In the Merry, Merry Month of May

It's my first Garden Blogger's Bloom Day and I've got lots of blooms to show off! It seems like the garden has been popping at warp speed the last couple of weeks. Of course, it helps when you get a little rain and warm weather. We tied the record high for today - 91°. It didn't feel that warm though, because we had 15-20 mph winds with it. I can't tell if I got sunburned or windburned!

Just a few of what I've got blooming at the moment...


I had to replace my 'Diana, Princess of Wales' Rose this spring. I just planted it last year and I loved it so much, I was sad that it didn't make it through the winter. But the new one is in place and growing well. This was the first bloom on it and there are two more coming.



It was hard to get a good picture of the Geum, because it's such a unique shade of orange and we've had such windy weather and they are tall and wave in the wind. This plant surprised me. I just planted it last year, and it came back like gangbusters. It will flower all summer if I'm faithful about keeping it deadheaded. I have a red variety, too, planted with the orange. It blooms later, though. There is a yellow one that I'd like to mix in with the red and orange, so I'm keeping my eyes open for it.




I have three different Foam Flowers (Tiarella sp.), but the one that I like the best is 'Spring Symphony'. This is a great shade plant and has beautiful mounded foliage when it's not in bloom. I have found that by deadheading right after the intial bloom, I'll get a second flush.




Star of Nature (Ornithogalum nutans) is one of the very first spring bulbs I ever planted. It has multiplied to the point now where I need to dig some up and move it. The flower buds are nearly as lovely as the flowers themselves, reminding me of lupine buds a bit. I like greenish flowers so this one is one of my favorites in the spring. Sources say it's only hardy to zone 6 and I'm in zone 5, but it has no problems here for me!




I have many, many types of Columbine (Aquilegia sp.) as it's one of my favorites, and Romie's too. I planted some McKana's Giants last spring and unfortunately, they didn't come back this year. But I'm on the lookout for more, because those are so exceptionally lovely, I have to have them. I think it was just a fluke that they didn't return, because in my experience, Columbine is about as reliable as they come. They self-seed all over the place, which is just fine with me.

Since most Columbine don't flower in their first year, I just let the seed heads form after they're done blooming and I either let the seed fall where it may, or I collect it and sprinkle it where I want it. This way, little seedlings get a great start before winter, and they will flower the following year.




The Drumstick Allium looks more like a huge lollipop than a drumstick. I love the bizarre random balls of purple when they pop up amongst the other plants.




All the white Lily-of-the-Valley (Convallaria majuscula) that I have is offspring of my Aunt Kay's. She gave me a small start about five years ago and it has spread quite nicely (and not nicely in some areas). I love the smell of it and I bury my nose in it quite regularly at this time of the year.




This is my first year for Pasque Flower (Pulsatilla vulgaris) blooms. I planted it last summer, after its bloom period, and while it was supposed to be red, one of the three plants turned out to be purple like this one. I love both colors and they actually look nice together.




My 'Deidre' tulips performed poorly this spring. Last year, they did so much better, but several of my tulips didn't do well this year. I'm thinking it's because of the crazy winter and spring we had. They all came up, but some of them had deformed blooms. I take that back - the species tulips that I planted new last fall didn't come up at all, and I planted three varieties. I thought those, of all kinds, would have done okay.



Always reliable, my Creeping Phlox (Phlox subulata) is lovely as ever, making a lavender and white carpet at the foot of several trees. When it's done blooming, I'll shear it off by half and it will become even more lush for the rest of the season.




Oh, the Candytuft (Iberis sempervirens)! This is becoming one of my favorites! It's thick and healthy and floriferous and I want more of it. Yes ... Candy! More Candy!




My Ajuga was a gift from my mom, as were several of my garden plants. It's never been a favorite of mine, but it's definitely a favorite of the bumblebees! I have it planted under a couple of trees and it does make a nice underplanting, forming a carpet of dark foliage and purple flowers. It can be invasive, so when it reaches the limits I've got set for it, I'll be sharing this one.




The Variegated Weigela (Weigela florida) is just starting to flower. I bought this because my mother-in-law has an absolutely gorgeous one in her yard. It's quite large and when it's in bloom, it takes your breath away. Mine wants to be like hers when it grows up.




This Viburnum was a passalong shrub from my Grandma several years ago. She gave us three of them, but only one lived. After many years of no blooms, it flowered for the first time last year. This year, it's full of them. I love the lacecap hydrangea look to its blooms. And in the fall, the foliage turns a fabulous shade of red.