April 2013 Blooms

It's an explosion of spring in my yard right now (finally)!  Most of the daffs are done, thanks to last week's heat wave (I started cutting them down over the weekend - check back next week for this year's final count.), but these doubles in a shady spot are still looking perky:

This white and peach daff is all dried out, making it look quite delicate, I think.

Moss phlox is making purple mats in the back yard and in the front


garage garden

front parking strip

 

The Neglected Terrace is at its peak, with vivid pink moss phlox, euphorbia, and iberis all in flower - a rather garish carpet, but full of energy.



 

Tulips!  They are not reliably perennial in my area.  I planted some red and white ones about 6 years ago that lasted only three seasons.  This is the fourth year for these purple ones, and they've been increasing yearly (originally only two bulbs).  The yellow tulips are at least eight years old (they predate me in this location), and have sent up only foliage (no flower) for the last 3-4 years.  Kinda funny looking right now, but I'm happy to see them again.

 

 

Hellebores are still going.  I like how my newly-flowering plant on the right doesn't droop as much as the parents.

 



Giant snowdrops aren't quite giant enough - they get lost in the spanish bluebell foliage.  Bluebells around the corner (no photo) are already blooming.

More purples and blues:  Mazus reptans creeping between the stepping stones in the side yard, adorable Brunnera flowers (my first brunnera, I got it last year and never put it in the ground), and creeping phlox in the garage bed.

First flowers of the year on the green-and-gold under the Japanese maple

Lastly, not a bloom (yet), but a preview of what's to come:


irises already?  not quite, but soon

(also blooming:  white bleeding heart, periwinkle, flowering pear (nearly done), dandelions everywhere, grape hyacinths, violets also everywhere)

Check out more blooms at May Dreams Gardens.  Happy Spring!

February 2012 Blooms

The theme of February:  early spring bulbs.  Starting in the patio terrace, here are some yellow and purple crocus:

 The neglected bed doesn't look quite so forlorn when it has a carpet of purple crocus:

The front border has crocus, too:

And a new bed (that maybe I'll post about someday) has some new white crocus:

Love those purple edges!

It also has a few snowdrops, a new bulb for me this year:

And don't forget the promise of daffodils to come next month!

 

(also blooming:  purple and white hellebores, creeping phlox, and assorted weeds)