Plants I'm Growing--First Blooms: Purple crabapple, Solomon's Seal

First blooms today on the purple-pink crabapple and on Solomon's seal (Polygonatum commutatum) behind the house. The crabapple bloomed on March 26 in 2009. A year according to this plant was therefore 362 days.

The Solomon's seal always reminds me of Glen Helen and other woodland spots in Ohio. I have no idea why it does so well here. It is not really adapted to our long, dry summers, but, in shade behind the house, it has proved a stalwart. Very pretty, and evocative of hikes in the woods in my youth--and other things. Solomon's seal bloomed on April 10 in 2009, so the flowers are quite early this year. A year according to this plant was only 347 days.