The Japanese Maple which was named "Ashley" by my girls last summer, is just beginning to leaf out. Each Spring I'm always amazed at how suddenly the leaves appear. The tiny red flowers are also about to bloom. This is Sweet Pea's favorite climbing tree.
A Fernleaf Bleeding Heart (Dicentra eximia) surprises me each Spring with it's return. It's never grown very big, but usually it has a few flowers before it dies back for the summer.
An Epimedium that I planted last fall. I thought it had died, but now the new leaves and flowers are just showing up.
One of the grocery store Frittilarias ended up being a checkered one. Yeah!
Pink Flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum) is in full bloom now. I haven't seen any hummingbirds by it yet, but I anxiously waiting for them.
Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum) is blooming.
Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia) only has one flower bud so far, since I've only had this for a couple of years I'm not sure how fast it grows. It seems to be fairly slow growing.
And my current little favorite Navelwort (Omphalodes cappdocica) 'Starry Eyes' keeps blooming and blooming.Our pretty Spring weather on Saturday has given way to wind and rain. It's so hard to have one nice day followed by many days of rain. I just want to go outside and weed and work in the garden. Hope you are having sunshine where you are!
Sure hope the rain ends soon after properly watering your goods. Beautiful blooms. I am loving that pretty blue blooms on the navalwort Starry Eyes.
ReplyDeleteI am astounded at the greenery and the luscious growth! Looking excellent, Catherine.
ReplyDeleteLove from
Julie
Your full summer isn't too far away. I love the name of Ashley for that great tree.
ReplyDeleteIt was quite the blustery night! Woke us up and was hard to get back to sleep! So neat that you saw a pileated woodpecker! I have never seen one except in Yosemite Nat. Park. Your starry eyes is so cheerful ~ here's hoping the weather calms a bit and gives us a chance to dig in the dirt without the sting of rain on our faces :)
ReplyDeleteI love your Pink Flowering Currant.
ReplyDeleteEverything looks so beautiful. I love the fresh Japanese maple leaves. I'm not familiar with the currant - it is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteIt is looking beautiful Catherine...maybe a rock garden area under the trees, something that grows shallow roots....it's breezy and cool here today, by weeks end we will be pushing 80..
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that all of our gardens are looking a little more cheerful these days! :)
ReplyDeleteYou are just a few weeks ahead of us and it looks great. Yeah on the frittillary!
ReplyDeleteI have to laugh, Catherine. As I read your "wind and rain" the rain is fast and furious here too. Apparently lots of snow in the mountains as well. This is good but trying at times, for sure. I just hope I can keep the slugs away from my emerging hostas.
ReplyDeleteYour photos are amazing as usual. I love the frittilaria. Having absolutely no success with these my hat is off to you.
Your garden seems picture-perfect, Catherine. Are Frittilarias droopy naturally of is that flower yet to open completely?
ReplyDeleteYou have the sweetest spring flowers. I got some Solomon's Seal from my amazing gardening neighbor last year. I hope it returns. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteLoving the Solomon's Seal! Yours has a bit of white on the leaf edges. Mine does not.
ReplyDeleteBoy, spring is in full swing at your place!! I envy you seeing Pileated Woodpeckers. They are so grand.
ReplyDeleteYour photo of the Bleeding Heart is very very nice. All of your photos are nice.... I am enjoying your spring!
They are all pretty but I must say the navelwort is my favorite!
ReplyDeleteThe Navelwort has the prettiest little flowers.I really like the color of blue in its blooms. The checkered Frittlaries look like so pretty but strange too. I think it is the idea of checkers on a bloom.;-) The flowering currant has such gorgeous pink blooms. Do they have a fragrance Catherine?
ReplyDeleteOh Catherine, I am so anxious to see that green and all of the beautiful flowers.
ReplyDeleteYour garden looks so inviting.
Eileen
Catherine, It's hard to say which of the photos is the prettiest. I do love the currant though. We are supposed to have sun and temps near 70 for the next two days - I can't wait to get outside! Always a delight to visit in your garden.
ReplyDeleteOh Catherine, your Polygonatum doesn't look bad at all. Much better than our feeble effort many years ago. I hope you do get a change to try growing the native one though. If you Polygonatum does that well, the native should be very happy in your garden.
ReplyDeleteThe navelwort is outstanding. Never seen it before. How hardy is it? I'm in Zone 5B and would love to add it to my garden. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteWhat pretty pictures and flowers! We are a way off in getting some blooms.
ReplyDeleteCatherine,
ReplyDeleteOh such lovely s! Your bleeding hearts are so unusual. Our bleeding hearts are out and flowering now.
I just love your beautiful gardens! Mine have been such a disappointment (my own fault as I have put no effort in), so I think I will just live through yours!!!
ReplyDeleteAmazing colour of the bleeding hearts :-)
Have a great week!
I'm curious as to what variety of bleeding heart you have there. I just saw a new one being offered in the catalogs this year and I was wondering if this was it: Burning Hearts.
ReplyDeleteI love the Ribes sanguineum... I've never had one... not even certain it's hardy here, but I want to check into it after seeing your beautiful plant!! Larry
ReplyDeleteAh, more lovely photos! That bleeding heart has an amazingly deep red color. What a healthy bunch of Solomon's seal you have too!
ReplyDeleteAnd your Ribes is just yummy!
Goodness, the wind woke me up more than once last night! I left some big empty plastic pots out in the back yard on the patio, and the wind "walked" them about 20 feet away to the foot of my back stairs. They were all clustered there, still upright, like they were waiting to be let in the house!
I always love it when you show your navelwort. It is so beautiful with it's delicate light blue flowers. I like the idea of letting your kids name trees. I may have to try that....
ReplyDeleteHey Catherine, I love visiting your site. You always have such unusual plants(or should I say plants I have never heard of). I love that little Starry Eyes.
ReplyDeleteHi Catherine,
ReplyDeleteYour path garden looks lovely in spring! We haven't had much warm weather yet. Today was our first day over 70 degrees since September. We are supposed to have a few warm days, then cooler temps and rain again. I am so excited to see what new things are popping up each day.
You look about a week to two weeks ahead of us here. We had started early, but then it got cool.
ReplyDeleteEverything looks lovely.
Jen
Awesome post Catherine! and oh my..I LOVE Ashley..how fantastic your girls named her! Beautiful!What a fabulous tree..mega beautiful!
ReplyDeleteGreat closeups...this post felt very alive!!
Kiki~
Thank you everyone for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteChandramouli - This is my first time growing frittilaria, but I'm pretty sure the flowers are supposed to "nod".
Lona - The currant doesn't have a scent, but every year I smell it anyway :) It looks like it should smell good.
Heather - The Navelwort is supposed to be hardy down to zone 6a. Maybe you have a micro climate in your yard that stays a little warmer and it would work?
LC - I read that the currant is hardy zone 5a - 8a. I hope you can grow it, it's a beautiful shrub.
Yay for the checkered fritilaria! I got a couple this year too, phew. Always nice when that happens. Interesting about the Japanese maple, I will have to take that into account for my still-unsolved shade tree decision. I don't have enough space to have another tree that nothing will grow under! Yes, the one sunny day for me was spent indoors and in the car, so it is especially frustrating now that it's horrible out again! Plus, spring break... agh! Hope we get a clear day again and you see the hummers in your ribes before too long!
ReplyDeleteOh I'm glad I waited and came back for the pictures. This morning they weren't all showing but mine weren't either so it was a blogger problem. Love your checkered Frittilaria and those cute little Starry Eyes. Your place is going wild. Speaking of which . . . wasn't that wind wild last night? It was kind of scary. Hope the poppies I transplanted are still ok cause it was flat raining here. The noisiest I've heard in ages. Today going to town on the road I showed in the snow? I think driving it in the snow is less scary than hydroplaning all the way into town. That's what I did today. Yikes!!!
ReplyDeleteDon't you just love Epimediums?? I planted a 'rubrum' last year too and just found it coming up ~ no blooms yet tho. Yours is very pretty. Love the checkered frittilaria too ~ I can't believe you found that in the grocery store. I've never seen anything very exotic in our grocery stores.
ReplyDeleteSorry about the rain. I know how that feels except for us it's usually snow. Once it turns nice, I just want it to stay that way and be outside!
Oh, very cool about the Pileated woodpecker ~ I remember you got some great photos last year. Maybe you'll get another chance? I'd love to have them move into my flicker box!!!
It looks lovely in your garden Catherine. If you cut down the Epimedium leafes early every year, as I suppose you do with the Hellebores, they will look even prettier blooming. Navelwort is a beauty, BUT in my garden it becomes a weed. I think it's about ten years since I had one single plant in a pot on top of the well and still I have to remove lots of small plants every year. Otherwise I'm afraid that they would take over the whole bed. I haven't let them flower for atleast five years and still there are plant showing all summer long. Some plants seems to thriver a bit to much don't htey =)
ReplyDeleteI have three different currents, and I think they smell- especially on a warm day. Since they are a native it reminds me of floating on the rivers- obviously because they are off on the banks somewhere.
ReplyDeleteSame weather here- my new beds that were born over Spring break now have large lakes in them from the unrelenting rain. ARGH!
aloha,
ReplyDeletewow spring has started in your yard, love all the exciting colors especially that navelwort..is that a true blue color, love it.
Lovely photos, I love the lush colour foliage of maple trees.
ReplyDeleteLovely photos, I love the lush colour foliage of maple trees.
ReplyDeleteI love that navelwort. My friend Carol planted some last year. I may need to get some.
ReplyDeleteSigh.... I just love your Pink Flowering Currant and Navelwort. How beautiful.
ReplyDelete