Open to delight

Our favorite violas, purple top and yellow bottom, with a good face, are opening now. These are in pots that neighbored the original pot last season, so they must come from seed. English peas are still heavy with big white flowers, not bothered at all by any of the cold. There are more blue hyacinths this morning, and more pink ones. There are a couple of Ice Follies, but more Carlton flowers. We always forget about these, even though they return faithfully and even do a bit of multiplying. They were never bought individually, but came as part of a mix long ago, probably from Park but maybe from White Flower Farm. We still have Montopolis ("seven sisters") from Bastrop going crazy, along with Grand Primo and Avalanche. The flowers of the pink cyclamen in pots outdoors have not liked the cold-weather nights, but the leaves didn't mind it at all and are just as pretty as the flowers, which are beginning to return. Thunbergia went during the second period of cold, but it will probably spring up again from seed. Geraniums in pots did well under sheets and towels; though some flowers were damaged, more are on the way. This morning for the first time we spotted leaves up from the old Dutch tulips.