May Bloom Day: Geums and snowballs

Welcome, Bloom Day friends!

I don't know about you, but my list of spring chores just keeps growing, while my time to do them stays about the same.

 

I love the month of May!

Everything is so green and beautiful flowers are bursting open every day.

 

Here's a peek at my garden:

 

Back flowerbed:

 

My geum 'Totally Tangerine' really sparkles this month.

In fact, it pretty much carries the bed between tulip die-off and rose bloom.

Every year I think I need to fit a few more in back there.

 

Do you see what I see?

Huge fuzzy poppy buds! I'm so excited!

I watched a little girl the other day who, unbeknownst to me, picked some off. No doubt she was also delighted with their fuzziness. I was very sad when I found the buds on the deck later.

I have not yet reached poppy abundance, where the loss of a few buds doesn't matter, but I hope to get there someday!

Dwarf iris 'Bubbles' just starting to bloom, with hardy geranium in front.

Back flowerbed, long view looking toward deck.

The lilies in the foreground were a Mother's Day gift.

I can't remember the name offhand.

I'll have to check the tag and get back to you.

This iris is not supposed to be in the back flowerbed.

They all got moved up front, except this one.

I have no memory of deciding to leave it or plant it here.

Ah well. Now that it's blooming I guess it can stay for a few more weeks, at least.

Fruits and Veggies:

 



Strawberry blossoms.

June is coming!!

 

 

(above and below)

Tulips on the back slope.

They're all bent over following a rainstorm we had.

 

 Front flowerbeds:

 

Sem False Spirea (Sorbaria sorbifolia) with columbine.

The colors echo so nicely, it almost looks planned!

Front tulips, lamb's ears, and candytuft in the background.

These flowerbeds face north, so the bulbs here are about 2 weeks later than in back.

I like it--I get to enjoy the tulips longer this way.

Snowballs in spring.

This shrub is quickly becoming a favorite.

I'm impressed with how heavily it blooms here in its second spring.

 

A few mini daffodils.

I'm not sure which variety this is, but it is the latest to bloom of all my daffodils, by at least 10 days.

Wide view of front beds.

Okay, I had to include this shot, because you can see the iris buds better.

So close to blooming!

Any day now...

Front bed, next to the house:

My dicentra is still going strong.

It's right next to the front porch, so I get to check in on it several times a day.

 

Lovely little heuchera ('Sweet Tart', I think), with oakleaf hydrangea, astilbe, and euonymous foliage in the background.

 

I didn't include the shade bed this time, but I may get out there to take pictures for a separate post.

I have a volunteer forget-me-not blooming right now, which is just delightful!

 

To see what else is blooming around the world right now, click over to

May Dreams Gardens.

 

Thanks for visiting! See you again soon! 

They made it!

 I revamped this small flowerbed next to the porch last summer, pulling out dead bushes and improving the soil, before adding some new plantings in: hydrangea, astilbe, a couple of hostas, and some heucheras.

I also put in one dicentra--bleeding heart.

I tried planting dicentras in my back shade bed a few years ago, but they didn't survive.

This poor thing was transplanted from a friend's yard to begin with, then moved AGAIN when I realized that it was too far out and would be walked on. I didn't get my hopes up.

 

By the end of last summer, I wasn't sure which of my new plantings had survived.

The astilbes had withered away to practically nothing, as had the dicentra, and the ferns.

I knew heucheras and hostas were as tough as nails and could take dry shade, so I wasn't too worried about them.

 

This spring I have been pleasantly surprised to see all of the plants in this bed coming back!

 

Well, well, well. What have we here?

Hooray!

This euonymous wasn't in danger of dying off, but I'm delighted to see how much new growth it is putting on this spring! It looks better than it ever has.

Astilbe! Yes!

Astilbe number 2 (in back), plus 'Lime Marmalade' heuchera.

Oh and a few dandelions. (ahem). I guess they made it too.

 

The 'Ruby Slippers' oakleaf hydrangea is also putting out new leaves.

 

May they all live long and prosper!

(Except the dandelions.)

Shade Bed Tour & Violas

These dicentra's are supposed to die back by now, I thought, but they both seem to be putting out new growth. I don't mind!

I really love how the new growth is lighter green, with smaller leaves. It just adds dimension to the plant.

These hostas must like their new home--they're flowering already.

Quite lovely. 

 So I didn't kill off the brunnera (so glad!)

We've got a few new little leaves coming up.

I'll have to go back and clip off the big leaves that are too far gone to save, now that I'm sure it's surviving okay.

And what can I say more about VIOLAS?

Other than, I think they're fantastic, and they are some of my favorite flowers.

Oh, and they keep showing up in the most unexpected places.

 Like, in the lawn.

Not moving them!

Here's another one growing amongst the grass.

I've spotted at least 3 or 4.  

And here's one way over on the slope, by the woodland hyacinth.

They can populate whatever ground they want to. I don't mind a bit!

New Shaded Flowerbed

So this is along the wall behind the shed.

I'm excited to have a little bit of beauty back here--if I can keep these plants alive through the hot part of summer this year.

The bed isn't completely finished yet.

There's about 8 more feet or so to the left of the big hosta on the left, including space for one bigger bush than I need to pick out still.

What we've got so far.

L-R:

Hosta 'Captain Kirk', 24" x 36", pale lavender flowers

Tiarella 'Mystic Mist' (variegated foam flower), pink fall color, 7" x 16"

Heuchera 'Georgia Peach' (Alum root), bred for heat & humidity tolerance, 14"x24"

L-R:

(the Heuchera again)

Dicentra 'King of Hearts' (bleeding heart), 15"x24", pink flowers

Osmunda cinnamomea (Cinnamon Fern), 36"x48"

L-R:

another Tiarella, not sure variety

Matteuccia struthipoteris 'Ostrich' (ostrich fern), 36-48"x30", fiddleheads edible

Hosta 'Francee', 22"x18" (there are 2, one behind the other)

Dicentra formosa 'Aurora', (bleeding heart) 15"x15", white flowers, northwest native

Behind the Dicentra, not pictured because I hadn't planted it yet:

 Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost' (Silver Siberian bugloss), blue flowers, 14"x24"

I also planted on the slope, just below the wild geraniums 2 more hostas, both 'Golden Prayers' variety, supposed to grow 12"x24".

I finally got the Brunnera and the last 2 hostas planted today, and got the bed mulched and watered as well. If you look back in the top picture, I put in a stepping stone in the middle of the bed, to allow easy access to the slope above, as I hope to continue removing weed grass and filling in with better plants and bulbs.

Since the wall went in Diamond has not been trampling the plants there as much. Hooray!