I'm Dreaming of a White

Easter!!! Well, not really but it happened anyway.
This is the sight that greeted me this morning when I woke up. Snow on Second Easter Day, not something that happens very often around here. So I got out of bed, put on my wellies and went into the garden to snap some pics. We had not had any snow this winter but we're having some now. Not a very thick layer as you can see here, but snow nevertheless. Nowadays it's very rare that we have snow in the Netherlands, so for me this is a very special treat.
But it was not only snow that had fallen during the night, there had been some hail as well.
And some light frost too.
But when I was out and about in the garden earlier this morning I could hear the drip drip drip of melting snow and hail already. The sun was out
and the temperature had risen to plus 3.2 C, which is well above the freezing point of water at 0 C. So if I wanted to take some pics of my garden covered in snow I had to be quick about it as it was fast melting away.
The birdbath bed looks like this now but a few days ago it looked like this (pic below).
Quite a difference, wouldn't you say?
Remember this hellebore bloom extravaganza? Well take a good look at how it looks now.
And here's a close up.
My cheerful daffodowndillies where laughing their heads off only yesterday but look at how they are not laughing now, poor things.
Let's go into the kitchen garden to see how it is doing today.
It does look pretty like this, all covered in white, don't you think?
This is how the snow looks from the inside of the Victorian greenhouse. Outside it was 3.2 C but inside the unheated greenhouse it was 6 C and all my seedlings were fine.
My new poly tunnel was holding up alright too and so where the daffodils in the potager as they look only slightly the worse for wear.
My newly transplanted forget-me-nots, bravely blooming on
and the chives are OK as well, the snow doesn't seem to bother them at all. It's amazing how strong that frail looking herb actually is.
My rhubarb forcing pot looks pretty wearing its new white hat and the stems of rhubarb look very red against all that white.
My new weather station is telling me that snow has fallen, in case I missed it somehow.
And my namesakes, the lovely Violets, are doing fine as the snow is melting away and their cheerful faces are shining through.Where would we be without our friends the violets and pansies to cheer our gardens up at this time of year?
Before I sign off I want to wish all my Dutch garden blogger friends a Happy Second Easter Day! For the non-Dutch among you: in the Netherlands we usually have 2 of all good things such as 2 Christmas Days, 2 Easter Days and 2 Whitsun Days as well. It's a thing! :-)

While I'm writing this the sky has darkened, the sun has disappeared and it's starting to hail and snow again while a thunder storm is slowly heading this way. Wasn't it supposed to be Spring now?

copyright 2008 Y.E.W. Heuzen

Pasen in maart, is niks waard.

Wenn's am Ostertag auch regnet am wingsten, so regnet's alle Sonntag bis Pfingsten.

Help us to be the always hopeful
Gardeners of the Spirit
Who know that without darkness
Nothing comes to birth
As without light
Nothing flowers.
Mary Sarton, 'Invocation to Kali'.