Well for this Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day there is no difficulty with finding things in flower. April is a fantastic time for a Maryland gardener. Just a few days ago we were assessing the damage from killing frosts (Toad lilies and the asian Disporum are surprisingly vulnerable), but right now we are relishing the blooms. Daffodils and Tulips headline the show. For example, there is this new addition to the woods.
And old favorites in the front bed.
A naturalized tulip for woodland areas.
And this new addition from Odyssey Bulbs last year.
But the various smaller plants always capture my attention.
Erythroniums are at their peak right now.
Close by is a new Scilla relative that we added this past year (also from Odyssey Bulbs).
Note the lovely blue anthers.
There are also the epimediums, seemingly delicate plants that are oh-so-hardy.
In this case the leaves are as special as the flowers.
An aquilegia that my eldest son grew from a Scottish Rock Garden Society seed distribution begs for attention right now (very dwarf).
And there is a Muscari that I got from Brent and becky last year that is growing in very difficult place between maple roots and an American Holly.
In the camellia bed we find a lovely little corydalis that has lasted for several season now (hard to do with the blue ones).
The name comes from the leaves, not the flowers.
Nearby is one of my favorite trilliums.
Also in the Camellia bed is one of the tiniest Hepaticas I have seen, the result of several seedlings I planted from Hillside Nursery.
The Alpine bed features a very nice Daphne, that has all the fragrance that you expect from a Daphne.
And in small trough #2, there is the most beautiful little phlox that is doing alll that you expect from a phlox.
And from the greenhouse there are a couple of plants that have come into the house recently.
This small Amaryllis-want-to-be is also called the Barbados Striped Lily though it is actually from Brazil and it is multiplying in it’s small pot like mad.
And a south african plant originally purchased from Annie’s Annuals.
This is at the tip of two-foot long stalks this year.
Finally, I should mention the various flowering trees. This is right now the peak of the crossover between the various fruit trees, crabapples and cherries, giving way to the dogwoods.
The apple trees in the orchard are in the midst of one of the finest bloom cycles I have seen.
These are the highlights on Ball Rd. What is growing in your garden?