Paeonia dahurica

Well this is the magic time of year for a Garden Blogger Bloom Day Post.  It seems everything is in flower or in bud.  The peony shown above is actually the second to bloom.  The first for us is always Paeonia caucasica.

Paeonia caucasica

In addition to sharing some of the abundant flowering happening right now I wanted to share the Open Garden Day which we held last weekend.  We had a lot of visitors who asked many questions and made me focus on what I do and don’t remember about some of the plants we have put in.

The Viburnum which is providing amazing scent to the backyard (for those who still have the ability to smell which is not me) is either Viburnum carlesii or a relative bred from V. carlesii called Viburnum carcephalum and as near I can tell I’ve used both names to describe this wonderful plant.

Viburnum calesii or carcephalum?

In the backyard is a wonderful little spreader called Hacquetia epipactis.

Haquetia epipactis

And I was incorrectly describing it as Hylomecon which is another part of the yard and just coming into flower.

Hylomecon japonica

A number of people were asking about the Epimediums and I inevitably focus on the fifteen year-old plants which came to us as Mother’s day gifts from our kids.

Epimedium grandiflorum ‘Lilac Seedling’

Epimedium x rubrum ‘Sweetheart’

But there are a great many other Epimediums around the property that we got from Garden Vision Epimediums until Karen Perkins closed up shop three years ago.

Epimedium grandiflorum ‘Bicolor Giant’

Epimedium wushanense ‘Sandy Claws’

Notice the new leaves are red and the old ones green.  There are many Epimediums in the woods as well because it turns out that many are four season plants with little need for regular care.

Also in the woods is a bamboo (Fargesia rufa) that survives with little care or tending.

Bamboo (Fargesia rufa)

Of course the obvious thing in the woods at this time of year is Virginia Bluebells.

Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginiana)

And we have a great many daffodil varieties that can be enjoyed.

Narcisus ‘Badgeworth’

Narcissus ‘A Million Kisses’

Narcissus ‘Arguros’

Also in the woods are a few special flowers that have managed to take hold.

Erythronium ‘Pacific Sunset’

Sanguinaria multiplex

Back in the yard we have a small phlox that is always an early charmer.

Phlox sileniflora

And I added a very nice little Anemonella to a trough last year.

Anemonella thalictroides ‘Kikuzaki White’ (from Japan Engei Nursery)

In the same trough is a lovely Pulsatilla from Edelweiss that has been blooming for about a month now.

Pulsatilla ambigua

One item that received attention was the Golden Pea and I realized I should look at moving more of these into the forest where it should spread easily.

Golden Pea (Lathryrus aureus)

Let me close with this Geranium maderense which I’m hoping will yield flowers this year to match the spectacular foliage.  It takes two years to get the point of flowering and I’m considering putting it into the ground now that it’s made it over the winter in the greenhouse.

Geranium maderense