How is it the 15th of the month already (or by the time I publish this post...the 16th!)? I am still catching up in the garden after spending a long weekend recently at the
10th Annual Garden Bloggers Fling held this year in Austin, TX.
It was quite a visual switch to come back to Oregon where spring is just now entering it's middle stage after visiting Austin where spring is ending and the hot temps of summer are taking hold.
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| The forget-me-nots self seed around the Rainy Day Garden |
May is a wonderful month for charting how quickly the plants in my garden grow. The soil is getting warmer and what were little stubs of growth, are quickly evolving into beautiful blooms.
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| geum 'Totally Tangerine' is a staple in my gardens. The bright orange blooms sway in the wind and provide springtime pollinators a food source. |
May is the month for aquilegia! I have several varieties but always covet more....
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| The stunning aquilegia 'Black Barlow'. It has been in the garden for three years and reaches a solid three feet high. It's my favorite columbine. |
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| aquilegia 'Red Clementine' |
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| NOID aguilegia but is gorgeous! |
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| aquilegia 'Icy Blue' from Xera Nursery |
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| NOID purple aquilegia. It's looks a bit alien.... |
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| NOID yellow aquilegia |
I also have 'Leprechaun Gold' which has such pretty foliage but I failed to get a decent pic this year. There are so many varieties of aquilegia....I could have a garden full of them and still need more.
After planting last year, lupine 'Blue Shades' is blooming. I have three of them and enjoy the purple wall of color they create.
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| lupine 'Blue Shades' |
Fothergilla doesn't wow me in spring with it's white, bottle brush blooms. However in autumn, it's fall foliage is stunning with bright orange and red leaves. I really should grow a few more...hmmm?
I planted three ceanothus 'victoria' shrubs a few years ago, in hopes of blocking the view of my neighbors junk yard through the chain link fence. They have been growing well and are fantastic for the bees that hang out in my garden. As the plants mature, they are providing the privacy I had hoped for.
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| ceanothus 'Victoria' |
I always enjoy the cheerful pink hearts on lamprocapnos spectabilis. I only wish I could get them to last longer. I'm finding out the hard way that my newly designed front flower bed just gets too hot for these pretty hearts. The past few springs have had a few short stints of warm weather and these plants suffer terribly. I'm moving all three from the front beds to the back yard in hopes of finding shade and a longer blooming window.
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| lamprocapnos spectablilis |
The old dogwood tree always puts on a showy display. Now that there are neighboring homes peering into my once private back yard, they too can enjoy the pink blossoms. sigh.
Finally, here are some wider shots of the back yard when the spanish bluebells were at their peak of color.
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| Silver Cat on his perch, neighbors junk yard in the background |
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| And the ever towering massive homes in the background |
The bluebells were pretty, but now I'm left with their mess and have been cutting them down for after work for several evenings now. This is the time of year when I need two city issued yard debris bins.
Love the close up photos! And the garden as a whole -- looks beautiful.
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