The Merry Month Of May

The garden east of the house.

A closer look.

 

The merry month of May launched with some much-needed rain in the last two days of April, but the following cloudy, drizzly days have brought very little additional rain thus far. Still, the rain was enough to help the emerging foliage--my Japanese maples in particular appreciated it.

The flower beds to the east of the house are really starting to shape up into a lovely display with the pink-tinged foliage of the full moon maple 'Shirawasanum' on the right, the deep red of 'Bloodgood' beyond, the pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) in bud, the dwarf  Virginia fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicum) and Rhododendron  'Southgate Brandi' in the background. The dark purple flowers of the columbines 'Blue Barlow' growing underneath are starting to open.

 

Virginia fringe tree and Rhododendron in flower.

 

Earlier in the spring I re-edged all of the flower beds to the east of the house, and re-planted the Hakonechloa grass (Hakonechloa macra) closer to the front of the bed, in hopes that it will spread and make a better show.

 

Hakonechloa grass with hydrangeas.

Moving on to the back yard, the iris bed I dug up last fall is showing some blooms, though it will take a couple of years for the rhizomes to re-grow and bloom as profusely as before. These are the most perfumed of the irises that I grow.

Old-fashioned iris from my mom's garden.

My iris 'Blatant' had not bloomed for a couple years after being attacked by a beastie who ate some of the rhizomes, but it's blooming again this year. My other irises in the front garden are also blooming, just starting their seasonal display. I bought two new varieties last year, but thus far, neither is showing any buds--perhaps they are later blooming varieties, or just haven't grown long enough, who knows?

 

Iris 'Blatant'

Irises along the front walk.

White iris.

 The clematis that my sister Bea gave me is blooming beautifully. The two lilacs near the clematis haven't bloomed very much this year--too dry or too early for them, perhaps?

Clematis

The pale lilac Dutch iris have opened up, as has the red honeysuckle 'Major Wheeler.' Our first humming bird sighting took place on April 25--the earliest date since we've been here--feeding on the honeysuckle! The males are the first to begin their migration north in the spring, and it was surprising to see two or three males buzzing the flowers together--normally they are solitary birds. These little hummers were probably heading to Canada and parts far, far, north; they travel amazing distances alone rather than in flocks, unlike most other birds.

Dutch iris.

 

A new acquisition, a red carnation, went into the expanded bed on the west--the plant looks a little beat up at the moment, hopefully it will settle in soon. I haven't finished planting this bed yet, I plan to put in the anise hyssop I'm growing from seed there along with some bee balm.

 

Red carnation.

Spanish bluebells (Hyacinthoides hispanica)

After digging up the Spanish bluebells under the Zelkova tree last fall, separating and re-planting them, I 'd hoped for a better display, but the deer attacked the foliage and buds earlier in the spring, so I didn't get as much bloom as hoped for. Next year I must cover this bed with some sort of netting--the Muscari on the perimeter was also chomped down--such a shame!

 

New natural garden decoration.

Above is a new garden decoration--I found this weird-looking twisted juniper wood stump in the back woods a couple of years ago and wanted it for my garden, but wasn't able to detach it from the ground then. Last winter during one of my forays, I tried prying it again and it came out easily. Perfect to decorate the Herb bed! I planted some sedum and moss in it, and still have one pocket left for a succulent, maybe some hens-and-chicks or Crassulas?

 

Red Columbines

One columbine I planted in the back bed survived and is flourishing--I think it may be a dwarf variant of our native columbine (Aquilegia canadensis). But I also planted seeds of the native variety here a few years ago, and this could be one of them, it's hard to tell. I have another set of seeds of the native variety sprouting this year. Hummingbirds love this plant.

Yesterday my husband asked me how many trees I'd planted since we bought this property, and after counting, I was surprised to realize that we've planted thirty-six trees in our less than half-acre plot! That count doesn't include the shrubs like Viburnums, beautyberries, hollies and hydrangeas, or the cherry tree and arborvitae that were already here when we bought the house. Some of my trees will stay small in scale, but some will get much larger eventually--I'll post something about my trees soon: quite a few are exotic, and some of my natives are unusual, you don't see them planted in gardens very often.

More flowers to come on May 15's "Bloom Day," the peonies and roses are starting to bud.

Peonies, Roses and More

Itoh Peony 'Bartzella'

Bartzella

 

Late May is such a wonderful time of the year for flowers! Peonies, roses, clematis, azaleas, wildflowers, just about everything seems to bloom at this time of the year. After the recent rainy spell, my garden looks fabulous! That is, as long as you don't look too closely at the weedy lawn.

My peonies put on  a gorgeous show this spring: the yellow Itoh 'Bartzella'  produced seven huge, dinner-plate size blossoms. 'Duchesse de Nemours' is so heavy with blooms that even with grow-through wire supports, the recent rains broke off a few stems. The perfect excuse to cut and bring them into my house to fill a vase for sketching.

 

Peony 'Duchesse de Nemours'

'Duchesse de Nemours'

The pink peony in the front bed by the driveway was the first peony I planted in my garden, and it has been putting on a show since then. Peonies are long-lived plants, and usually bloom in greater profusion every year if they're happy in their location.

 

Pink peony in front bed.

 

Pink peony, alliums and shrub roses in bed by driveway.

Shrub rose 'Petal Pusher' with blue Fescue and yellow alliums.

 

The sunny bed by the driveway with the pink peony is fuller this year with yellow alliums, and the roses are now starting to bloom. I don't recall the tufts of blue fescue grass blooming so profusely before, they are stunning this year!

 

Red 'Double Knockout' rose by the front walk.

Ground covers by the front walk.

The red 'Double Knockout' rose by the front walk is lovely with its first flush of bloom, and will keep on blooming until the first frost, if not as profusely--I only wish it had some perfume! The rest of the ground covers and shrubs along the walk are lush too; the Persian carpet effect I wanted here is coming together nicely. The blue-green foliage of woolly thyme and Juniper contrasts nicely with the yellow-greens of the sedum 'Angelina' and a miniature golden Hinoki false cypress, and the fresh green of Greek oregano, accented with the clump of magenta pink dianthus flowers.

Clematis 'Etoile Violette'

 

My clematis 'Etoile Violette' took a beating last year when the climbing rose 'New Dawn' was blown down off the porch pillar during a storm. The rose had to be pruned back severely, which I don't think hurt it any. This year it looks as if 'New Dawn' will bloom a bit later, so the two will not coincide. I like the color combination of these three plants: the deep purple clematis with a golden Hinoki cypress and a dwarf Colorado blue spruce. 

 

East garden in the evening.

Moving along the east of the house, three Japanese maples provide shelter for shade-loving plants like the Rhododendron and two azaleas. The photo above was taken last week, the one below a few days later. The Japanese maples are a red-leaved 'Bloodgood', a full-moon maple 'Shirasawanum', and between these two, a small-leaved one I grew from a seedling found in the grounds of the office building next to the one I used to work in.

Same bed in morning light, pagoda dogwood on the left, fringe tree on the right.

'Blue Barlow' columbines with Fringe tree and Japanese maples.

 

The Virginia Fringe tree (Chionanthus virginianus) and Pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) blooming at the same time with the columbines really made this area of the garden sing this year. The great blue Lobelias are spreading all over this bed, competing with the 'Blue Barlow' columbines. Later in the year the Lobelias will cover the bed with their blue spikes of flowers.

 

Dutch iris, 'Major Wheeler' honeysuckle and double flowering Quince

In the back yard, the deep blue Dutch iris sets off the honeysuckle 'Major Wheeler' while the double flowering quince continues to bloom in the long island bed. In the same bed, the elderberry 'Black Lace' and other plants bloom, waiting for the Asian lilies to make their entrance.

Clematis 'John Warren'

Elderberry (Sambucus 'Black Lace')

Pentstemon 'Electric Blue'

Foxglove Pentstemon

Last fall I transplanted one of the foxglove Pentstemons to the Herb bed and another to the back bed, where they are flourishing. Meanwhile, the Badlands shine with the same foxglove Pentstemons and the blooms of 'Coppertina,' a ninebark tree (Physocarpus opulifolium 'Coppertina).  The deer eat this shrub back every year so it doesn't seem to get any bigger, but they seem to have stopped devouring my other ninebark tree, 'Amber Jubilee' in another bed, allowing it to produce its first blooms this year.

Ninebark tree 'Coppertina'

Ninebark tree 'Amber Jubilee'

I'd forgotten to show you my 'Kousa' dogwood, which has more blooms this year, despite the ravages of the 17-year locusts last year.

 

'Kousa' dogwood in back bed.

I can't wait to see what marvelous new blooms the season will bring forth soon!

Iris Idyll

Iris 'Victoria Falls'

 

German or bearded irises are one of my favorite flowers: so elegant! Thanks to the fascination of horticulturists with this lovely species, they have been bred to have large, frilly, spectacular flowers in just about any color combination. Blues, purples, and yellows are still among the most popular, though bi-colors are also lovely.

Irises are not particular about soil, nor do they require a lot of care, so they manage to do well in my garden. The only drawback is that their blooming season is short and sweet. Even so, there are now varieties that re-bloom in the fall.

 

Irises by the front walk.

The front walk a week later.

 

My iris collection started with a package of rhizomes that I bought from a member of  the Virginia Native Plant Society when I visited their booth at the Fall Garden Fair at Blandy Farm my first year here. I was just starting my new garden in Front Royal, and the irises were a welcome addition. The lady from VNPS told me the irises were a mixture of colors from her own garden--I have no idea what the names of the varieties are.

White Irises

It was so exciting to see them bloom that first spring, although there were only a few flowers in my small bed! These have multiplied over the years, to the extent that I've expanded the bed twice, as well as taken rhizomes to plant in other sunny beds. The white iris above, in particular, is quite unusual, with a small tongue that lifts off the pale yellow and lavender beards--never seen anything like it before. On some years, certain colors seem to predominate while others hardly appear. This year a deep purple iris has yet to manifest itself.

Yellow and 'Pink Attraction' irises

 

When I began to expand the bed next to the garage, I transplanted a few of the yellow irises, and added one that I'd bought on sale, 'Pink Attraction.' It's really more of a peach color, but blends well with the yellow and the pale lilac Dutch iris in the same bed.

 

The irises in the bed I call the "Little Indians" (the arbor vitae were originally ten and quite small) are an old-fashioned variety that my mother grew in her garden. Mom had taken a few rhizomes from the garden of an old house that was about to be demolished, preserved them in her garden and gave each of us cuttings. My sister Bea gave me a couple of small rhizomes from her garden, and they have grown and expanded greatly in the years I've been gardening here.

Anchusa azurea 'Alkanet' (on the right) with 'Victoria Falls'

 

The 'Victoria Falls' iris in this long island bed below the deck is paired with 'Blatant,' a bi-color with rusty purple falls and yellow standards which hasn't bloomed much this year--the previous spring some critter ate some of the rhizomes, and it's still recovering. This one is a re-blooming variety, as is the yellow iris--they usually put forth a few flowering spikes in the fall; unfortunately these are often stymied by early frosts.  I'm now looking for a rose-purple shade to add to my iris collection in the fall.

Last fall I added a few new plants to this bed, among them an Anchusa azurea 'Alkanet' with deep blue flowers that complements "Victoria Fall's nicely. This plant is a native of the Mediterranean region and prefers the dry conditions that our area is often subject to.

Pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia)

The Pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) has grown quite a bit since it was planted the fall before last, gaining about eighteen inches last summer. It has flowers only on a few branches this year, but I'd rather it continued to invest its energy into height at this stage. 

Korean fir (Abies koreana 'Horstman's Silberlocke')

My little Korean fir is putting forth its first shoots since being planted last fall, and I hope it will gain a bit of height this season. I imagine it will be a few years before I see any of its unusual purple cones, but who knows? This one is a grafted tree, so it might develop faster.

 

Ninebark tree 'Amber Jubilee' with Japanese maple 'Amber Ghost'

The two amber-named trees, Ninebark 'Amber Jubilee' and the Japanese maple 'Amber Ghost' have similar foliage colors that complement each other--the Amber Bed, so to speak. I'd like to add another tree behind this one and had my heart set on a white-flowering Redbud, but I waited too long to order it and all the nurseries were out of stock. Oh well, maybe next year.

Spring Progression

Front yard on April 8

Last year I posted a very similar photo of my front yard with the Kwanzan cherry tree in full bloom. That photo had been taken on Easter Sunday which was on April 21. This year's was taken the morning after a big rainstorm on April 8, nearly two weeks earlier. Interesting that the seasonal spring progression is so much earlier this year.

The back yard on April 8

Double flowering quince

As the back yard beds become more populated, the whole ensemble is more floriferous: the narcissi and daffodils are naturalizing and spreading nicely in their beds under the Redbud tree, the double-flowering Quince is covered with blossoms, and both the Primrose (white flowers) and purple Bloomerang lilacs are loaded with flowers buds.

The daffodils and grape hyacinths are prospering, despite the squirrels' constant activity replanting the grape hyacinths in the most unexpected places. I particularly like the light blue variety, and there are also some white ones in the mix.

Mt. Hood daffodils and blue Muscari

Blue Grape Hyacinths (Muscari armeniacum)

The Carolina Silverbell tree is now about five feet high and with more flowers than ever before--a thing of rare beauty! I bought this tree from Wayside Gardens as a small sapling that was about 12" high. I notice that they no longer offer this native tree for sale, and am told they are hard to find. The tree will reach around 15 to 20 feet at maturity.

Carolina Silverbell tree (Halesia tetraptera)

Close-up of flowers

We planted two new native trees on the east side of the house last fall: a Downy Serviceberry tree (Amelanchier arborea) and a Pagoda Dogwood (Cornus alternifolia). These were acquired from a nursery located in neighboring Rappahanock County. The Serviceberry produces small, edible berry-like fruits--I wonder if we'll get to taste these, since I hear they're a favorite of birds, and I'm sure the deer won't be far behind.

Downy Serviceberry tree (Amelanchier arborea)

Flower buds of the Pagoda Dogwood (Cornus alternifolia)

I saw a Pagoda Dogwood on last year's trip to the Bruce Peninsula and thought it had such a beautiful form, I really wanted one for my yard, so when I found one at a local nursery, I snapped it up. It will be interesting to see what the flowers will look like, since the one I saw in Canada was not in bloom. These two trees will need a few years' growth before they begin to look like much, but eventually they should be spectacular.

Clematis montana 'Apple Blossom'

Another purchase from Wayside was this Clematis 'Apple Blossom' which I've been training on a trellis at the side of our house. This is the first spring that it has bloomed profusely. Another pleasant surprise was the early-blooming dwarf iris 'Bluebeard'.

Dwarf iris 'Bluebeard'

And this is just the beginning of the flowering season! Soon the other clematises, the roses and the Alliums will come into bloom. I can't wait to see what they'll be like this year!