Late to the Party

I must admit that I completely forgot Garden Bloggers Bloom Day this month. In all honesty I had barely paid the garden any mind at all last week. I shudder to think what it will look like if I don't get up from this desk and get to work soon! I have pulled some weeds and removed some old stalks from last year but I have way too much garden for "some" to be enough.

What I have done is collected some images to share of what's blooming now despite my neglect:)

Dianthus 'Firewitch'



Coral honeysuckle



California poppy



An unidentified iris from a great lady



Viburnum bracteatum 'Emerald Luster'



American Fringe tree ~ Chionanthus virginicus



Sweet Betsy ~ Calycanthus floridus



Sweetbay Rugosa rose



Indigofera amblyantha



Salvia 'Maraschino'



Have a great week!

Past and present cont.

My attempt at backtracking continues.... This is Geranium sanguineum 'Ankum's Pride' blooming on May 5th. Plant Delights Nursery says it's a blooming machine for hot and dry sites which remains to be seen. I love the tiny flowers and foliage but the blooms where short lived and have not returned so far this season.



One of my oldest and favorite salvias is Salvia chamaedryoides, Blue Oak Sage. I think I have the right conditions for it because it spreads with abandon in the tiny bed it's in. It normally blooms in spring and fall flushes- some years better than others but the silvery foliage is there year round.



These little guys are hard to beat for simple beauty and bold color. It's a shame that I can't seem to control them in any way,lol. California Poppy is a reseeding annual that is best started by seed in situ in the fall here in the Carolinas but in my garden they seem to just do what they please once started.



I posted a pic of the cool foliage of this Epimedium back in April so here are the flowers. I'm not sure which one this is right now but I believe it to be a species and no particular cultivar. I'm so happy to finally be able to grow some part shade plants successfully. From what I hear Epimediums were a good plant to start with because they're tough.



For the present part of this post I have a summer favorite~ Hibiscus 'Red Flyer'. I belive this is its third or fourth year in the garden and is not as tall this year as in previous years. If it ends up being one of those perennials that peters out I will definitely be repacing it.