Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day: May 2008

May has been an interesting month. Some of the early bloomers got all mixed up on when they were supposed to bloom, I discovered that serendipity had created a color theme in my spring backyard garden, and I got inspired by my brother and sister-in-law's ambitious first garden.

All the while, things have been blooming. Many things. But before I show you some of them and list others (in the spirit of May Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, hosted by Carol of May Dreams Gardens) I want to point out the beautiful state of decay of my Ivory Prince hellebore. Having such a small urban garden, I really value plants that look good when they are supposedly "past their prime!"


Most of the tulips are on their way out as well. The greigii tulips have long since shattered, decorating the front yard with their bright red petals. 'Black Hero' double tulip, a surprise returner this year, rests amongst the yarrow foliage:


And the elegant 'Prinses Irene' is fading from a bright mango orange into a shade akin to Tang:

At the end of the front bed, just before you turn to go up the porch steps, unnamed single late purple tulips sprawl through golden oregano, 'Purple Dragon' lamium, and my Japanese maple:

"The Bad Bergenia" has bloomed profusely this spring... as if to mock me for thinking about taking it out and replacing it with something prettier. And the foliage has looked nice, too. I still mostly scowl at it--what a cheeky plant it's turned out to be!

And finally, the garden's newer blooms. I keep wishing for the willpower to take out the doublefile viburnum in my front yard garden, because it is one of the least drought tolerant viburnums and I dislike fussy plants. But between the horizontal habit of the branches and the gorgeous texture of the leaves, I'm too deeply into my addiction here. And then there are the pretty flowers:


Also in the front garden, 3 of my 4 'Efanthia' euphorbias have rebounded and look amazing in bloom. The fourth plant has a few little nubs of new green leaves, but is nowhere near flowering like its friends:

People either love or hate geranium phaeum 'Samobor,' but I am always surprised to hear complaints that the flowers are not eye-catching enough. I guess that must be due to their size--because check out this amazing bloom color:

I am working on a theory that says something like the following: If you complain about one of your plants on your blog, and proceed to abuse the heck out of it (hopefully to the point of death, to avoid the necessity for shovel pruning) it will elevate its game. (See the bergenia above for further proof.)

And you might even start to have positive feelings for it, like the cautiously positive feelings I have for this garishly hot pink rhododendron, now that I've surrounded it with things like Japanese bloodgrass and goatsbeard to tone down the girliness:

This next bloom probably shouldn't even count, because the plant is still in its nursery pot. But I hope you can understand why I fell in love with the luscious flowers on this lewisia:

The blueberry flowers are doubly exciting--not only are they pretty, but they'll be good eating later! (In bud, next to the blueberry, are allium karataviense 'Ivory Queen.' I love its pleated and cupped foliage coming up through the creeping thyme.)

I wasn't sure what ajuga would think of my rather dry yard... but I'm happy to report that the diminutive 'Chocolate Chip' is extremely happy here. And handsome:

Other things in bloom on May 15, 2008:

grape hyacinths
bleeding hearts
'Samourai' pulmonaria
'Pine Knot Strain' hellebores
'Honeycrisp' apple
sweet woodruff
'Queen of the Night' tulips
'Geranium' daffodils
(note: Orangery and an unnamed daffodil would also be blooming... except that the elegant 'Geranium' ruined these showier daffs for me. I ripped them out.)
'Metallica Crispa' ajuga
silene maritima
carex 'Beatlemania'
tiarella 'Crow Feather'
carex platyphylla
an unnamed epimedium with a pretty deep lilac flower
blue fescue
'Cape Blanco' sedum
'Jack Frost' brunnera
alpine strawberries
phlox divaricata
lamium NOID (from Mom's garden)
This little carex, 'Hime Kansugi'

Other plants in bud on May 15, 2008:

penstemon NOID
culinary sage
physocarpus opulifolius 'Diabolo'
'Black Beauty' elderberry

clematis jackmanii

lonicera sempervirens
raspberries
'Caradonna' salvia
'Marcus' salvia
these beautiful chives:

I just love chives... both edibly and aesthetically.

"Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”
- William Morris

(Or both.)