January 2026 Bloom Day

Creeping Phlox in front yard

 

It's January Bloom Day for garden bloggers, hosted by Carol Michel's May Dreams blog and here in my Zone 6 garden in Virginia it's very cold today. The weather predictions had called for snow flurries this morning, but they never materialized, and neither did the rain yesterday, so the sun started coming out mid-morning. 

I was surprised to see that the Creeping Phlox under the cherry tree in the front yard still has a few open blossoms--they must have emerged during the extra warm days earlier this week, and miraculously, haven't frozen. The only other blooms in my garden are some snowdrops that I planted two years ago.

 

Snowdrops (Galanthus elwesii 'Mount Everest')

 

 My indoor garden is sporting a few blooms--I pruned my gardenia tree hard a couple of weeks ago but saved one branch with flower buds, which are opening.

 

Gardenia tree (Tabernaemontana divaricata)

One of my Phalaenopsis orchids still has a few flowers hanging on, and some new buds about to open. The Jewel orchid in bud I bought at Floradise has opened a few of its tiny white flowers, while my other new orchid, the Pahpiopedilum's flower is still fresh. 

 

Pink Phalaenopsis orchid

 

Paphiopedilum orchid posed for painting.

Jewel orchid (Ludisia discolor) in bloom.

 

 My miniature orchid, Epidendrum polybulbon has two flower buds getting ready to open. The African violet below is very pretty when in bloom too.

 

Epidendrum polybulbon orchid buds.

African violet (Saintpaulia 'Optimara' hybrid) 

 

Hopefully, I'll have a few more flowers outdoors and indoors next month, thanks for visiting!

April 2024 Bloom Day

Front yard in the morning.

 

Welcome to my garden on this April Bloom Day, a day late! The 15th of each month is the day we share photos from our gardens and link our posts to Carol Michel's May Dreams blog, and April is certainly the month when the flowers in my garden are at their most beautiful! But it's been such a busy time for me that I'm a day late in posting this.

This year, my Kwanzan cherry tree didn't have its usual profuse display of blossoms... perhaps last year's severe drought didn't promote enough bud formation, and the extraordinarily windy days just before Bloom Day blew down some of the buds that were about to open. This year's display is less spectacular than usual, though the Poet's Narcissi and creeping phlox are holding up well.

 

Cherry Laurel 'Otto Luykens'

 

The Cherry Laurel provides greenery to the left front of the house, and the scent of the flowers permeates the area. 

 

Lewisia 'Little Peach'

 

Also in front, my Lewisia 'Little Peach' is offering its first flower of the season. I really like this little alpine native of the California Sierras. It survives easily in this climate but my soil is so clayey, it's safer growing in a pot where drainage is not a problem.

Going around to the east side of the house, the Hellebores are still in flower, but the star of the show is my Carolina Silverbell tree. Each year as it gains height, it gets better and better.

Carolina Silverbell tree close up.

Carolina Silverbell tree (Halesia tetraptera)

In the photo above you can see my new spring project in the background--a permanent enclosure for my vegetable garden. From now on, the rabbits and deer won't be getting in. The contractor is almost finished, but I haven't had a chance to plant anything in there yet. I may have the opportunity to do some of that this week but I'm rushing to complete a couple of paintings for art shows that I have to deliver soon, so my studio time will have to take priority over the garden.

We had to dig up all of the herbs and decorative plants I'd put in around the original veggie patch so that the foundations for the posts could be dug and poured; I'll have to gradually repopulate those areas, but there's plenty of time for that after I get some peas and chard in the raised bed inside.

 

Foam Flower (Tiarella cordifolia)

My Foam Flower is blooming and spreading in the east bed (I've forgotten the name of this variety).  Moving along to the back yard, the redbud tree is in bloom, with an assortment of narcissi and daffodils around its base in the back most bed. In front of that, the double-flowering Quince has a lovely display.

 

The back yard seen from the deck.

From the ground level, with the new enclosure.

Double-flowering Quince.

Dwarf iris 'Blue Beard'

Close up of 'Blue Beard'

My dwarf irises were out in force a few days ago, but by yesterday, only three flowers were left, so I snapped this photo a bit earlier than on Bloom Day.

I seldom get to see the blooms of my Fothergilla--alas, the deer love to eat them!--but last winter I put up a barrier around this bed to keep the deer from decimating the arbor vitae right behind it, and closed off their access to the Fothergilla, so for the first time since I planted it, I'm enjoying the flowers and their marvelous scent!

 

Fothergilla gardenii

Our weather has been so warm here in zone 6b that the Thalia Narcissi faded rather quickly, but there are still some left in one of the beds on the west of the house.

Thalia narcissi.

 

All of the trees and shrubs around here are budding out--I love the look of those tiny buds unfurling! Can't wait for more flowers as the season progresses. Happy Bloom Day to all of us gardeners!

Easter Sunday Flowers

The front yard on Easter Sunday.

 

Easter came early this year, and yet the flowers in my garden are putting on quite a display. But the Kwanzan cherry tree is still about a week to ten days away from coming into full bloom. On the years when the blooms of both coincide, it makes for a marvelous display. Today, the lovely scent of the daffodils and the creeping phlox can be detected in the air the moment you step outdoors!

Here's a closer look to show the profusion of flowers in the front. The few red Cottage tulips were left over from a botanical art class, which I planted under the dogwood tree--I'm surprised the deer haven't devoured them.

 

Tazetta, Thalia and Poets' Narcissus close up

Tazetta & Thalia Narcissus with red Cottage tulips.

Poets Narcissus in front yard

 

The daffodils in my other beds at the side and back yard are also developing into sizeable displays.

 

The back bed from the deck.

Back bed from one side.

 

A closer look at the back bed reveals that the pink-cupped daffodils 'Pink Charm' are multiplying nicely along with the other varieties. The blue grape hyacinths (Muscari) get chomped back by the deer a lot, but enough survive.

'Pink Charm' daffodils.

Mt Hood daffodils with pale blue Muscari.

Muscari armeniacum.

King Alfred daffodils

These 'King Alfred' daffodils have made better displays in previous years, I guess they should be divided in the fall and re-planted. The buds of the double-flowering Quince nearby will soon open.

Buds of double-flowering Quince.

The Prune-leaf  Viburnums are getting ready to open their buds too.

 

Prune-leaf Viburnum buds.

My Hellebore 'True Love' is still flowering, and looking fuller each year. I just moved my other Hellebore 'Flower Girl' a bit to give it more room to grow. Near the Hellebores, the little blue Siberian Squills are multiplying.

Hellebore 'True Love'

Blue Siberian Squill (Scilla siberica)

Tune back soon for more flowers to come!

April Bloom Day

Front yard two days after Easter.

 

The 15th of the month is Garden Blogger's Bloom Day, hosted by Carol Michel at May Dreams Garden.

It was 23 degrees on Easter Sunday, and frost was visible on the grassy areas. The Kwanzan cherry tree in front was not fully open yet, though it was trying! After a few more days of warmer temperatures it's fully open now. The daffodils, narcissus, and creeping phlox are putting on a show. This is probably the best my front yard looks the entire the year.

 

Thalias, Tazetta and Poet's Narcissi with cottage tulips.

Creeping phlox with Thalias.

The spring flowering bulbs really help, considering the limited room in the front. The back yard is also starting to come into bloom, with the daffodils 'Pink Perfection' and others under the redbud tree. Our native redbud trees (Cercis canadensis) are all blooming, lovely clouds of purple-pinks peeking out from under the eaves of the woods.

'Pink Charm' daffodils

Redbud tree in the back yard, early morning.

View of the back yard in the evening.

 

My 'Texas White' redbud tree put forth a few blooms, but it hasn't grown enough yet to be much a display. It needs a few more years of growth to reach the size of the lovely specimen I saw at Blandy Farm last week.

 

'Texas white' redbud.

 

The bed with the "Mount Hood' daffodils that I expanded is not as full as in other years, as would be expected after dividing the bulbs last autumn, but in another year or two, they'll be spectacular.

'Mount Hood' daffodils with grape hyacinths.

'Mount Hood' daffodils and grape hyacinths (Muscari armeniacum)

The double flowering quince is lovely this year, but it's putting out underground runners and sprouting everywhere in its vicinity--I'll have to dig those out, I don't want my shrub to spread any farther.

 

Double flowering quince

Blue star flower (Ipheion)

 

I found a few blue starflowers blooming--I'd forgotten these after the deer decimated them a couple of years back, these four seem to be the only survivors. My Carolina Silverbell tree continues to grow, it's now taller than I am, with the flowers as charming as ever. This is a hard-to-find item at nurseries, I feel very lucky to have been able to obtain this specimen some eight years ago. Being native to the eastern US, I wonder why it isn't more frequently planted?

                                    

Carolina Silverbell tree (Halesia tetraptera)

  

Carolina Silverbell flowers

The Serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis) I planted three years ago is blooming, but it will be a few more years before it makes much of a display. The Pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) planted at the same time is much farther ahead in terms of size, but then the deer have left this one alone, while I had to put a barrier around the Serviceberry to keep the deer away from it. Once the Serviceberry gets a bit larger, I hope to dispense with the barrier. A good growing summer season would help!

 

Serviceberry flowers.

 

Pagoda dogwood in bud.

 I almost forgot to show you my Lewisia 'Little Peach'--this tiny plant is a native of the California mountains that has lovely small flowers. I keep this plant in a pot, as it needs very well-draining soil.

 

Lewisia longipetala 'Little Peach'

 

This is just the beginning of the spring season, more flowers are yet to come in the months ahead--I can't wait for the Merry Month of May!