Pink Rhododendron by the back fence

Well, I’m late for Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day again, but my excuse is that I returned from California late in the day and I was lucky just to get some pictures much less get them posted.  The next day saw mammoth rain storms that have closed roads and bridges all over Frederick County.  At the moment we’ll just feel lucky that we live on the top of a hill.  Actually it’s not just luck.  We lived on a part of George Washington’s River Farm in our previous house complete with flooded basements so we compensated for that.  I think you are allowed to learn only one thing each time you move.  Anyway there were a few charmers in bloom when I got back, although a few hot days had accelerated through a few blooms.  As noted above the Pink Rhododendron above is one of our favorites.

Our best Rhododendron

It’s cousins, the Azaleas, are also showing magnificently.  Two particular examples are Exbury Hybrids.

Exbury Azalea ‘Gibraltar’

Exbury Azalea ‘Klondyke’

The first of the herbaceous Peonies is in bloom as well.

Peony ‘Sweet Shelly’

Two of the many Columbines are worth noting as well.

Aquilegia buergeriana var. oxysepala

Pink Columbine

Right nearby to the Pink Columbine is the first sighting of the Clematis ‘Niobe’ for the year.

Clematis ‘Niobe’

At the side of the garage is a very reliable Korean Lilac.  

Persistent Korean Lilac

We forgot about planting this one twice and assumed it was dead in dried out pot.  Each time it returned to life so I finally gave it a good home and it is happily blooming now.  Right next to it is a quite cute little Enkianthus that is blooming now.

Enkianthus alatus

One of my favorite rock garden plants is Edraianthus.  One is blooming in a little trough right now.

Edraianthus serpyllifolius

Edraianthus serpyllifolius in trough

Another Edraianthus just coming into bloom is one of the best cushion plants we have.

Edraianthus pumilio

Another trough specimen is the Silver Sax at the back door.

Sliver Sax in bloom (Saxifraga x ‘Southside Seedling’)

In the greenhouse a white-pink Bougainvillea is fully in bloom.

White-Pink Bougainvillea

Time to move this one outside.

Also there is a Zephyranthus with pretty notable color.

Zephyranthes katheriniae ‘Rubra’

And the Pomegranate in the greenhouse is well into bloom.

Pomegranate in flower

Finally Beth has been picking Iris for use in the house.

Bearded Iris in the house

And let me close with a picture I took in California of one of the plants from the Univ of Calif Botanic Garden (deserving of a blog post all on it’s own)

Hedgehog Cactus (Echinocereus cinerascens v. Ehrenbergii )