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Although this could very well be a picture of me finding a new treasure at a favorite nursery, it's actually an illustration by David Catrow for a children's book called Plantzilla.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day April 2014

On the 15th of each month, Carol at May Dreams Gardens hosts Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, a meme that invites garden bloggers from around the world to post images of what's currently blooming in their gardens.  Thanks, Carol, for once again hosting the party.  Be sure to click on the link above to see what's blooming in gardens everywhere this month.
Spring has sprung and there are now so many things in bloom outside that I will only post some of the floral offerings. 

Some Daphne or other with a delicious fragrance! 

The magnolias are at their peak.  Here's M. 'Black Tulip'

Magnolia 'Julia'
 
Inherited magnolia.  You know, there's a reason that all of the books recommend siting ponds well away from trees.  I can tell what time of year it is by what I'm skimming off of the water.  Camellias, magnolia blossoms, bamboo leaves all summer then magnolia leaves in fall.  Oh well, skimming 2  - 3 times a day keeps me in touch with the goofy fish.
 
The newest addition to the magnolia collection is Magnolia laevifolia which perfumed the car with it's beautiful lemon scent on a two hour drive home.  Heaven!
 
Trillium in a shady area

Skimmia Japonica's flowers have a strong wafting fragrance that I look forward to enjoying each spring!

Tulip time!  It's nice to think back to that October day when we planted tulips in the morning then went to the pumpkin patch.  We'll make it an annual tradition!

Who wouldn't hit the bottle after spending the winter out in the cold?  These have come back for ten years.  Unfortunately, I don't remember the variety.


If I recall correctly, these were supposed to be orange.  Perhaps they change color as they age. 
 
Our native skunk cabbage, Lysichiton americanus.

The flowers of Rhododendron 'President Roosevelt' fade to this vibrant pink color as they age.

They start out looking like this. 

Smelling Fragrant Stock brings back a flood of happy memories so there is often a pot or two on the back steps.


Berberis darwinii is a hummingbird favorite.

Pulmonaria is still going strong.

The earliest Camellia japonica has finished blooming for the year but many others are now continuing the show.  There is one strange one that blooms on and off all summer long.  go figure.


 
Agapetes 'Ludgvan Cross' has now taken its place back outside for the summer. 


Sanguinaria canadensis 'Multiplex'


Soldanella villosa
 
 
The curse of Spanish Bluebells (Hyacinthoides hispanica.) I'm a pretty good plant killer having done in running bamboo, kept bishop's weed where I wanted it and nowhere else, and tamed impatiens glandulifera but this thing is pure evil. 

 Uvularia grandiflora
 
 Last but not least is Anemone nemorosa 'Viridiflora' 
 
 

34 comments:

  1. I'm amazed that you managed to get a shot of the Bloodroot on the one day that the flowers are open, before they disintegrate. They put real meaning in the word ephemeral. All so beautiful! Happy GBBD!

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    1. My bloodroot has been blooming for at least a couple of weeks. It's pretty large as I was able to get a 3 gallon pot for a riduculously low price at the Rhododendron Garden Nursery. She propagates them herself and her prices are wonderful.

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  2. You've got so many wonderful flowers Peter, but the one that jumped out at me...Magnolia laevifolia...lemon scent, really? I'm heading outside right now to see if mine smell.

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    1. I had no idea that it was fragrant but when Tom, bless his heart, came out to help me unload the car on Saturday night, he asked, "What's that strong lemon scent?" I had no idea that it was fragrant as well as beautiful but it is. The Cistus description on Plant Lust says..."profuse, intensely fragrant white blooms." Xera says "...very fragrant flowers..." Far Reaches, "... strongly lemon scented..."

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  3. Wow, you've got so many plants in bloom and lots of fab photos and close ups there, especially the Daphne!

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    1. Spring is very floriferous! Glad you liked the close ups. When the wide view isn't what it might be, close ups allow us to enjoy the small miracles happening in the garden.

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  4. Your garden looks wonderful! 10 years of the same Tulip must be a World's Record.

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    1. Tulips last for me becase I choose more reliably hardy varieties, the winter here gives them the chill they want, they get lots of Tagro, our local biosolid organic fertizer, and they are in areas that stay fairly dry all summer long. It's the magic of our climate that really does it though.

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  5. Spring is such a wonderful time, you have so many great blooms and lovely photo's to show them off.

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    1. You're right Karen, Spring is a special time of the year. I also love autumn but usually the current season is my favorite. (Winter's cold and rain here can grow old!) Thanks for your kind words!

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  6. You have a blooming kingdom there, Peter! So many interesting plants with pretty blooms!
    I can't believe Spanish bluebells can be so aggressive! Mine are sitting sheepishly and don't spread! Can you bring some of your S.bluebells to me in June, please? Thanks for offering some of your native dicentra; I am greedy for plants and will take everything!

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  7. Oh ! Anemone nemerosa viridiflora! Must have...yes I must !

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  8. Spring is exploding in your garden...a friendly explosion.

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  9. We have areas that are overrun with scilla (Spanish bluebells) too, but we love the blue mixed with our bright tulips, so we allow them to be bold. I do hate the mushy clean up though.
    I love all of your blooms.

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    1. I love them too but the foliage tends to smother anything trying to grow around it. There are so many gorgeous things blooming all over town this time of year!

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  10. It's too bad you have to scoop so many things out of the pond, but I marvel you can keep fish with all the animals and birds around that like to eat them. Is that an electric fence? The lemon-scented Magnolia sounds heavenly, I lived around the huge fragrant ones when I was a kid in Houston. The species Tulips return so much better for me, some of mine are getting older too. It was worth waiting for spring, so many beautiful flowers!

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    1. I don't so much mind skimming the pond. I could always put an automatic skimmer on but it's part of my morning and evening ritual to skim and scatter the petals around for the worms to eat. Yes, that is an electric fence. I'm not fond of the way it looks and have been shocked by it a few times myself but since I put it there 4 years ago, the raccoons and herons have not paid a visit to the pond. Because previously they wouldn't last long, I always got inexpensive feeder fish and hoped for the best. With the added security of the fence, we can have some koi which have grown quite large! Happy Spring! It was so nice to meet you on Satruday- Happy Spring!

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  11. I'm jealous of your Trilliums, I really must find some for the woodland! Your Magnolias are all wonderful, I wish I had planted one when we first arrived here, now we have so many trees, I don't think I could fit another one in!

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    1. Trilliums are very sweet and would look beautiful in your woodland! Fortunately, there are many magnolias that are small in stature that could fit into your garden without taking up the space of a tree.

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  12. Tulips that come back for 10 years!?!!! That sounds like a beautiful dream to me.

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  13. So many wonderful blooms! I love the Uvularia against the maple.

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    1. That is a wonderful combination and works beautifully when the Uvularia is still in a pot. We'll see if we can make it happen in real life.

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  14. Every time I read a post like this, I find myself thinking along the lines of "Now where could I cram in a Magnolia laevifolia?", or some other lovely thing you've shown. You really are a very bad influence, Peter, particularly in spring :-)

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    1. I love being a bad influence! You know you want a Magnolia laevifolia and Cistus is so close. Xera might have some and they're even closer. It wouldn't hurt to just drop by and see and maybe pick up a couple of other things that catch your eye while you're there.

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  15. That anemone is incredible! And I feel your pain on the Spanish bluebells. They are completely unkillable.

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    1. Maybe I should just let them grow there as they do elsewhere in my garden but I really want Syneilesis aconitifolia in that bed and the big strappy foliage of the bluebells always smush the emerging Syneilesis foliage.

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  16. It may be messy, but the magnolia blooming over the pond and petals on the water make a lovely scene.

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    1. I enjoy seeing the blooms over the pond and floating on the water and love having a reason to go outside in the morning before getting ready for work. For those who want a more easy-care pond, siting under trees is really a bad idea.

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  17. Wow, you have soooooo manyyyyyy blooms, so many plants! very pretty.

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Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I love to hear your thoughts.