May 2026 Bloom day

 

White iris

I's been such a cruel spring this year, with drought and wild swings in temperatures in my Zone 6B Virginia garden! The mid-April frost coming after an abnormally warm week not only blasted the emerging leaves and buds from my flowering trees, but the irises that were in spike as well. Only the patch of irises in the front yard, protected by the house, managed to bloom. As of a few days ago only the white ones, later than the rest, persisted. My peonies, which would be blooming about now, have only a few viable buds, and are late.

Me too--I'm late with this May Bloom Day, hosted by Carol Michel's May Dreams Garden blog, because I was taking an intense in-person painting workshop for four days, and had no time to write or post my photos. What you see were taken last week and/or some days ago; welcome to my May garden, such as it is.

 

Amaryllis on the porch

 

The Amaryllis I got as a gift a couple of Christmases ago re-bloomed, and decorates my front porch. In the front yard a friend found and brought me some lovely rocks to build up a border edge for the bed under the trees, and I think it adds a little something to the overall look.

 

Front yard with new stone edging

I like to plant some annuals in this front bed in an effort to camouflage the dying foliage of the daffodils and have something growing there during the summer, but usually deer come and eat most of the plants anyway. This year I'm hoping to foil them with a new deer repellent, but its effectiveness remains to be seen. I bought a few new perennials to add to the Gaillardia I planted a few years ago--a blue-flowered Lithodora, and a blue Pincushion flower (Scabiosa) at the edges of the trees where they'll get some sun.  

Recently I planted three bare-root Astilbes under the dogwood tree to the left, but they'll take a while to emerge and bloom during the summer. I'll probably plant some Coleus later on when the daffodil foliage has died out completely.

 

Lithodora

 

Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun' getting ready to make a show

Blue Pincushion flower (Scabiosa)

My Viburnum 'Brandywine'  on the east side of the house did not sustain any damage, but the climbing rose 'New Dawn' and Clematis 'Etoile Violette' don't look very happy in the prolonged drought, with leaf miners blighting the rose. Neither does the Filicoides Cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa filicoides). Only the dwarf blue spruce seems to have retained its normal lovely spring foliage.

 

Viburnum 'Brandywine' with blue spruce, Hinocki cypress and 

 

In the east woodland garden all three Japanese maples and the Virginia Fringe tree were blighted and are only now starting to put forth some foliage, but surely there won't be any flowers here this year. The flowers of the two Rhododendrons and the Pagoda dogwood were also blighted. Usually this part of my garden is so lovely during this season, but this year, only the 'Blue Barlow' columbines, which have spread everywhere, are blooming. 

 

'Blue Barlow' Columbines

Rhododendron 'Southgate Brandi' under Japanese maple 'Bloodgood'

I keep adding native plants to my woodland garden: this spring some wild ginger under the Carolina Silverbell tree, next to the Pink Turtlehead planted last year. And, I finally bought a reasonably-priced Helleborus niger, which I planted between the Japanese Full Moon maple and the Virginia Fringe tree. I acquired one bare-root plant of Trillium grandiflora I hope to plant as soon as I find some time.

Moving down to the back yard, the Foxglove Pentstemons are proving indestructible, and the Ninebark Tree 'Coppertina' in the badlands has some decent blooms, though not like in other years.

 

Foxglove Pentstemon

Ninebark Tree 'Coppertina'

 

A nice surprise in the back bed--one of the Snapdragons I planted last year survived the winter and is blooming--it seems taller this year, and definitely taller than the ones I just planted, which I think are exactly the same variety. I've learned that deer don't eat Snapdragons, so they're a  good choice for my garden. So is Verbascum. 

  

Snapdragons

Verbascum 'Southern Charm'

The red honeysuckle 'Major Wheeler' has been very floriferous, and providing nourishment for the hummingbirds migrating north. The native red Columbines also attract the hummers.

 

Red Honeysuckle 'Major Wheeler'

 

Red Columbines (Aquilegia canadensis)

Another shrub that won't be flowering this year is the Philadephus 'Cheyenne'; the shrubs in that bed are so sad-looking! The Beautyberries died down to the ground and are just starting to re-sprout from their bases. The Honeylocust tree was looking dead, but seems to be sprouting some foliage now. Not worth photographing.

On the west side of the house the Salvia "May Night' is blooming with the round-leaved Coreopsis. The pink-flowered Sweetspire (Clethra alnifolia) behind the deer barrier is re-sprouting, but the Clematis I planted there last fall was eaten right down to the ground. Probably not a bad thing--this site is too hot for the 'Betty Corning' Clematis I'd purchased on sale. I bought a replacement, but I'm still trying to figure out where to plant it out of the reach of the deer, where the fragrance can be enjoyed.

 

Salvia 'May Night' with Coreopsis

Clematis montana 'Appleblossom'

The other Clematis on this side of the house has not performed well either--only a few blooms this spring. It badly needs pruning, but that will have to wait until after it's finished blooming.

This morning I spent an hour digging up a dead Ilex bush that was in front of the Clematis, preparing the ground for a new shrub--a dwarf Smokebush. It was back-breaking work in this heat (the outdoor thermometer is marking 96 degrees F as I write), digging up big rocks and the yellow clover taking over--I'm getting too old for this! I wish I could afford to hire two laborers to do this stuff for me, but my budget doesn't permit it, so I try to enjoy it, despite the backaches.

 

Dutch Iris

Purple Dutch Iris

 

The pale Dutch Iris flowers also got blighted, but the later-blooming purple ones are making a good show now. The Allium Moly is always dependable.

 

Allium  moly

 

 That's about it for now, awaiting rain. Thanks for visiting!

 

Early May

Iris in the front yard

 

It's been a crazy spring, with unseasonable heat spells in late March and early April, and two killing frosts in-between. The emerging flower buds and leaves of the trees were blasted by the first frost, only to be burned again as they were starting to recover and resume growth. The worst-hit were my Japanese maples and the Redbuds, which are still looking very sad.  Many other trees too--the lack of rain hasn't helped.

My iris blooms are much reduced this spring--the patch of yellow bearded iris on the left of the driveway was brimming with flower spikes getting ready to open, even the Dutch iris. The other varieties in the back yard--'Victoria Falls,' 'Blatant,' and the old-fashioned iris from my mother's garden were just putting out their flowering spikes when the second frost hit, and were all blighted--I cut off the pathetic-looking, desiccated stalks. The only flowers to survive were in this small patch right in front of the house.

 

Bicolor iris

 

Yellow iris

White iris

A small patch of mom's old-fashioned iris growing under the stairs to the deck was protected enough to survive--not exactly a scenic setting, but the scent is lovely.

 

Mom's old-fashioned iris under the back stairs

 

At this time of the year, the east woodland garden is usually remarkably beautiful, with the Virginia Fringe tree in bloom against the pinkish-yellow of the Full Moon maple, 'Blue Barlow' columbines, and the Pagoda Dogwood getting ready to bloom. The 'Berry Poppins' hollies in this bed also got blasted, it may take them the rest of the season to recover enough to put out some leaves. This year, with the fringe tree denuded of its buds, and the burnt foliage of the Japanese maples, only the columbines are blooming, making for a much diminished display.

 

'Blue Barlow' Columbines

 

Dwarf Colorado Blue Spruce

In all, I have fewer flowers than usual for this time of the year, when my garden normally looks its best. One Rhododendron in the woodland garden had a few buds, but it's doubtful that they'll open--they seem to be damaged.

 

Salvia 'May Night'

There are some Salvias and a yellow flower whose name I forget blooming on the west side of the house. 

My 'Coral Charm' Peony put out four blossoms a week or so back, but their glory was short-lived, and the blooms are now gone. I hope my other peonies, which bloom later, will put on a better display, but who knows?

 

Peony 'Coral Charm'

 

I hope we'll get a good tropical rainstorm soon, so that my garden can begin to recover from this very cruel spring!

 

August 2025 Bloom Day

Clearwing Hummingbird Moth on Buddleia

 

Now in mid-August, the heat of July is subsiding, the mornings are cooler. Today is Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, hosted by Carol Michel's May Dreams Garden Blog. Welcome to my Virginia USDA zone 6B garden! 

Yesterday afternoon we had a huge storm that dropped almost an inch of very welcome rain--we'd had no rain since the first of the month. We'll start with the best photos-- a Clearwing Hummingbird Moth nectaring on my pink Buddleia.

 

Clearwing Hummingbird Moth (Hemaris thysbe)

 

It's not the first time he's visited, last week he (or a buddy) was thrumming about my Agastaches when I was watering Herb's bed, but I didn't have my phone with me, so I missed the opportunity to get photos.

Stepping back a bit, the pink Buddleia at the back of the Little Indians bed is surrounded by blooms of Queen Anne's lace. You may wonder why I call it the Little Indians bed--when I first moved here, there were ten little Arbor Vitae planted in a row which brought to mind the "Ten Little Indians" rhyme. I planted an eleventh one to take the curse off the even numbers, but the nickname of Ten Little Indians has stuck. 

 

Pink Buddleia with Queen Anne's lace.

Long view of the Little Indians bed.

Fennel tops the plantings in the Little Indians bed.

Over the years I've expanded the Ten Little Indians Bed to be a long deep bed, with lots of herbaceous plants, mostly natives, against a backdrop of evergreens--Korean boxwood, variegated boxwood, Amsonia Hubrichtii and Itea virginica in front of the now huge arborvitae. The bed is weedy, but it works for me: the riotous feel of it, rampant with a variety of blooms over the entire season despite all the deer browsing. 

Herb's bed is still a work in progress: started as a sunflower bed, I've expanded it over the years. By August, the peonies and spring flowers have gone, the Agapanthus is fading, and now the Agastaches and red Salvia are the main attractions--hummingbirds and butterflies love them! I couldn't identify the butterfly on the Agastache, perhaps a Silver Spotted Skipper?

 

Herb's bed with red Salvia in front.

 

Towards the back of Herb's bed, blue Ageratum and Agastaches.

A butterfly on Agastache 'Licorice Candy'

Butterfly on 'Pink Licorice'

 

Native sunflowers bloom profusely inside the protected veggie pagoda--I have plenty elsewhere in my yard, but the deer eat them so I rarely see the flowers!

 

Native sunflowers (Helianthus annuus)

 Moving along to the other side of the veggie pagoda, one lavender plant is still blooming there with some thyme. 

 

Lavender with Thyme.

 

In the long island bed, a few Rudbeckias bloom among the Bouteloua 'Blonde Ambition' and a small unidentified annual weed that grows in my yard--it has a pleasant minty smell that I like--and the deer won't eat it, so I leave it to grow and re-seed itself. My bush Clematis 'True Love' was eaten back so much it hasn't flowered at all.

 'Baby Joe' Joe-Pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum) blooms nearby, and the wild Petunias are indestructible despite much deer-browsing.

 

Rudbeckias with Bouteloua 'Blonde Ambition'

 

 

A wild mint?

Joe-Pye weed "Baby Joe'

Wild Petunia (Ruellia humilis)

 

This odd unidentified Hydrangea is loved by the deer, to see some blooms I have to protect it within a mesh enclosure.

 

No ID Hydrangea

 

On the west side of the house, the Russian Sage (Salvia yangii) is blooming. Abelia "Panoramic Color Radiance' in the front bed is presenting some blooms--the deer have been eating them, or there'd be more.

  

Russian sage (Salvia yangii)

 

Abelia 'Panoramic Color Radiance'

In the front west garden my 'Natchez' Crepe Myrtle is developing into a respectable-sized tree. The peeling bark of its multi-trunked form is one of its best features. I've still to come up with some decent under-plantings for this spot. I've been trying to grow a variegated Fetterbush (Lyonia lucida) under it, but the deer won't allow it to grow well, and the soil is obviously too alkaline for this plant's liking.I'll probably dig it up this fall and grow it in a pot. I  need to find more suitable deer-resistant plants for this bed.

 

Crepe Myrtle 'Natchez'

 

My front porch and deck offer protection for the more often-devoured plants, but my hanging baskets are looking a bit bedraggled after July's heat. I wish my porch was a lot wider and bigger, so I could have some furniture there where one could hang out--but this being a developer's house, with the usual lack of sensitivity to architectural design, they left only room for my potted plants.

 

Sunpatiens, purple basil,black cotton and Celosia on the front porch.

Hanging basket on porch.

The deck is my outdoor living room during the summer, but the afternoon sun makes it too hot to hang out there during the summer until very late in the day, more like evening. This summer the deck got a complicated re-build, as the wood structure was starting to rot. It's not quite finished yet, but at least I can move back some of my plants there. Maybe an awning for it would be a good addition?

 

Cuphea 'Honey Bells'

 

Salvia 'Bodacious Hummingbird Falls'

 That's it for this month's flowers. Happy Bloom Day, gardening friends!