Friday, May 15, 2015

Garden Blogger's Bloomday for May 2015

Here we are, half way through May! Too fast, it's all going too fast. Don't you agree? Yesterday I jokingly said to someone that August is going to be here before we know it. Then I realized it wasn't a joke. So...it's May, let's see what's blooming. These are the first blooms I remember seeing on my Amsonia hubrichtii. The common name threadleaf bluestar makes more sense now...

Euphorbia rigida is really past it's bloom stage, but I left a few that were going to seed behind so I'd be guaranteed more plants, the pink color is a bonus at this stage.

Ceanothus impressus ‘Victoria’ isn't quite blooming yet, but it's covered in buds - the most I've seen on it.

Genista lydia, aka a common mall parking lot plant. I love it anyway.

From the house I see a blazing flash of blue and think the Parahebe perfoliata is in full bloom. Only once I'm standing in front of it do I realize it's just begun...

Styrax japonica, how do I hate thee? Let me count the ways...

Seriously though, they're fabulous bloomers, the bees love them, but they shouldn't be street trees!

Lewisia NOID #1, blooming away in subtle shades.

Lewisia NOID #2...yes, it really is that bright.

Peony NOID, inherited with the house and blooming right on time. Meaning after a dry spell it's blooms are ready to open in the rain. It's a great excuse to cut them and bring them indoors.

The sugar snap peas have finally kicked it into high gear. There are even pods forming!

Solomon's Seal, the scent of these flowers, wow! It's fabulous.

Geranium phaeum 'Samobor', ya gotta love a flower that's coordinated with it's leaves.

Libertia ixioides 'Taupo Sunset', this has been in bloom for a couple of weeks now...

And the first ever Trachycarpus fortunei bloom just keeps getting better and better.

Abutilon 'Nuabtang' Lucky Lantern Tangerine, against a soil-splashed pot.

Euphorbia Excalibur'

Close-up

The last bloom of the petite Magnolia laevifolia...

...overlaps the large, first bloom, of the Magnolia macrophylla...

Both the Acanthus mollis are sending up multiple bloom spikes this year.

Aloe 'Blue Elf' (in a container)

Sedum palmeri shares it's yellow stars, veiled behind a screen of fanned out spikes.

Rhododendron 'Ebony Pearl'

For pink rhody blooms they're not that bad...

Abutilon megapotamicum 'Red', which is really orange.

Ceanothus 'Dark Star' is just about done for the year.

Grevillea 'Neil Bell' has been blooming for months and months...

And Euphorbia x martinii 'Ascot Rainbow' wraps up this Bloomday. Our hostess, Carol, at her blog May Dreams Gardens is enjoying her namesake month...click on the link to see all the garden bloggers who are posting images of their blooms in celebration.

All material © 2009-2015 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

37 comments:

  1. Oh, I love that shade of pink on the Euphorbia rigida, but I've always been a bit leery of its self-sowing tendencies. Now that I think of it, if I can handle the promiscuity of Columbines, I can probably handle this. That flower/leaf coordination is one of the reasons I love 'Samobor.'

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    1. There was one year I didn't manage to cut the blooms off the Euphorbia rigida until way past when I should have. In fact by the time I got to it the entire plant looked hideous and went in the yard waste bin. Ever since then it's been giving me beautiful, well behaved, children that carry on. I only left a few, on a couple of plants. I highly recommend it.

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  2. Some beauties Loree! Is it wrong of me to use your bloom day photos to spy on the plants in the background? Is that a persicaria in the Rhododendron 'Ebony Pearl' image?

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    1. Nope, I do the same thing. It's a persicaria, one I got from Scott and he's featuring in his bloomday post. Persicaria 'Purple Fantasy'.

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  3. Does the Styrax j. produce a huge crop of marble like seeds later on? I have a huge obassia and every spring when it blooms I just see thousands of marbles that will fall later on! Like you said the bees do love it and so viable seed production is abundant. I love that little Genista too. Really looking forward to seeing your garden someday!!!

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    1. YES!!! That's part of why I hate them (we have two). Our sidewalk is heavily traveled by pedestrians and marbles do not make for safe walking. I do prefer the clusters of the obassia, the way they're like grapes. Ours are all produced individually which makes cutting them impossible.

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  4. May is the time when all the things bloom in PNW that faint and fall over in our hot and humid Zone 8 and we wait for things like newly planted Okra to come up and enjoy the heat.

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    1. Well Okra is pretty darn delicious so it's not all bad, right?

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  5. Nice selection as always Loree! The bright pink blooms of the Ebony Pearl certainly complements the dark purple foliage well.

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    1. Yes I suppose they do. But what if they were chartreuse? Wouldn't that be amazing?

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  6. What a lovely May show! I love all the delicate little flowers and am excited to see the blooms on the Euphorbia x martinii 'Ascot Rainbow'. I have two of them in my garden but they have not bloomed. They are new so perhaps they wont. The threadleaf bluestar are precious! Happy Bloom Day!

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    1. I went on a bit of a Euphorbia x martinii 'Ascot Rainbow' bender early in the spring and bought three, they're all a riot of bloom with no new growth. Perhaps my $ was wasted.

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  7. Lots of great blooms! I may need to add Sedum palmeri to my succulent selection. My largest snowbell (grown from seed and NOT a street tree, so I'll keep it) is going to bloom this year, finally, but it's still a week or two behind yours. It's also in a lot more shade.

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    1. If you ever want more seeds just come on by in the fall. Wait, no, come by in the spring when there are hundreds of seedlings available for the taking.

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  8. I have to say that that I love that Styrax, although there's not a chance in hell of planting one here. However, what makes me most covetous about your post this month are the sugar snap peas. I sowed seeds twice this year and some horribly hungry critter ate the seedlings as they broke ground both times - it's too late to try again but hopefully the sunflower seeds I just planted will fare better. Happy GBBD Loree!

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    1. Right? Those are not drought tolerant trees so why does the city have them listed as street trees? Oh don't get me started...

      I'm sorry about your peas, something also dug and ate about half my seedlings so I replanted more seeds. Still I thought mine were complete loosers until about a week ago when they all of a sudden started growing and blooming.

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  9. Short comment, as I must run right out to smell my Solomon's Seal. Who knew?

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    1. I hope you get a big powerful blast!?

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  10. I had no idea trachycarpus bloomed so you and Jane are kind of blowing my mind right now.

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  11. One day my Magnolia macrophylla will bloom !

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    1. Indeed it will. I still remember seeing my first bud and how exciting that was!

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  12. Your magnolia laevifolia started blooming a bit earlier than mine and now mine has finished and yours still has a bloom. Lucky! Just went out and looked & found that my Ebony pearl is blooming as well and, lo and behold, that same persicaria is right next to the E.P. It happened last summer because there was a space there. Crazy! Marbles on your sidewalk sound like a great source of slapstick entertainment. Just open your blinds and look out your windows for hours of hilarity.

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    1. My magnolia laevifolia was a blooming freak this year! Almost more flowers than leaves. As for the marbles...can you say "homeowners insurance"...

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  13. Every time you post G. 'Samobor" I think 'need to get one of these' and then I always forget til I see it posted about again. This time I will put in on the perpetual list !

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    1. If mine ever creates new pants I could send you one. That's how mine came to be in the garden, a pass-along from Alison.

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  14. Quite an array of blooms and tropical bright color to mix with all your spiky foliage. I've not seen the pink on Euphorbia rigida blooms. I like that it reseeds freely since I have a spot for more. Solomon's Seal, need to check on that one since I'd like more fragrance in the spring garden.

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    1. That pinky/orange blush is just towards the end, right before they turn a dreadful yellow and must be removed. I don't know that the average person would think the Solomon's Seal flowers worth seeking out for their fragrance, it's just a welcome by-product.

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  15. If you like A. hubrichtii and don't want something as massive as it can get (I have 4 and love them, but they are big), I would recommend A. ciliata - comes from the sandhills in the coastal plane here in the east, is very xeric, is 1/4 the size, has richer flower color, and is just an awesome plant.

    Great shots!

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    1. I have seen a couple of massive A. hubrichtii in other peoples gardens and been a little afraid. I'll check out ciliata, thanks!

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  16. eegards that a bold pink bloom for you! Haha! yes....you are right, my euphorbia is excalibur! You have me the start :)

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  17. Lovely blooms! Oh, how I covet peonies. They don't grow in my zone. :( That is an interesting grevillea, I'm used to seeing the pine needle-like leaves. It is very pretty!

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  18. AnonymousMay 17, 2015

    I smelled Solomon's Seal for the first time this year because mine was finally blooming. It is so lovely. Happy Bloom Day Danger Girl! I so enjoyed seeing your garden again virtually. Let's slow down time, shall we?~~Dee

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  19. I planted an Amsonia hubrichtii last year - how long did you wait before yours started to bloom? I had no idea Solomon Seal was fragrant.

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  20. I love this time of year with everything blooming! So pretty! I have never heard nor smelled the Solomon's Seal- new one for me- will have to check it out if I can find it. It's pretty! Happy GBBD!

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  21. Beautiful blooms! I still love the Salomon´s seal blooms.

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  22. Wow, TONS of eye candy in this post!

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