Stewartia malacodendron
Although it’s Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day I am leading off with a flower that finished blooming last month. It came into bloom at the end of May and I was so frightfully impressed that I have purchased yet another of these trees. I promise another posting on the Stewartias because they are well worth sharing.
Currently the Stewartia japonica which we’ve had for years is just now coming into bloom
Stewartia japonica
In the meantime the other striking flowers at the moment are the lilies. Just a few of them are showing right now but they are lovely
Yellow Lily in the Herb bed
Asiatic Lily ‘Forever Susan’
Lililum ‘Istanbul’
Lilium ‘Purple Marble’
There is also a very late and very large Azalea at the front of the house
Xtra Large White Azalea
The rest of flowering is more or less normal roses, penstemon, and annuals. One exception is the Evening Primrose out on the bank to the pasture.
Evening Primrose (Oenothera speciosa)
This wildflower came along on its own and appears anytime we don’t mow to close or too often on the pasture hillside.
We have been busy picking and eating fruit (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and cherries). Mostly it’s what we expect but for many of them they are bit on the small side given the extremely dry weather we’ve had (can we say drought?). The exception is the wild cherry tree at the entrance to our forest.
Wild Cherries in Blossom
This tree is just one of many wild cherry trees in our forest. Most of them seem to have come from bird-planted seedlings from the original orchard that we planted forty years ago. They all have reasonable taste and the birds love them.
WaxWing in the Cherry Tree
This gives some idea of the density.
But the really surprising thing is that one of the smaller trees with branches actually close to the ground has absolutely marvelous cherries and they grow without being sprayed. Just pick them.
Josh picking at the xtrasweet wild cherry
This is one of the bowls he brought in the other night.
Wild Cherries
Of course the other thing we get is as a bonus is all the birds visiting at this time of year.
Waxwings Sharing Mulberry
I’ve even seen the bluebird in the cherry tree, though he spends most of his time harvesting grubs in the grass.
A very blue bluebird
Life is good. Now if we could just get some rain…
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day April 2023
Stayman Apple Blossoms
Well of course there are so many flowers for the April Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day that it is difficult to choose what to share. Let me begin with the apple trees. Though some of the varieties are definitely showing the biennial bearing effect we still have other trees that are loaded with beautiful blossoms.
Granny Smith Apples in full bloom
The pears and peaches have mostly finished blooming and the cherries are just finishing. In general flowers are running ahead of the normal flowering cycle as it’s been dry and hot in Maryland.
Other trees in bloom right now are the dogwoods and the redbuds.
Redbud in the front yard
Daffodils are everywhere in bloom. Even though we’ve have had hundreds of daffodils already, some are still in bud. Other bulbs showing up right now are the Fritillaria imperials in the front bed
Fritillaria imperialis and Peony in the front bed
and Tulips that I put in the woods with Erythronium last year.
Tulips and Erythronium in the woods
Also in the woods are Shooting Stars that are actually allowed to flower now that the deer are gone.
Shooting Star in the woods
A long-time component of our woods walk are the Bluebells (Mertensia virginica) that have naturalized in abundance. And some of the bluebells are pink or white.
Pink Bluebell
One strange little bulb that I noticed this year is this little ornithogalum that has taken hold in the back lawn.
Ornithogalum in the back lawn
In terms of strange little plants this little polygala is spreading nicely in the alpine bed.
Polygala chamebuxus
Nearby is one of the Daphnes which contribute to the alpine bed on a regular basis.
Daphne in the Alpine bed
In this same shady Alpine bed there is a small columbine that comes back every year.
Aquilegia flabellata v. nana
And on the sunny side of the alpine bed there is an Asperula doing very well.
Asperula pontica
Along with a delightful Pulsatilla
White Pulsatilla in the Alpine bed
But even more surprising to me is this little Stachys that I planted back in 2017 after seeing it at the Yampa River Botanic Park in Steamboat Springs. This is the first time it has really poured over the wall in the way I had hoped.
Stachys lavandulifolia
I should also share this double-flowered Quince which provide a particularly striking flower.
Double-flowered Quince
There are many, many other flowers but I think that’s true for everyone at this time of year.
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day February 2023
Adonis amurensis ‘Fukujukai’
Well it’s Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day (or was yesterday anyway) and February really marks the serious start of spring flowers. Adonis, Winter Aconite, Crocus, Daffodils, Snowdrops, Witch Hazel, Primrose, Camellias, and Hellebores are all in flower. We spent three and half weeks in California and it was delightful to see the flowers that had popped up in our absence.
Adonis remains one of my favorite flowers but only the early-blooming ‘Fukujukai’ is currently in flower.
Adonis amurensis ‘Fukujukai’
The biggest impact flower at the moment is the winter aconite.
Winter Aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) in the front yard
Winter Aconite (Erantis hyemalis)
We actually have several Eranthis hyemalis cultivars with different shades of yellow.
Eranthis hyemalis ‘Orange Glow’
Eranthis ‘Schwefelglanz’
They are all quite willing to expand and I am finding new specimens each year in the yard and forest in places where I did not plant them.
Winter Aconite in the woods
Another highlight at the moment is the Crocus tommasinanus (which also keeps expanding it’s spot).
Crocus tommasinianus ‘Ruby Giant’
The witch hazels are all in bloom
Chinese Witch Hazel (Hamamelis mollis)
Witch Hazel ‘Diane’
We also have numerous clumps of snowdrops that are not only clumping nicely but also spreading out into the lawn
Galanthus nivalis ‘Viridi-apice’
Galanthus nivalis ‘Blewbury Tart’
The Camellia japonica that I brought back from California on my lap in the 70’s continues to put out early flowers.
Camellia japonica red
And as I mentioned the Daffodils and Hellebores are beginning to do their thing.
First Daffodils
Helleborus x ericsmithi ‘HGC Winter’s Song’
Helleborus x hybridus PDN Yellow
The first early primroses (Primula vulgaris) are now showing up. I don’t know why more people are not growing this lovely British wildflower which is anything but vulgar.
Primula vulgaris
Meanwhile in the greenhouse there are many South African plants beginning their season
Veltheimia bracteata
Babiana framesii
Freesia single Blue
Yeah, I know the name doesn’t match the color in this Freesia but it’s all I have to go on at the moment.
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day January 2023
Hamamelis x Intermedia ‘Diane’
Just a quick post for the month with the least flowers on display. Our Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day finds that the winter has been mild but most plants are just fattening up there buds for the months to come. There are a few exceptions. The Witch Hazel shown above is joined by several others on the hillside but none are as spectacular in bloom as ‘Diane.
The snowdrops are popping out. Even a few that have migrated into the lawn.
Galanthus elwesii
And the first of hybrid Hellebores is now in flower (not counting ‘Jacob’ which appeared a month ago)
Helleborus x ‘Winter’s Song’
There are othe plants just on the verge
Adonis amurensis ‘Fukujukai’ just opening
And I can see colorful buds on the Peonies.
Paeonia caucasica buds
The cyclamen are also noteworthy for the lovely patterns they create as they continue to spread in the yard.
Cyclamen hederifolium leaves
And in the house we have steady stream of flowers from the greenhouse (especially Cyrtanthus) and some new orchids that arrived as Christmas and birthday gifts.
A new orchid for the house
Finally I should point out that we did plant the Christmas tree last week to provide a future landmark in the pasture.
Xmas tree planting for 2023 (Canaan Fir)
This is also the month for planting the seeds obtained from the NARGS seed exchange.
Planting the NARGS seeds
As always there are great expectations.
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day October 2022
Aconitum carmichaelii ‘Arendsii’
Just a few items for this GBBD since I’m a day late (as usual). The blue monkshood shown above is sometimes called the autumn flowering monkshood because it comes to the very end of the season. But wow, what a flower. We’ve never grown it before because it is extremely poisonous but it has a long history of being grown in perennial gardens.
Also in the front yard I found the first of the fall blooming in Camellias.
Camellia sasanqua ‘Northern Lights’
This was planted last spring and I was surprised to see it in flower before any of the other sasanquas.
The first of the toad lillies are in flower now
Toad lily (Tricyrtis hirta ‘Sinonome’
Otherwise there are many of the carryovers from previous months still in bloom.
Colchicum ‘Bornmuelleri’
Princess Flower
Plectranthus
Cyclamen hederifolium
Out in the garden in raised beds the calendula continue with their wonderful flowering.
Calendula
Calendula
And with regard to raised beds I should mention that Josh and I installed a third raised bed for next year’s gardens.
Assembling new raised bed
And as we head out to the pasture there are late flowering sunflowers
Late Sunflower
as well as some of their smaller relatives
Swamp Sunflower ‘Helianthus angustifolius’
Gallardia in the pasture
I do have to take note of the Dahlias still coming into the house
Dahlia ‘Bodacious’
And the beautiful beautyberries by the driveway
Beautyberry
Finally let me close with our new approach to harvesting chestnuts.
Harvesting Chestnuts
Just stomp on the spiny balls and wiggle the lovely chestnuts out…
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day August 2022
Gordlinia grandiflora flower closeup
Well, I missed last month’s posting to GBBD (first time in ten years) and I feel somewhat guilty so I have a couple of special items for this posting. Back in April I received as a gift one of the largest plants I’ve ever gotten in a box in the mail (from ForestFarm).
Gordlinia grandiflora arrival
It was a Gordlinia grandiflora, a relatively rare hybrid derived from a cross between Franklinia alatamaha and Gordonia lasianthus in 2003. It’s a relatively small tree with absolutely gorgeous camellia-like flowers.
Gordlinia grandiflora
It’s begun flowering now and should continue through September…
Another special item for us this year is the Princess Flower. I started this from a small 4 inch pot from Putnam Hill Nursery last year and it didn’t flower. So I carried it over in the greenhouse and repotted it at the beginning of the season. It has taken off over the last two months and it’s now 5 foot tall and still growing. In the meantime I found another specimen growing in a pot twice as big as mine and just coming into flower. Nonestop flowering is what it yields.
Princess Flower (Tibouchina Urvilleana)
Princess Flower (Tibouchina Urvilleana)
It will need to go into the greenhouse again but wow, what flowering!
Otherwise it’s pretty normal summer flowering for us.
The Allium are flowering in a couple of places
Allium ‘Millenium’
The Crepe Myrtle is finally in flower for the season
Crepe myrtle white
the Cestrum has recovered from its winter dieback
Cestrum ‘Orange Peel’
And the Crinum is showing its numerous hanging flowers
Crinum powellii
In the vegetable/cutting garden the Glads have yielded abundantly
Gladiolus
Picking Glads
and the Tithonia and Sunflowers are ten foot tall at least.
Tithonia (Mexican Sunflower)
Sunflower
In the greenhouse there are multiple pots of Cyrtanthus in flower
Cyrtanthus elatus
as well as a particularly nice Sinningia
Sinningia eumorpha
If we weren’t so busy picking fruits and vegetables I might actually finish weeding the greenhouse:)
Crispie Pears (these are very sweet)
Oh, I should mention that my excuse for missing last month’s posting was a trip to California where we relived our youth by driving down the California Coast.
Drake’s Beach Point Reyes
It was a wonderful trip…
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day May 2022
Pileated Woodpecker
This bird has been a frequent visitor to our garden this last week so I thought you might want to join him in perusing the flowers at Ball Road for this Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day.
Azalea Exbury Hybrid ‘Gibraltar’
It’s very much the Azalea time of year hereabouts. What is especially nice this year is that we dug four layered offspring from this plant last year and they are now to be found in other parts of the yard.
New Azalea ‘Gibraltar’ from layering
One of our favorite Azaleas is beside the deck. Azalea ‘Visco Sepala’ came from White Flower Farm many years ago, though it’s originally from England. It has a spectacular fragrance.
Azalea ‘Visco sepala’
Naturally at the same time the tree peonies are stepping up to the plate.
Tree Peonies in Bloom
Yellow Tree Peony
Nearby is another very nice perennial.
Glaucidium palmatum
And a very distinctive Japanese Maple that is worth building a garden around
Golden Full Moon Maple (Acer Shirasawanum)
We also have a reliable showing of Lamium by the garage where it outcompetes the weeds.
Lamium orbala
One could easily get lost with trying to account for all the things in bloom right now. If we go back to the Alpine bed there are some special repeat performances.
Dianthus petraeus ssp. petraeus
Aubretia ‘Blue Beauty’
Ornithogalum exscapum
Papaver atlanticum (Moroccan Poppy)
Lewisia cotyledon ‘Rainbow mix’
I want to take a few minutes out to share our meadow-like pasture. Last year son Josh, cut the pasture ultrashort and then seeded the area with crimson clover and wildflowers from Wildseed in Texas. The result has been wonderful. It’s easy to get lost in just the crimson clover.
Wildflower meadow
Crimson Clover Flower
But amidst the clover are wallflowers, peas, flax, sweet william and POPPIES.
Poppy from wildflower mix
Pink Poppy
White Poppy
We also have for the first time Five Spot
Five Spot (Nemophila maculata)
As an ending point for this already long posting let me share the Viburnum on the hillside that overlooks these wildflowers.
Viburnum on the hillside
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day February 2022
Adonis ‘Fukujukai’
Adonis is one of my favorite flowers. It comes so vigorously at a time of the year when we have almost forgotten the joy of spectacular flowers. I have seen it flower even before this year’s mid-February showing but it’s very appropriate to have it kick off a Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day. I have every expectation that over the next couple of weeks there will be a number of Adonis appearing at our early Spring party. It’s been a long, long January into February so let’s see what else is here today.
Daffodils have a strong connections with Spring and for us this is the first one
Narcissus ‘Rijnveld’s Early Sensation’
And in the front yard I found one lonely crocus.
First crocus
Last week I found a rare Eranthis blooming in the cold frame
Eranthis pinnatifida
I noticed today that there is now a baby showing in that same pot. Even more importantly I think I see buds for the same Eranthis showing in one of the outside beds.
At the same time the more common Winter Aconites are popping up all over the yard.
Winter Aconite (Eranthis hyemalis)
Last year I took some of these out to the forest and now they are showing in the woods as well.
Winter Aconite in the woods
At the same time I’ve been growing some of the more unusual cultivars.
Eranthis hyemalis ‘Schwefelglanz’
Eranthis hyemalis ‘Orange Glow’
It is surprising to me that the Cyclamens are also players in the early flowers game.
Cyclamen coum
And even before the flowers show up the Peonies are starting to show color.
Paeonia caucasica in bud
And the heather that I featured last month is still flowering. Cold weather does little to damp it’s winter enthusiasm. Also the Camellias that were so prolific in December are starting up again. They are simply wonderful.
Camellia japonica red
Of course when we turn to the trees, we need to take note of the Witch Hazels.
Chinese Witch Hazel (Hamamelis mollis)
Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Diane’
We also have several contributions from the greenhouse
Cyrtanthus flanaganii
Babiana framesii
Lachenalia aloides
That’s about here for mid-Maryland in this year’s February. I think there is a lot coming in the next few weeks.