April Bloom Day

The front yard.

 

It's April 15th, Bloom Day for garden bloggers, hosted by Carol Michel's May Dreams Gardens blog. Today's crazy weather has brought a brief shower and lots of wind--my photos were taken yesterday evening before a thunderstorm, when the weather was milder. My USDA zone 6B Virginia garden has been very dry, and any little bit of rain is a help, but we've not been getting nearly enough for the season. Still, between now and the end of May is when my garden is at its best, come and make the rounds with me. 

The 'Kwanzan' cherry tree in front of the house is in full bloom, though the daffodils and narcissus are mostly past theirs--only the Poet's Narcissus remain, while the creeping phlox is just starting to bloom.

Aside from the cherry tree in full bloom, the most delightful surprise awaiting me yesterday was this one tiny bell of the White-haired Leatherleaf Flower (Clematis albicoma) that I've been growing in a pot, heeled into the front bed. This clematis species is a native of only this area and parts of West Virginia, and rather rare--it grows in shale barrens that can reach 180 degrees in temperature at the height of summer. I bought it two years ago and have been nursing it in hopes of seeing its lovely tiny bells--I'm hoping it will put our a few more before its season is over. The seedheads are very attractive too.

Clematis albicoma

Closer up.

My other native Clematis (Clematis viorna) in the long island bed in the back keeps getting eaten down to the ground by deer--I'm going to have to relocate it to a less-accessible spot to see if it will eventually grow. It's that or fencing off the entire yard, far too expensive a proposition.

On the west side of the house, a small clump of blue Grape Hyacinths (Muscari armeniacum) somehow escaped the depredations of the deer, and the Grecian windflowers (Anemone blanda) nearby which deer don't seem to care for, have begun to spread.

 

Blue Grape Hyacinths and Grecian Windflowers.

 

The general view into the back yard shows numerous clumps of white 'Mount Hood' daffodils and Thalia narcissus in several beds. The trees were just budding out when a sudden frost last week burned all the new growth back, but they'll recover eventually.

Overlooking the west side of the house.

Moving down into the back yard, the back bed full of a mix of daffodils makes a wonderful seasonal display. The deer never bother these (they're poisonous), and these back beds are where over the years I've put in the extra bulbs that get thinned out from other beds.

 

The back yard.

The back bed.

 

The Redbud tree (Cercis canadense) is just about finished blooming, and so are the 'Pink Charm' daffodils. My double-flowering quince usually blooms earlier but this year it seems to be at its peak right now. The blossoms will continue, more sparsely, until late spring.

 

Double-flowering quince.

 

More Grecian windflowers in the back yard.

 

My dwarf iris 'Bluebeard' got blasted by the frost, they're not worth showing, but the little Anemones nearby are so cute. 

Moving on towards the east side of the house, my serviceberry tree still has a bit of bloom. As you can see, its hasn't grown out of the deer's reach yet, so the barrier stays up.

The Carolina Silverbell tree--my pride and joy--behind the serviceberry, also got its tiny bells blasted by the frost, so sad!

Serviceberry tree (Amelanchier laevis)

The Hellebores are still hanging on to their flowers--'True Love' has formed a respectable clump. I'm looking for a 'Niger' Hellebore to plant in this bed--I'd love to have something in bloom during the winter.

The Jacob's ladder I planted last fall is lovely, protected by a wire cloche when not being photographed, and the sprout of wild Mayapple next to it was a take-home goodie from a botanical art class I took last spring.

 

Hellebore 'True Love'

Jacob's ladder (Polemonium reptans)

Along the front walk my 'Mara de Bois' strawberries are blooming--accidental edible landscaping from a strawberry pot that got loose--here's hoping for a good crop! The potted plant is a Lewisia that is getting ready to bloom.

 

Strawberries blooming along the front walk.

 

This spring has been busier than ever for me, with a one-woman show at a historic mansion and farm in nearby Millwood. My show opened on April first, and will be there until the end of May. Below is the invitation to my show.

 

In addition, I have four paintings on display at another art show in Millwood, Art at the Mill, but I'll get into that in another post.

Thank you for visiting and Happy Bloom Day! Despite its ups and downs, and the crazy weather, I just love this time of the year!

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!

Chilling in the Bruce, Part 2

On Kemble Rock Road

The wind died down and the water was calmer on our second day, though it was cloudy. We drove out through the town of Wiarton towards the western side of the Bruce and the rich woods of Kemble Rock Road. The Niagara Escarpment is a rock formation that runs from western New York state through the Bruce Peninsula and across the Great Lakes to the west. The harder dolomitic stone of the escarpment forms sheer cliffs that tower above the softer shale which has eroded over the centuries. Our route today traced the edges of the Niagara Escarpment.

Serviceberry (Amelanchier sp.)

We drove through beautiful groves of flowering Bradford pear, apple and service berry trees--whether naturally spread or planted long-ago and gone wild, it was hard to tell, but they dominated the open fields. We stopped at one rocky outcrop to examine the plants growing under an enormous beech: Herb Robert, bulblet and Woodsia ferns, liverwort, jack-in-the-pulpits, an incredible array of shade-loving plants. 

Herb Robert ((Geranium robertianum)

Bulblet fern (Crystopteris bulbifera) and liverwort 

Stopping at another stretch of woods under sugar maples, basswood and hop-hornbeam trees we found blue cohosh, trout lilies past bloom, ramps, Trillium grandiflora, several kinds of violets, ferns, sedges, doll's eyes in bloom, and downy Solomon seal. The edge of the Niagara Escarpment bordered one side of the wood.

Blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides)

Doll's eyes (Actaea pachypoda) setting seed

Ramps (Allium tricodium) with flower stalk

Canada violets (Viola canadensis)

Downy Solomon's seal (Polygonatum pubescens) with yellow violet

Rattlesnake fern (Botrypus virginiana)

Edge of the Niagara Escarpment