More Flower Carpets, Vases April 25, 2016

Today I am linking with-

Today's flowers hosted by Denise

Saturday's Critters hosted by Eileen

In a Vase on Monday hosted by Cathy

Macro Monday 2 hosted by Gemma and Mystical Magical Teacher

Continuing with more plants that make flowering carpets in the spring, one that is really popping up everywhere this spring is Ajuga, I have bought several varieties over the years which have possibly hybridized with each other, varying from green leaves to dark burgundy, and flowers that are a blue purple or pink, here coming up in the grass.  Mowing would remove the flower spikes but leave the thick low-growing runners that carpet the ground after the flowers are gone-

For those who like a very drought-tolerant ground cover that dies back in the fall then starts growing and filling in rapidly in the spring, Euphorbia cyparissias has very fine foliage and is soon covered in yellow flowers and bracts-

Another choice that is one of those perfectly adapted PNW plants, growing in shade in the late winter to early spring to make a dense carpet of arrowhead-shaped leaves, is the Mouse plant, Arisarum proboscideum, so cute it always makes me smile to see the little "mice"-

The flowers are not readily visible but hide under the leaves, they are a Jack-in-the-Pulpit relative and the flowers look whimsically like a mouse with its tail in the air and head in the ground-

After the spring rains are over and the summer gets hotter and dried, the plants are ephemeral and disappear underground until the next rainy season, like the Anemone nemorosas and others.

I actually found a critter this week, it is a very abundant spider that doesn't spin a web, but is camouflaged to blend in with flowers, either white or yellow, and has its front legs bent like a crab's, hence the name crab spider, bees are often their victims-

She is hiding out on a yellow tree peony, here is the flower-

Blooming next to it is the exquisitely shaded Peony -

It's time for In a Vase on Monday, so I couldn't resist using some peonies.  Here is a white tree peony, and the wonderful P. suffruticosa 'Kamata Nishiki', so full in the vase I couldn't figure out how to add more flowers-

And the cute little bloom of the Peony delavayi 'lutea'with a few Geum 'Totally Tangerine', Primula elatior 'Black Lace', Euphorbia cypariassis, Euphorbia amygdaloides, Wojo's Gem variegated Vinca, and some tall wild very weedy buttercups with their amazing shiny petals-

Top view-

What flowers are surprising you now?   

Easter is just past, and I wish the Jewish readers a Happy Pesach.   Here is a photo of the kids in my family dressed for Easter, a 5th girl was born around that time.  I am the oldest girl.  In our Easter bonnets....

             -Hannah

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