"One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it brings."

Thursday, April 15, 2010

April 2010 Garden Blogger's Bloom Day.

It feels like Spring has now come to stay here. The weather has been beautiful with highs in the low 60's, perfect for gardening. With the longer days I've found myself out gardening until almost 7 p.m. a few days already. Each time I'm out it seems I'm discovering more good things; buds on the Alliums, lots of Hydrangea buds on all of the bushes, Clematises seem to grow overnight.
While we were driving home from my daughter's Lacrosse practice we started noticing that most of the trees either have leaves or are just leafing out. Every Spring that's one of my favorite parts, the trees almost seem to glow from the fresh new leaves. Right now the Crabapples seem to be the trees grabbing the attention for their blooms.
Here is some of what's blooming in my garden for this Bloom Day:

Forget-me-nots (Myosotis). When I was double checking the spelling of Myosotis I found that it means mouse's ear in Greek. I don't think I planted one of these, they've been reseeding in our garden probably since before we lived here.

Knautia (K. macedonia) has it's first flower open with lots more ready to bloom as well. This will bloom all summer and into the fall. It does self seed some too, but just enough for a few new plants to move around the garden.

Columbines (Aquilegia) I think are my very favorite Spring flower. They pop up everywhere and I let them grow pretty much anywhere they show up.

The Pink Ruffled ones are starting to bloom. They're all just a little different from each other, some have more ruffles, some bigger than others and all are a different shade of pink.

Meadow Rue (Thalictrum) was moved to a little more of a sunny spot last year and already seems to be doing much better. It's much taller than it ever was before.

Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum) is having it's best year ever. It's never had so many flowers or bloomed for so long.

One of my new favorites are the Epimediums I planted late fall/early winter. I had read they would tolerate dry shade, and they sure seem to. The new growth is very bright, the flowers on this are like mini suns. This one is supposed to be Epimeduim sulphureum. It doesn't really look like the pictures I've found on the internet, but I still love it.

Epimedium 'Rubrum' has the tiniest flowers. I don't know much else about Epimediums, but would love to try them in another place of my garden. I'd love to know how much they spread or if they are aggressive spreaders. Where they are now I hope they do spread lots.

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day is hosted by Carol of May Dreams Gardens on the 15th of each month. Visit her to join in or to see what other gardeners around the world have in bloom.
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39 comments:

  1. It's easy to go back into the garden after the evening meal isn't it? Love the second flower, wonder if it would grow here? My first year with columbine so I still sizing it up. How's the pineapple sage and the crocosmia?

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  2. Ah another lovely walk through your blooms. I am very fond of columbines and I am eagerly awaiting my blooms. I like the color of your pink.

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  3. Beautiful blooms Catherine. Yes, Myosotis really does self sow freely...I've been finding it on the property in places I've never seen it before, perhaps because of all the rain this year. Clearly your Polygonatum has loved the weather this spring. When I grew it years ago, mine never looked that good! I thought that only happened in nursery catalogs! Although our native Solomon's Seal is everywhere this year.

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  4. Ah! Your garden is up and awake! Active with bright blooms. Whoever named forget-me-not knew that the beholder can never forget its beauty.
    Knautia looks lovely and so do others. Did you sow Bachelor buttons this year? I sowed mine - hope they do germinate this year at least.

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  5. Hi Catherine, I'm really intrigued by your Knautia. I will have to keep my eye out for that plant, I always appreciate a plant that keep's on blooming! Your columbines are gorgeous too :)

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  6. Catherine, I had Epimedium in my garden when we lived in Massachusetts, and it is very well-behaved, not aggressive at all. The clump keeps getting bigger every year, enough that you can keep digging pieces of it from the edges and putting it in other spots. And it did love dry shade. Never drooped in the heat of summer, and I don't think I ever really needed to water it. Did you know one of its common names is fairy wings? One of my all time favorite shade perennials.

    Your columbines are so much further along than mine, I planted some last fall when we first moved in, and they have buds but are far from blooming. Another favorite!

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  7. Epimedium is a slow spreader here. So slow, in fact, that I'm not sure it's increased at all since I planted it;) Lots going on in your garden...still just snow in mine.

    Christine in Alaska

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  8. Wow Catherine ~ It is always a treat to see what is blooming in your gardens. So glad that spring is finally there for you. I love the forget-me-nots.

    Enjoy ~ FlowerLady

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  9. You have such beautiful flowers and so many! And so many that I love and that are on my list. I really must acquire some knautia and meadow rue - oh, and more epimediums! I used to have a yellow flowering kind in Maine but just love the 'Rubrum' variety you have. The solomon's seal is truly delicate and what a variety of columbines - I mostly have the pink ruffled kind. (Sigh) what fabulous blooms.

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  10. Beautiful, just beautiful! I love the Myosotis flowers, and once read that Tasha Tudor sowed it along her garden paths letting it take over wherever it pleases. I find it much more attractive than grass! :)

    Lovely images of the Columbine as well. I will be getting blooms on mine for the first time since planting them. I'm very excited!

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  11. I just discovered the epimediums and I love them. They are doing so well in my dry shady area. They are very tough despite their fragile appearance.

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  12. Sounds like good spring weather. We are heading right on into summer now. Love those forget-me-knots. I bet my columbines won't bloom this year - will they? Have a good weekend.

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  13. Hello dear Catherine,

    I so enjoyed the photos. For some reason the close-ups just twang at my heartstrings.

    Things are looking good. How is your weather?

    Sending love and spring sunshine,

    Sharon Lovejoy Writes from Sunflower House and a Little Green Island

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  14. Catherine I'm always at awe of your beautiful back yard photos... Forget me-nots are the prettiest tiny blue flowers, I have a few in my yard also.

    Love the Solomon's seal I'd like to try my hand at growing some.

    Beautiful Garden Blooms day post..Thank you for stopping by mine and leaving a comment.

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  15. Your Solomon's Seal is so luxurious - I really must remember that I want to grow this, every time I see it I'm jealous!

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  16. Oh your blooms are well ahead of mine. My Columbines dont even have flower stalks yet and my Solomons Seal has only recently stuck its head above the ground. Your garden must be looking very pretty right now

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  17. Oh, please show your alliums budding! Mine are new this year and aren't doing anything. I want to know what to hopefully look forward to. You have one of the greenest thumbs I know of!
    Brenda

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  18. Very pretty! I just love those forget-Me-Nots. They are so cute!

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  19. I very much enjoyed my visit to your garden today. So different from my garden here near the Gulf Coast and so beautiful!

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  20. So many pretty flowers Catherine, just lovely.
    Your Forget-me-not is the perennial one...it may reseed to spread. I have both and the annual reallllllly reseeds. I dug up my perennial to take with me.
    I really like the pink ruffley Aquilegia.

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  21. Hi Catherine. Thanks for visiting my blog!
    Your blooms are beautiful--and your pictures are so good! I really want too try alliums--any advice?
    Happy Gardening, Linda

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  22. oooh, I'm so excited to see that pink columbine again and even more excited that I have seedlings from it! They are all doing very well so maybe next spring they'll be blooming in my garden too. Thanks again for sharing Catherine!
    I planted epimedium 'rubrum' last spring also. It is getting close to blooming ~ very tiny blooms for sure. Smaller than I imagined ~ I think it's a cool plant tho. Happy bloom day!

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  23. What beautiful blooms Catherine. That ruffled columbine is so pretty.

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  24. We are catching up to you now. The weather changes are so funny between the west and east coast. Sure looks like spring in your garden. I love the columbines too. Also the forget me nots. They don't grow for me here but brunnera is a good substitute. The veronica seeds you sent me are doing great. Can't wait to see them bloom.

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  25. Darla - The crocosmia is doing great, unfortunately the pineapple sage didn't make it. I had it in the garage in a window, but I think it still go too cold in there earlier in the winter.

    Chandramouli - I haven't sown the Bachelor's Buttons yet, but plan to very soon. I have a new variety to try. I also have a few volunteers from last years plants.

    Alison - Thanks for the info Epimedium, I'm glad it's not aggressive. I just love it.

    Becca - Columbines usually don't bloom the first year, but they are worth the wait. Maybe you'll get a surprise bloom?

    Brenda and Linda - This is my first year growing Alliums so I don't have any advice other than it took awhile to see the buds. I only saw foliage for the longest time, now all of a sudden there are little buds. Almost like tiny tulip buds.

    Kathleen - I was hoping you'd see those Columbines! I hope yours are really ruffley like these ones, but they all turn out really cute.

    Tina - I'm soooo glad they sprouted for you. The seeds were so small. I started mine with winter sowing and have so many, I'll really have to thin. I think they should bloom the first year too.

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  26. Thank you everyone for visiting! I've been busy most of the day, but plan to see what you all have blooming today if I haven't been there yet. :)

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  27. You have a wonderful collection of color this spring. I love the self seeding forget-me-nots. I scattered some seed but have not spotted any growing, sigh. I did not have luck with Columbine last year but looking back, I suspect the Vole got the roots. I may add some more this year if I can find them on discount...

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  28. So nice to see all your beautiful flowers. I planted epimedium last year but the spider mites decimated them during a particularly dry summer. I was pleasantly surprised to see them coming up this spring. Hope they look like yours some day!

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  29. Ooh, I love those columbines as well. Beautiful! How nice that they just pop up everywhere.

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  30. I love your flowers for Bloom Day. The epimediums are exquisite.

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  31. Hi Catherine,
    Thank you for the nice comment on my GBBD post. Things are looking great your way. I love the columbines, too. Some of your flowers, I've never grown before.

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  32. Catherine, enjoyed so much your tour through your garden. How lovely your flowers are and your photography of them is wonderful. I adore the pink ruffled columbine! Never seen anything like it. I'm enjoying my garden also and can't wait to spend some time in the dirt this weekend.

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  33. Catherine~~ Your garden is at least a few weeks ahead of mine. My Thalictrum are just starting to show buds. No buds on my Knautia. My Columbines are blooming but my Solomon's Seal has at least a week.
    I don't grow Epimediums. I'd like to but darn $12.00 for a one gallon.... I suppose I'll need to bite the bullet. I love the foliage and flowers.

    Gorgeous photos!!!

    Looks like we're in for a nice weekend. Hooray.

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  34. I haven't had any spreading issues with Epimediums, I think they grow slowly if at all, at least in my garden. Those tiny flowers, like little dancing faeries when there's a breeze. I love how the stalks are so delicate, you can't really see them so it looks like the flowers are floating. Can you tell I'm a fan? I have about 5 now and think I need more. Nothing better in dry shade! Love your columbines and that you let them self-sow. Ditto the FMN's - do yours get mildewy in summer or stay healthy? I have some that have sown themselves and I was happy to see new ones this year. Hope you have a great weekend of gardening, looks like it's going to be nice again!

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  35. A great post Catherine! Epimediums don't spread at all, you have to divide them to get more plants. I think that you also might want to know that there rotsystem gets so tight that springbulbs planted in the same area sometimes have problem to make it thrue the rotsystem.

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  36. I love evverything you have coming up. I miss them all, and I am definitely going to find a place for them in my garden. I have a few on my small shade side but not nearly enough.

    Eileen

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  37. Karen - Yes, I do see mildew on the FMN's, but by then they're about done blooming so I just pull them. They still seem to get a chance to reseed by then.
    I've found that Flower World in Maltby has very reasonable prices for Epimediums compared to the nurseries around here, about half the price.

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  38. BEAUTIFUL! I especially like your Solomon's Seal and pink ruffled Columbine!

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