We have set new records for rain and cold, so everything is about three weeks behind schedule. Here are a few of the things that have dared to show their faces regardless of the weather:
the anemones are doing fine, though there are fewer of them than usual.
Evergreen clematis did not die back as in previous cold years, but the blossoms and scent fall far short of the clouds that engulfed us in years when the winters were mild.
‘Ascot Rainbow’ is the only Euphorbia to hold its own. All of the others look like Holocaust survivors, though they do put out the occasional blossom:
as evidenced by this blossom on Euphorbia ‘Persian Velvet’. I won’t ruin your day by showing you the whole plant.
The natives, like this Ribes, which mostly show up voluntarily, remain undaunted other than deer damage.
As bold as they are, the deer refrain from coming this close to the house, so this one is achieving good size.
Out in the front hedgerow, the Viburnum tinus ‘Robustrum’ that has been in the tight bud stage for ever so long is finally beginning to open up to the occasional ray of sunshine.
I didn’t do a very good job of capturing the color of the emrging Dicentra spectabilis, but this is one of the few old fashioned flowers I could not do without. The flowers emerge before the foliage, but hold on long enough for it to catch up. I like the way the baby’s tears and sedums are filling in to form a dense mat, making a nice backdrop for the bleeding heart and the black mondo grass out of the frame.
Some things simply must come inside to be fully appreciated. The delicate foliage and subtle coloring on the checkered lily get a little lost in the landscape.
But Fritillaria meleagris will reward closer inspection. For closer inspection of blooms around the world, May Dreams Gardens is the place.
What a fabulous flower! It definitely requires close inspection to be appreciated. Love the mossy, baby tears berm. All your blooms are lovely.
Goodness – must be nice to have such colorful volunteers as your Ribes. Really like its cherry color.
Grace~Thanks…and thanks for answering my Henryi question.
R~I will enjoy it more now that you have planted “cherry color” in my mind to replace “pink”.
I was really tempted by the pots of Fritillaria at the sale…they really remind me of England. Think I’ll ordering bulbs. Love your baby tear/sedum slope…
Love the “wild” quality of your bloom day flowers: mine all seem so cultivated and pedestrian. Although you are behind the usual time frame for blooms, I think you’re not alone. I ALMOST bought a fritillaria yesterday at the Leach Botanical Sale. Now seeing yours, of course I wish I had.
Linda~You will get much more bang for your buck by buying them as bulbs.
Jane~Who DID buy the checkered lilies at the sale? Not you or Linda, it seems. Same advice: buy bulbs. Pedestrian is hardly the first word that comes to mind for your garden.
You have no idea how much I love fritillarias, as well as how much they dislike my garden. You’re doing way better with them than I ever did! Gorgeous flowers there!
James~I have OK luck with that one, but the persica and uva vulpa (I think it’s called something else now) elude me, much to my chagrin.