Iris ensata ‘Flashing Koi’
June is a month for spectacular Iris, Clematis overflowing the fences, Roses flowering abundantly and flowers of many kinds reaching fruition. For this Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day, I’ll share some of the things that struck my eye this week.
One of the reasons for growing flowers is to attract the many butterflies that enliven the yard. And what better to grow than the different kinds of Butterfly Weed. The normal Asclepias tuberosa comes without effort in our pasture and feeds the monarchs later in the year. But in the yard we are also growing Swamp Milkweed for different kind of color.
Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
And an extremely heavily flowered cultivar is ‘Hello Yellow’.
Asclepias ‘Hello Yellow’
Here’s the evidence that Butterfly Weed is a good name.
Great Spangled Fritillary on Asclepias
I remembered last year that two of the Arisaemas were very slow to appear, finally showing up on June 2nd. This year Arisaema candidissimum came on May 31 and Arisaema farghesi poked out of the ground on June 2nd again. Talk about reliable.
Arisaema candidissimum
Arisaema candidissimum
Just walking around the yard here are some of the other flowers.
Pink Astilbe
Lilium asiatica ‘Blackout”
Hydrangea ‘Lady in Red’
Clematis ‘Krakowiak
This Clematis is climbing up the huge Black Lace Elderberry.
Clematis climbing the Black Lace Elderberry
In the alpine bed there a couple of lovely gentians that we’ve never grown before. Both are the result of seed exchanges. The Gentiana dahurica is a good 18″ high and spreading, probably to big for the alpine bed in the long run.
Gentiana dahurica
The Himalayan Gentian has the same delicate fringing that I like on other Gentians.
Himilayan Gentian (Gentiana cachemirica)
But it also has multi-colored buds that are lovely even before they’ve opened.
Himilayan Gentian (Gentiana cachemirica)
Nearby is the first blooming of a Stachys that came for seed last year.
Stachys spathulata
And up on the porch is a spectacular bulb from Peru that is a variation on the normal Peruvian Daffodil.
Hymenocallis ‘Sulphur Queen’
I should also note that life is not just flowers at this time of year.
Pea Row is Abundant
A Quick Harvest of Fruit and Veggies before dinner
We’ve been bringing in a steady diet of peas, strawberries, and raspberries. And now the blueberries are about to start.
There is one other flower worth sharing though. For many people the Corydalis lutea is described as a weed, but I find it’s a wonderful fern-like spreading ground cover.
Corydalis lutea
What’s growing in your garden?
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day April 2018
Sanguinaria canadensis ‘Snow Cone’
It’s Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day time and one of the fun parts of posting the monthly flowers is discovering those things that I had forgotten that I previously planted. Amongst those is the Snow Cone Bloodroot pictured above. All Bloodroots are good, this one is just a notch above.
Another newcomer to this blog is the single pink Anemonella from Hillside Nursery. I went on quest last year for a strong pink Anemonella after seeing one at my son’s house in previous years. He has since lost that plant which was exceptionally pink compared to the normal ‘Pink Pearl’ as it is now marketed. In any case the one gracing our flower bed is very nice indeed.
Anemonella thalictroides ‘Single Pink’
Another Anemonella variant that I posted on recently is Green Hurricane.
Anemonella thalictroides ‘Green Hurricane’
Many of the Anemone’s are flowering right now too, including this very complex nemerosa.
Anemone nemorosa ‘bracteata pleniflora’
Close by are the Corydalis.
Corydalis solida ssp. incisa ‘Vermion Snow’
Corydalis turtschaninovii ‘Eric the Red’
This one, as I’ve noted before is named for the leaves, not the beautiful blue flowers.
One cannot pass by the Camellia bed which has many of the spring ephemerals without seeing one of my favorite trilliums.
Trillium pusillum ‘Roadrunner’
And the Leucojum are like snowdrops on steroids
Leucojum vernum
Even this far into April the Hellebores continue to provide wonderful flowers. One that particularly catches my eye is Amethyst Gem.
Helleborus x hybridus ‘Amethyst Gem’
Helleborus x hybridus ‘Amethyst Gem’
This year I decided to give the Primula kisoana another try. You have to be cautious with this because it wants to spread, so I put it in with the other thugs.
Primula kisoana
I had a minor revelation this week when I thought I had finally succeeded in bring a Shortia into bloom. However, it turns out just to be Shortia lookalike, but pretty nonetheless.
Oxalis griffithii – Double Flowered
Back in the Alpine beds we have several returnees from previous years.
Aquilegia flabellata v. nana
Androsace barbulata
Primula allionii ‘Wharfedale Ling’
and a new Iris/potentilla combination
Iris babadaghica and Potentilla neumanniana ‘Orange Flame’
And it’s also worth noting that while I tend to get caught up in the small spring ephemerals, there are many other flowers about. The early Rhododendron in the front yard is always spectacular.
Rhododendren carolinianum
Rhododendren carolinianum
There are many, many Daffodils, both in the yard and in the woods/pasture.
Narcissus ‘Monte Carlo’ in the woods
And the various fruit trees are mostly just coming into bloom. The apricot is finished, the cherries and peaches just starting, and the Kieffer Pear is flowering as though there is no tomorrow.
Wild Cherries blooming in the woods
Kieffer pear tree
Kieffer pear tree blossoms
As I close this post, it’s worth noting that this spring is well behind previous years in terms of the number and progress of things in bloom. But I’m good with that. It gives more time to appreciate everything as it’s happening.
Turning the Corner to Spring
Double Pink Camellia japonica
This Camellia has been flirting with blooming all winter long but now it’s buds have finally gotten clearance to bloom and they are blooming abundantly.
We were in Boston for Easter and it was delightful to return to a flower-filled garden. The Corydalis and Chionodoxa are instant scene stealers.
Corydalis solida ‘Beth Evans’
Chionodoxa forbesii
There are many other nice Corydalis but here are two that I like in particular.
Corydalis solida ‘Decipiens’
Corydalis kusnetzovii x C.solida ‘Cherry Lady’
Many of the Scilla are of a similar hue to the Chionodoxa but quite different in detail. Look at the anthers in particular.
Scilla biflora
Scilla siberica ‘Spring Beauty’ anther detail
Once again I can’t say enough good things about Primula vulgaris. It’s very self-sufficient and flowers for a long time.
Primula vulgaris
A particularly nice Anemone is ‘Green Hurricane’. The contrast between the early leaves and flowers is stunning.
Anemonella thalictroides ‘Green Hurricane’
While most of the Adonis are finishing two of the special ones are just starting.
Adonis amurensis ‘Pleniflora’
Adonis amurensis ‘Sandanzaki’
Meanwhile in the alpine bed, the Pulsatilla have justified all the effort it took to make them a comfortable home.
Pulsatilla grandis
Pulsatilla campanella
The little Draba rigida comes three weeks after the hispanica.
Draba rigida
Meanwhile I notice that I have a bud on the Alpine Poppy grown from seed last year. This should be fun.
Papaver alpinum
In the greenhouse there’s a bright red Tulip on display (from tiny bulblets planted last year)
Tulipa linifolia
And some spectacular Tritonia including this one.
Tritonia crocata
And a really nice Gladiolia hybrid
Gladiolus huttonii × tristis hybrid
Also a nice little Ixia that has many, many blooms.
Ixia flexuosa
(All four of these bulbs from the Pacific Bulb Society).
Of course the greenhouse also contributed to the inside of the house where we have some magnificent Clivia on display.
Yellow Clivia
Orange Clivia
And the many Daffodils and Forsythia that Beth has been harvesting.
Daffodils galore
Forsythia in bloom
And given the date can the bluebells be far behind…
Bluebells close to blooming
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day March 2018 (very late!)
Helleborus x hybridus ‘Golden Lotus’
A very belated GBBD posting. I returned from a week in Florida to find that the spring had not really moved along very far in my absence. There were a number of the regulars in flower, but since the weather has now delivered one of the heaviest snowstorms of the winter, it’s probably just as well that some of the plants waited a little longer. The Hellebore pictured above is one of many of it’s clan in bloom, but it’s one of my favorites.
The crocus are fully in bloom now.
Crocus tommasinianus ‘Ruby Giant’
This particular clump under the cherry tree expands every year. Unlike some of the species crocus which seem to lag from competition with each other.
Another spectacular tommy that I’ve lost the name of is this striped variety.
Crocus tommasinianus
The early Iris have persisted for quite awhile now and they seem to be expanding as well.
Iris histrioides ‘Major’
It’s interesting to note that the Fritillaria stenanthera ‘Cambridge’ which is very compact and close to the ground in the Alpine bed is taller and quite lovely in one of the humus-filled garden beds.
Fritillaria stenanthera ‘Cambridge’
Nearby is is the beautiful Jeffersonia dubia ‘Dark Centers’ that I acquired from Garden Visions.
Jeffersonia dubia ‘Dark Centers’
Also making an early spring entry are the little Hacquetia. The noticable parts are the big bracts whereas the flowers are the little tiny yellow guys.
Hacquetia epipactis
One of my favorite plants for early spring are the Primrose vulgaris. There is nothing common or vulgar about these little yellow/white flowers spreading every year.
Primula vulgaris
Most of the Daffodils are still in the bud stage but the little Jack Snipe in the woods are fully engaged.
Narcissus ‘Jack Snipe’
I also noticed along the woodland trail the tiny Scilla biflora are not only flowering but they are spreading as well.
Scilla biflora ‘Roseus’
In the alpine bed the aubretia are just starting to spill over the rock wall, showing what is likely to come this year.
Aubretia ‘Blue Beauty’
And the one of the Pasque flowers in the same bed is ready to explode into bloom.
Pulsatilla grandiflora
In the greenhouse we continue to see a succession of the South African delights, for example this glorious Freesia.
Freesia ‘Red River’
Then there are Sparaxis, Moraea, Ornithagalum, Lachenalia, etc.
Sparaxis Hadeco Hybrid
Moraea sp. MM 03-04a blue
Ornithogalum sp. (ex McGary PBS)
Lachenalia unicolor
One of the greenhouse plants we can’t overlook is the Portuguese Squill. It’s a real enjoyment to watch it go through it’s flowering.
Scilla peruviana
Scilla peruviana flower detail
And finally I would be remiss not to note the first of the Ferrarias to come into bloom.
Ferraria crispa v. nortieri
For all there exotic beauty these are remarkable easy to grow. Check out the Pacific Bulb Society.
Hesperantha falcata and more…
Hesperantha falcata 4pm
At this time of year a number of the South African bulbs come to help us anticipate spring. One of the lovely surprises each spring is Hesperantha falcata. This little member of the Iris family has a common name of bontrokkie (little colourful dress) in Afrikaans. It has the very peculiar ritual of closing up in the daytime and then slowly opening in evening to be fully open at night. For a couple of years I only saw it in bud until I happened to be in the greenhouse one evening. When it is fully open it has a marvelous strong and pleasing scent. The bud has a very distinctive red striping as shown above. When it opens the flowers are a brilliant white (I’ve also seen references to it as the Evening Star Flower which is a good name).
Hesperantha falcata 6pm
But it’s not until the fully open phase that you get the scent designed to attract moths (and humans as it turns out).
Hesperantha falcata 11pm
Another South African that is blooming in the greenhouse right now is Tulbaghia simmleri
Tulbaghia simmleri
This sometimes called sweet garlic or pink agapanthus and it’s also quite fragrant. Both of the South Africans came from the Pacific Bulb Society’s exchange program.
Meanwhile in the outside play areas we have the first daffodil – Ta Da! Clearly a sign of spring.
First daffodil
Can’t be certain of which variety but it is most likely ‘Rijnveld’s Early Sensation’
And the Eranthis are flowering up a storm in the front bed
Winter Aconite galore
They are making a serious attempt to move into the grass this year.
There are number of Hellebores making their presence known. More and more they remind me of small azaleas with a much longer season of bloom. One that I like for early bloom is Winter’s Song.
Helleborus x ericsmithii ‘Winter’s Song’
It has the nice attribute of looking sideways and upward as opposed to the hanging bells of many hellebores.
Also in the backyard are quite a number of these dwarf Iris.
Iris histroides ‘Major’
Over in the Alpine bed the Draba hispanica that is comfortably nested in tufa is making steady progress to opening its flowers.
Draba hispanica in tufa
This came from the North American Rock Garden Society Seed Exchange Program in 2016.
And nearby to it is a rather special fritillaria coming into bloom
Fritillaria stenathera ‘Cambridge’
And as my grandson would say ‘Very special’, just because you have read to the end of this posting, here is a lovely Hepatica, well ahead of it’s relatives.
Hepatica japonica pink
It’s Adonis Springtime
Adonis ‘Chichibu Beni’
All it took was a lovely 50 degree day to bring lots of flowers into bloom. Especially lovely is this spectacular Adonis from the Chichibu mountain region of Japan. The entire six year-old plant keeps slowly expanding and it is worth the wait.
Adonis ‘Chichibu Beni’ in the late afternoon light
And I discovered this year that the seed that I planted from this flower in 2013 has finally yielded a flower as well.
Adonis ‘Chichibu Beni’ Seedling
Of course the yellow flowered Adonis cannot be ignored on a sunny day either
Adonis ‘fukujukai’
These intrepid early flowers had company today. Even the Jeffersonia, which is way out of correct timing, has flowers appearing.
Jeffersonia dubia
And I discovered as I scraped leaves away that the Helleborus thibetanus was also in flower under the leaves.
Helleborus thibetanus
It was not surprising to see that more of the Eranthis are also in bloom.
Eranthis hyemalis ‘Schwelglanz’
And the alpine bed had the first flowers on the very nice Draba hispanica.
Draba hispanica
Of course, I shouldn’t ignore two little Moraeas that are blooming in the greenhouse.
Moraea macronyx
Moraea ciliata
Altogether it was really nice to follow up the snowfall of yesterday with work in the yard pulling off the leaves and revealing treasures.
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day February 2018
The vegetable garden in winter
I took this picture last week after a particularly pretty ice storm. It’s very representative of the kind of winter we’ve had and sort of a nice lead into this month’s Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day. At the same time the Adonis, usually my first striking blooms of the season, were tightly held in bud waiting for a warm day.
Adonis ‘fukujukai’ in the snow
But yesterday (what a difference a few days makes) the same Adonis were fully reveling in the sunshine. Full credit to Beth for catching this colorful image of the Adonis while I was heading back from the west coast.
Adonis ‘fukujukai’
The lesser petaled species Adonis were also out in bloom.
Adonis amurensis
As were some of the winter stalwarts like the snowdrops and witch hazel.
Snowdrop (Galanthus elwesii)
Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Diane’
This plant continues to show some of the yellowish flowers that I noticed earlier in the season, together with some really fine red flowers.
And just for today the first Winter Aconite have appeared on the scene.
Winter Aconite (Eranthis hyemalis)
In the greenhouse one of my favorite plants of the season is in flower.
Hesperantha paucifolia
It’s because of this Hesperantha that I’ve added several Hesperantha to my seed exchange requests.
There is a perfectly lovely compact Oxalis in full flower right now. Note the red barber pole striping on the unopened buds.
Oxalis densa
And also a very nice new Oxalis that came to me via a Pacific Bulb Exchange distribution last fall.
Oxalis purpurea ‘Garnet’
Oxalis purpurea ‘Garnet’ in bud
Notice the yellow coloring in the unopened bud. The red leaves are striking.
So with the nice start from the Adonis we are now facing more snow and freezing weather tomorrow. So winter isn’t done with us yet.
A New Flower for December
Oxalis palmifrons
I have been growing Oxalis palmifrons since 2013 without a hint of a flower to be seen. This year, upon my return from Thanksgiving in Boston, I was surprised and happy to see the first buds on the little Oxalis palmifrons (obtained from Plant Delights).
Oxalis palmifrons
You may remember that Oxalis palmifrons has these delightful little palm-like leaves, and the flowers are just a marvelous bonus!
Oxalis palmifrons
In the greenhouse there are still more Oxalis in bloom.
Oxalis massoniana
Oxalis caprina
And the Daubenya that blooms very reliably for Thanksgiving.
Daubenya stylosa
I remember first seeing it at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden over a Thansgiving holiday.
Also in bloom from the greenhouse (though I’ve brought it into the house to enjoy) is the first of the small Narcissus for this year.
Narcissus catabricus ‘Silver Palace’
I actually counted 24 blooms in the pot tonight.
In the house for the winter time is the Amazon Lily. Characteristically this one flowers every thanksgiving holiday in celebration of the fact that it belonged to Beth’s mother who always used to prepare the thanksgiving meal for the family. And it flowers again outside in July. This year it seemed to outdo itself with flowers which carried a wonderful fragrance we had not noticed before.
Amazon Lily (Eucharis x grandiflora)
Amazon Lily (Eucharis x grandiflora)
Bear in mind that this plant has been in the same pot for about 30 years with only occasional watering.
Something funny happened on the way to the greenhouse to take some of these pictures. Despite the fact that we have been down to 20 degrees in mid-November, the subsequent weather has only hovered around freezing for the lows. I noticed a very spritely little wallflower in bloom.
Cascade wallflower (Erysimum arenicola)
And then the first of our nominally spring-blooming camellias.
Camelia japonica red
How’s that for the beginning of December in Maryland…:)