in the woods early in spring. It’s fun for us plantjunkies to see the color variation and the sun looking for this star of the woods.
Corydalis solida is a small bulb from northern Europe. It’s readily available from most bulb suppliers like Mclure & Zimmermen and Brent and Becky’s, with names like Beth Evans & George Baker. I would caution people not to start with the Penza strain as it throws muddy colored seedlings. If you start with named forms, especially something by Janis Ruksans, you will get better colored seedlings, available from Odyssey Bulbs
This is a seedling of Corydalis solida. You will get some fantastic colors if you let them go to seed. Please don’t worry that they will take over your garden; they disappear in early June not to be seen again until early next spring when all the green, red and white is a welcome sight.
I like the pink seedlings, some folks don’t, it reminds me of my Grandfather, who was a character from Johnny Carson,
“Ivan Terratitov The Great Russian Lover”
