Thursday, April 15, 2021

It's Garden Bloggers Bloomday, for April, 2021

Well here we are, it's April Garden Blogger's Bloomday! My first ever GBB post was April 15th of 2009, that means I've been playing along with this meme for twelve years—and so I've got a record of what's blooming in my garden each month going back those twelve years. Amazing! Referencing that first post there's only one plant blooming back then that's still blooming this year, I'll call it out shortly. But first, we start with Euphorbia rigida...

The acid yellow/green bracts of euphorbia are a common sight here in Portland gardens in the springtime. I love them, but also dread when the time comes to cut them back because I have to suit-up so as not to get any of the irritating sap on my skin (or worse, in my eyes). My friend Mary Ann shared a horror story on Facebook earlier this week about some kids in Boise, Idaho, who were snapping the stems and using the white latex sap like sunscreen lotion. They ended up in the emergency room with burns on their skin. Be very careful with this plant!

So this euphorbia, E. amygdaloides var. robbiae is the only plant that was blooming in my garden in April 2009 and is still blooming here in April 2021. Crazy! And of course it's not the same exact plant per se, but a descendant of, as it's moved across my garden, several feet. I've not ever planted another so it's heritage can be traced right straight back to that original.

It feels like this rosemary has been blooming at least that long, and if you counted up the actual months spent blooming I'm sure it would knock that silly euphorbia right out of the park.

Daphne x houtteana

These white flowers belong to Arabis procurrens 'Variegata', which is not any of the plants you see in the background.

This is the actual plant creating the flowers.

Leucothoe fontanesiana 'Rainbow'

Epimedium x rubrum, flowers just starting to open. There are much more now, just a day or so later.

The epimedium foliage associated with the flowers.

How fabulous that this Helleborus  'Onyx Odyssey' is forming seeds. Babies would be much appreciated.

Arctostaphylos densiflora ‘Harmony’

The end of Edgeworthia chrysantha 'Nanjing Gold'

Whereas Edgeworthia chrysantha ‘Akebono’ is still going strong.

Helleborus foetidus

Almost flowers on Magnolia laevifolia.

Arisarum proboscideum, a plant I thought was gone, only to see it resurface! 

I've collected a few different gingers in the garden. This one, Asarum caudatum, a local gardener gave me last spring. I remember digging plants in her garden when we both realized we were way to close, and backed up. That was early days of COVID and before masks were standard. 

Such an odd memory and a cool plant.

A recent purchase from Joy Creek Nursery, Asarum europaeum.


And of course the strange blooms of panda face ginger, Asarum maximum 'Ling Ling' (still in it's container also).

Kinda spooky, yet also cool.

Another from the "almost" camp, Stachyurus salicifolius,


And here's an exciting development. Yes indeedy, the two oldest Echium wildpretii are finally giving it up and they're going to bloom. Exhibit A...

And Exhibit B...

It's interesting to watch the the little flower clusters along the stem forming.

Just a few more bloomday entries, the space-ship like flowers of Epimedium 'Amber Queen'.

Here's Epimedium wushanense 'Spiny Leaf Form'.

Both of these are shade-lovers who are currently doing their best to cope with sun, under Clifford, our big leaf magnolia (Magnolia macrophylla) who has not quite leafed out yet.

Arisaema ringens

And finally, our last image for this bloomday (hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens—did I already say that?) is from the basement. Since the basement garden hasn't migrated outdoors yet due to a very cool spring, my Aporophyllum Shirley 'Sun Cactus' is blooming indoors. What a sight... happy spring!

Weather Diary, April 14: Hi 71, Low 45/ Precip 0 

All material © 2009-2021 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

25 comments:

  1. Lots of variety in your garden. So many plants I do not have! Thanks for joining in for bloom day and congrats on 12 years!!

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    1. Thank you for providing the inspiration and platform Carol!

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  2. Looks fabulous. And I am thrilled to say that I have two !! Helleborus foetidus that are flowering in my garden.

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  3. I SO envy you the Epimediums and the gingers are intriguing. Photos of your Echium wildpretii have me wondering if I should try it again in a different spot. While I usually look back and compare my current Bloom Day output to that in the immediately preceding couple of years, I've never gone back to my first post in January 2013, which might be interesting. I had a very different garden with a whole lot of lawn back then.

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    1. Oh now you've got me wanting to go back and take a look at your first bloomday post!

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  4. Happy to see H. foetidus blooming!

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    1. I wish I could say that the blooms belong to one of the plants you gave me. Sadly they were nibbled on by the bunny that was hanging out in our front garden. I haven't seem it recently, maybe a coyote punished him for his hellebore eating ways?

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  5. I've always loved the flowers of ginger plants. They remind me of something carnivorous...and there's that darn Arisaema ringens! I've DEFINITELY got to get one of those!!!!

    ≋;>

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  6. Thirteen years - wow! And the beat goes on...
    Loving the amber Epimedium... must see what I can find when the nurseries open this weekend. Ours aren't like yours, but they do what they can.

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    1. Fingers crossed there's one waiting for you!

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  7. You always have such stunning flowers I'm not familiar with. Of those I am, I like the manzanita flowers today.

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    1. That manzanita is covered in flowers right now!

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  8. I'm going to try a couple Epimediums this year-both Sunset and USDA say ok for zone 9/15. I'm going to have to look back and see when my first Bloomday post was-but you are far more consistent than I am. I've been trying to dig up E. robbiae for years.I won't succeed but I manage to keep it somewhat confined.

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    1. My Euphorbia robbiae has marched all along the side of the garage, dying out as it goes.

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  9. Wow ! The sunshine effect on blooms looks magical, I can see so many unusual and stunning varieties which do not grow in my region. It would be my pleasure if you join my link up party related to Gardening, Nature and birds here at http://jaipurgardening.blogspot.com/2021/04/garden-affair-mesembryanthemum.html

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  10. The way the garden looks now you would never know it got beaten up by snow and ice not that long ago. I love the Asarum 'Ling Ling' and proboscidium. Not the most beautiful of flowers but some of the most interesting.

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    1. Oh trust me, if you were here you'd see plenty of lingering damage to the evergreens.

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  11. I could say that you saved the best for last (Aporophyllum Shirley!), but you have great blooms throughout the post. One of my favorites is Daphne x houtteana, which I find very exotic and unusual in the way it blooms: on the branch bellow the leafs. This is the first spring for my little
    Leucothoe 'Rainbow'. I'll be sure to check for blooms. I'd gladly grow Echium wildpretii even if it never bloomed. I love that plant!

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    1. Exactly! It's the rosette of silver fuzzy leaves that gets me all excited! Thank god even thought there are two echium that are going to bloom I've got three (plus that little seedling) that are just in the foliage stage.

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  12. So glad to see the stachyurus in bloom after that nasty trunk split! And the echiums made it through the arctic blast too -- you are a good plant mother! I can't keep the species straight of all the rat-tail hanging cactus. So many good ones like you're aporophyllum. Really lights up the basement!

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  13. Many unusual plants, and your euphorbia information is interesting. Lovely blooms.

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