It's Garden Blogger's Bloomday! And not just any Bloomday, but the one that falls in May. May is the namesake month for Carol and her blog May Dreams Gardens, our hostess for the monthly "show and tell" of what's blooming in our gardens. As I was out taking photos (in between rain-showers) I was thinking it was an extra florific May, but then a quick look at last year's offerings and I see that's not the case, May is always full of flowers. In fact there were a few flowers in 2019's post that I forgot to photograph for this one. Oh well! You can't get them all.
We'll start this tour in the front garden...
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Above and below, Grevillea rivularis.
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Lewisia NOID, a gift from a fellow Portlander years ago, it just keeps on blooming its heart out, every year.
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And another gifted Lewisia that I don't have ID for. Maybe that's the secret to growing a great Lewisia: they have to be a gift, and you can't know exactly what they are?
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Leucothoe fontanesiana 'rainbow'
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Here's one of my blooming Echium wildpretii. If you read yesterday's blog post you know how excited I am to have a couple of these plants blooming.
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Not as excited as the hummingbirds though.
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If you've ever grown Euphorbia rigida you may shudder at this sight. I let seeds set. I cut the blooms off over half my plants, but didn't get back out to finish the job. There will be babies.
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Grevillea x gaudichaudii
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Such a bizarre flower!
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Not quite open, Parahebe perfoliata.
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We're walking around towards the back garden now, and stop to admire the last flower on my Paeonia 'Smith Opus'.
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Flowers on the blackberry. I'd share raspberry flower photos too, but there are no petals left, just berries forming (yum!).
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The Embothrium coccineum took a beating in the bad wind, branches are bent every which way and those bright blooms are all over the garden. Thank goodness there are still some left on the plant.
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There's the Embothrium coccineum again, but now I was really focused on the honeysuckle...
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Lonicera x brownii 'Dropmore Scarlet'
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Lots of blooms on the palm—Trachycarpus fortunei—this year. They're so high up now I can't reach them to cut them off once they dry up. Well, not without a ladder.
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Saxifraga urbium 'Aureopunctata'
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How fabulous is that flower? It's on a plant I purchased last year as Aporophyllum hybrid 'Shirley'. It was absolutely covered with buds then, but it's almost more exciting to know it will bloom for me without experiencing greenhouse conditions over the wintertime.
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There is one other bud that should open in the coming days.
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These freaky things are blooms on an astelia, the most flower-like shape I can find is just to the right of center, about half way down the photo.
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Podophyllum pleianthum
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Podophyllum 'Red Panda'
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Thalictrum ichangense 'Evening Star'
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This strange, almost tulip-shape, flower belongs to Scadoxus puniceus.
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It's not quite finished becoming, but still beautiful in this stage.
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Sophora prostrata 'Little Baby'
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A Saracennia flower, I'm not sure which one.
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Akebia longeracemosa 'Victor's Secret' (isn't it fabulous!?)
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Ajuga reptans 'Black Scallop'
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Another Echium wildpretii, because why not?
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And finally a couple of garden plants that were cut and taken in the house. Back in mid-April I trimmed several branches on my Lomatia tinctoria, and I think I must of cut off everything with flowering potential. However I stuck this branch, which showed no signs of even developing buds at that time, in a vase and month later and it's went from no buds, to flowers. Pretty cool. I keep hoping it will root but so far no luck with that.
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And last, after a heavy rain the flowering stems of Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer' were bent almost to breaking, so I cut them and now they're on the mantle, in a vase. I've missed not being able to pick up cheap bunches of cheery Alstroemeria at the grocery store, so this is my stand in for that. They're joined by a few stems of x Fatshedera lizei ‘Annemieke’.
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Weather Diary, May 14: Hi 58, Low 52/ Precip .17"
All material © 2009-2020 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.
We'll start this tour in the front garden...
Above and below, Grevillea rivularis.
Lewisia NOID, a gift from a fellow Portlander years ago, it just keeps on blooming its heart out, every year.
And another gifted Lewisia that I don't have ID for. Maybe that's the secret to growing a great Lewisia: they have to be a gift, and you can't know exactly what they are?
Leucothoe fontanesiana 'rainbow'
Here's one of my blooming Echium wildpretii. If you read yesterday's blog post you know how excited I am to have a couple of these plants blooming.
Not as excited as the hummingbirds though.
If you've ever grown Euphorbia rigida you may shudder at this sight. I let seeds set. I cut the blooms off over half my plants, but didn't get back out to finish the job. There will be babies.
Grevillea x gaudichaudii
Such a bizarre flower!
Not quite open, Parahebe perfoliata.
We're walking around towards the back garden now, and stop to admire the last flower on my Paeonia 'Smith Opus'.
Flowers on the blackberry. I'd share raspberry flower photos too, but there are no petals left, just berries forming (yum!).
The Embothrium coccineum took a beating in the bad wind, branches are bent every which way and those bright blooms are all over the garden. Thank goodness there are still some left on the plant.
There's the Embothrium coccineum again, but now I was really focused on the honeysuckle...
Lonicera x brownii 'Dropmore Scarlet'
Lots of blooms on the palm—Trachycarpus fortunei—this year. They're so high up now I can't reach them to cut them off once they dry up. Well, not without a ladder.
Saxifraga urbium 'Aureopunctata'
How fabulous is that flower? It's on a plant I purchased last year as Aporophyllum hybrid 'Shirley'. It was absolutely covered with buds then, but it's almost more exciting to know it will bloom for me without experiencing greenhouse conditions over the wintertime.
There is one other bud that should open in the coming days.
These freaky things are blooms on an astelia, the most flower-like shape I can find is just to the right of center, about half way down the photo.
Podophyllum pleianthum
Podophyllum 'Red Panda'
Thalictrum ichangense 'Evening Star'
This strange, almost tulip-shape, flower belongs to Scadoxus puniceus.
It's not quite finished becoming, but still beautiful in this stage.
Sophora prostrata 'Little Baby'
A Saracennia flower, I'm not sure which one.
Akebia longeracemosa 'Victor's Secret' (isn't it fabulous!?)
Ajuga reptans 'Black Scallop'
Another Echium wildpretii, because why not?
And finally a couple of garden plants that were cut and taken in the house. Back in mid-April I trimmed several branches on my Lomatia tinctoria, and I think I must of cut off everything with flowering potential. However I stuck this branch, which showed no signs of even developing buds at that time, in a vase and month later and it's went from no buds, to flowers. Pretty cool. I keep hoping it will root but so far no luck with that.
And last, after a heavy rain the flowering stems of Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer' were bent almost to breaking, so I cut them and now they're on the mantle, in a vase. I've missed not being able to pick up cheap bunches of cheery Alstroemeria at the grocery store, so this is my stand in for that. They're joined by a few stems of x Fatshedera lizei ‘Annemieke’.
Weather Diary, May 14: Hi 58, Low 52/ Precip .17"
All material © 2009-2020 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.