The most spectacular blooms at present in my garden are the Rhododendrons. I have been living here for 19+ years and the Rhodies are original so I don't know their age or varieties. I have to say they are lovely for such a short time then there is a lot of dead-heading to do afterward, but I can't even reach a lot of them and the plants bloom anyway.;-) This pair is 8' and 10' tall.
Flowers on the near 10' one, first to bloom-
Flowers on the 8' one-
A better look at the whole bush-
Magenta one that is 7-8' tall but 12' wide, it likes to sprawl-
Front garden Rhodies-
First and last rose to bloom every year and THORNLESS is Queen of my roses, Zephirine Drouhin, I think she's a couple of weeks earlier than usual thanks to all the really warm weather we've had-
Peachy Reve d'Or, quite annoyingly thorny, prolific-
White with slight blush, La Biche-
And a NOID magenta one, much more floriferous and mounding in habit-
This is Paeonia suffruticosa, which has been blooming well for many years,
And Paeonia delavayi 'Rubra' which is the same age but had it's first blooms this year, it was worth the wait-
My Geums are blooming and subject of a former post.
But the garden that always means spring to me is rampant with seed-grown and self-sown frilly double petticoat-like and dwarf Biedermeier Columbines in many colors, as well as Forget-Me-Nots and remnants of Anemones. It seems like a faerie or fantasy garden, springing up without care, and slowly getting closer to be weed-free thanks to the geraniums.
Tall bearded Irises are beginning to bloom, I'm partial to bitones and bicolors-
Tall bearded Ocelot, great color combination-
A delight is the fragrant early Citron Daylily, Hemerocallis citrina, floriferous and rapidly multiplying-
And I can't forget some valiant warriors against weed, hardy geraniums, G. sanguineum-
And one that self-sows a lot, G. oxonianum, and has a longer blooming season, with some Lady's Mantle, a weed-suppressing combination-
That concludes my "What's blooming now", isn't Spring great!
-Hannah
Spring is wonderful! I love Lady's Mantle and hardy Geraniums too, and like you, I'm partial to bicolor flowers of just about anything.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Alison. I collect variegated plants, so I liked your variegated Geranium. Which reminds me, I haven't seen my Geraniums with the dark foliage for a while. I really like your peach West Coast iris.
DeleteWow! What a lot of beauties!
ReplyDeleteI love Iris, and yours are fantastic!
Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!
Lea
Lea's Menagerie
Thanks, Lea, I went through an Iris collection phase but now have too many, though I don't have any of the West Coast Irises, most are Tall Bearded, and Dwarf, a few Siberian and Japanese which will flower later.
DeleteHi Hannah, Thank you for visiting my blog. Your blooms are fabulous. That white rose, La Biche, lovely! Well all of your blooms are lovely.
ReplyDeleteMy cat Zip isn't a Maine Coon. He's just a long hair, lazy, tuxedo dude. He's such a funny guy. Easily annoyed but lovable when everything is going his way. :) Yes the weeds/grasses love to invade. It's a constant battle. But one I enjoy. Cheers.
Your collection of blooms are gorgeous. I love iris. We have one in common. I have the one with the purple falls and white top. I have never known what the name of it was. It was a pass along plant. I always admire people's azalea and Rhodies. I can't seem to grow them here. Happy GBBD.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with Irises and Daylilies is there are so many similar varieties it is not always easy to tell. I looked up my old map and it seems to be World Premier, because of the white signal and veins. http://www.waltersgardens.com/plants/General-Perennial/1885_IrisWorld-Premier.aspx I have another very similar Iris without the white signal called Proud Tradition. http://www.iriswarehouse.com/iriswarehouse/proud-tradition-iris-iriswarehouse-daylilywarehouse.html I don't know what possessed me to buy so many similar Irises. I guess I was bitten by the Iris bug.
DeleteThe Rhodies and azaleas are beautiful for a while, but only a short while then they kind of do better with dead-heading which can be a big chore with a lot of large plants. I was severely tempted by the orange-gold deciduous azaleas this year though. We had azaleas in Houston when I was a kid, but not Rhodies.
Beautiful blooms...I'm especially partial to the Iris...especially that last one...va-va-va-voom!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'm crazy about peach flowers so I really like that Iris combination, and other bicolors.
DeleteYour blooms are delightful... oh how I miss the rhodies. We once lived in the PNW and I was in gardener's paradise. Especially loved finding them wild in the woods. Thank you for identifying my mystery plant. I've updated my post and included a link back to your site. Happy Spring!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Carolyn. I like roses better, their bloom season is a lot longer, except for the once-bloomers, which can be spectacular though, Madame Hardy is gearing up with lots of buds, and I can't wait for Rosa Mundi to bloom. I'm trying to enjoy the Rhodies, it helps photographing the flowers. The dead-heading gets to me.
DeleteYou have so much blooming! If I had lots of room, I'd definitely be tempted by your gorgeous irises. Happy spring, and a belated Happy GBBD!
ReplyDeleteThanks, I'm still waiting for my Ceanothus Victoria to bloom, but it won't be as bright as your C. Joan Mirov. The problem with Irises is they don't cover the ground well enough to shut out weeds, so I'm looking for spreading plants that do that better. But I do love the flowers.
DeleteYour garden is looking gorgeous, with some wonderful blooms! I love some of the Columbines you have, I'm a big fan of them too, and your Irises are so pretty.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Spring is so wonderful. It's fun to start some plants that actually perform beautifully by themselves every year. It makes up for all the weeds.
ReplyDelete