溫哥華的3月天，雖然仍有零星雪雨，天氣也仍然冷颼颼，但是庭院已經開始有一些可愛的小花綻開了，看到它們婀娜多姿的倩影，就知道春天已經踏出腳步來臨了，也是提醒我在屋內育苗番茄栽的時候了。
近日在報紙上讀到一篇庭院專家的專欄報導 " 春天的花朵在雨中閃色(Spring Flowers a splash of colour in the rain)，她把早春的花卉一一地介紹，值得大家賞析。>>>>
**************以下文章摘錄自Burnaby的免費報紙 Burnaby Now**********
On days when grey skies and pouring rain dampen spirits and everything else, there’s happiness and hope to be found at ground level among the spring flowers. (當灰色的天空和傾盆大雨弄濕心情和其他每一件事的日子，在地面上的春天花朵還能帶來歡樂和希望。)
Snowdrop blooms last for weeks in these temperatures. When the show is over, it’s perfect timing to transplant a few bulbs, or whole clumps to other areas. They’re no trouble in lawns since they’re going dormant by the time lawn-mowing season begins.(雪花蓮在這些低溫下尚可維持幾週的綻放。當雪季結束後，正是移植它的一些球莖，或整叢移植到其他地區的最佳時機。它們在草坪裡沒有任何的麻煩，因為當割草的季節開始的時候，他們也將要休眠了。)>>>
Equally easy in lawns is Crocus. This little, early crocus that squirrels detest is a rampant self-seeder, which in old garden creates incredible sheets of colour ranging from deep purple to pale mauve. But its thin wispy leaves don’t dominate and by late spring are gone. (同樣容易生長在草坪上的是番紅花。這松鼠討厭的小小、早春開的番紅花，是蔓生自我播種者，它可以在舊的花園創造令人難以置信的各種顏色，從深紫色到淺紫色等等。但其輕薄纖細的葉子不稱霸，春末都不見了。)
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備註: 可憐的番紅花，享受幾天的陽光普照後，接著幾天的下雨，已經把漂亮的小花擊倒了!
Another spectacular sight at this time are patches of dwarf blue scilla (Scilla siberica), which become very dense where they have been allowed to grow and spread freely. They’re best grown under deciduous trees or shrubs which provide semi-shade as the leaves die down. Like crocus, scilla is quite inexpensive, and it’s easy to buy large quantities in fall.( 此時另一壯觀的景象是變得非常密集的
矮藍色綿棗兒的補丁，它們需要自由地生長和擴散。它們最好的成長是在落葉喬木或灌木下的半蔭暗地方。像番紅花，綿棗兒是相當便宜，而且很容易在秋天大量購買到。)
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Not many gardeners grow winter aconite(冬季附子), but its low-growing bright yellow blobs are a lovely distraction from the storm clouds of late winter. When it’s available, it’s best to acquire and plant them early because they’re reluctant sprouts if the tubers dry out. There seems to be some benefit in soaking them for a day before planting just as there is with snowdrop bulbs.>>>>
In gardens where it’s been undisturbed for a few years, the hardy Cyclamen(仙客來) makes a mat less than three inches tall but is an eye-stopper with its bright pink or white flowers. It grows readily from seed, which is why, ultimately, ants help it migrate into the lawn where it goes dormant in May and sleeps through drought, competition from grass roots and riding lawn-mowers. >>>>
Hellebores (黑藜蘆) are always a delight at this time of year. The green, red-rimmed flower clusters of Hellebores foetidus have been beautiful for almost six weeks and will continue for another six until their pointed-jester’s cap seed heads need to be dead-headed before they spill embarrassing quantities of seed. Hellebores oriental is also in gorgeous bloom at this time. Besides the typical red-purple and white single cup-like flowers, hellebore colour now includes blue-black, and a wide range of purples, reds, pinks, yellows, shadings of colour into white and picotees.>>>
