What's in full bloom now? MAY 16th - MAY 31st

A few more things to share...

During our garden tour at roundup last year, I pointed out to a few people my monster rhodie that had only bloomed once or twice for me in the eight years that I have had it. It is definitely NOT unhappy... it has grown from 2 1/2 feet to 12+ feet in the time I have had it, and is green and beautiful...just never flowers. I was thrilled to find that this year it graced me with 5 clumps of blooms! Maybe it is finally done growing UP and now will start to blossom more readily. It is the monster in the middle with the pink blooms on the bottom.

Here is an "up close" of the blooms. They are well worth the wait... each blossom is about 4" in diameter, and they smell heavenly. The rhodie is Loderi Game Chick.

Papaver Double Tangerine is very pretty right now.

Another rhody that is in full bloom right now that has been a long time in getting established. R. Point Defiance

What I call my "common" columbine is the only one that is blooming heavily so far in my yard.

Azalea Elsie Lee is my very favorite and is in it's full glory.

My honesty plants are on an "off" year this year (I have one year with bunches of them and the next there will be only one or two flowering) but the few I have are in full color right now.

And this is definitely NOT in full bloom yet, but this is the first time I can ever recall having a daylily bloom in May. This is one of my very earliest but is usually early June.... Saratoga Springtime.

First bloom on Golden Celebration

An Iris near my pond

Rhododendron Chapeau

Tree peony

Candelabra primula. Julie had started these from seed a few years back.

Julie - I have an area I call Columbine Central. Looks like I am a breeder.
Need any? Blues, purple, black, port wine, pinky-purple, blue with white ruffles, & on it goes. I'll be ripping them out & let the Bees come up with a new line for 2011. Geez - 2011 sounds weird...

Forgot to answer your question about the Crimson clover. I seed my raised beds liberally with it in the fall, it grows until a good hard frost , keels over & starts up again in the spring. At the point of flowering, I turn it over, but leave a few patches for the Bees. It is very easy to pull up if I need to do so.
I have seeded containers for overwinter protection, rip it out in the spring: nice tilth. It could easily be grown as an ornamental, plus it enriches the soil & is easily composted. It is a very lovely crimson that would go well with other plants. I buy my seed from Territorial Seed in OR, or at the local Grange. Let me know if you can't locate it near you - I'll get some for you.

This message was edited May 18, 2010 9:42 PM

Hey, Kate - save me some seed from the lighter colors. The maroon seems to be dominant around here . . .

I think you need to come over & make a selection.
the Bees have been quite busy - the columbines are pushing 40" tall.
Skinny Spindly Columbine Shrubberies.
the only thing the Rabbits don't bother...

Well, with an invitation like that . . . I just need to find someone to distract you while I clip, dig, and sneak . . .

LOL somehow I think she will be right there with you clipping and digging.

Wow Bea, you have a rose bloom that looks like a rose bloom! Pretty! I have color on a couple but they have been distorted by the wonderful weather changes over the last month or so, so are not very photogenic!

Mom, your tree peony is gorgeous! I hope I get a chance to see it full open before it fades.

Katye, your columbine central sounds lovely! If you collect seeds at all, I would love a mix. I have bunches of the Barlow variety in all colors (that I can definitely share seeds from!), and the dark purples, but that is about it (well, and my common pink one). I have started using them as a woodland plant in my undeveloped areas because nothing (rabbits, slugs, deer) seems to bother them much.

I will have to look into the clover at the local grange. It sounds like it might be good for our vegie garden as well. When exactly in the fall do you seed it? In the vegie garden, would it be seeded before the final harvest, or just before (or after) the remaining vegie plants are pulled?

Here is a wonderful clump of columbine taken at the Oregon Garden yesterday.

This rodie was amazing.

Flannel bush

Bea that purple columbine is so beautiful. I really need to get to the Oregon Garden. I've never been there.

My tree peony got one big floppy and distorted bloom and now looks sad. And the weather right now is not helping. We had a period of really hard downpour yesterday, and today will be more of the same. The snow level is down to 3000 feet. Hello already, it's the middle of May!

Jan, you're so right.

Julie, I'll be happy to share any seeds I collect. Columbine is a nice random plant in the garden . . .

Schreiner's Iris gardens has tons of different varieties of columbine .

Neat, never heard of flannel bush till now... Pretty! It's like scotch broom's alter ego... ;)

Arnica chamissonis - meadow arnica - a nice little herbal groundcover, spreads by rhizomes, jolly daisies, gets about 8" but gets kinds of scrappy looking in late summer. Murmur, I think you inherited a couple of these at the plant swap - give them a sunny little corner to colonize. If you make creams of any sort, this is a good addition for muscle aches and pains. I've just started experimenting with this and they are quite easy to cook up.

Fragaria x Potentilla‘Pink Panda’ - such a jolly little groundcover.

Cerastium tomentosum ‘Silver Carpet’ - Snow-in-summer - I have trouble getting this one to thrive for me, it does not get very thick and does not spread very much. I do like the forget-me-nots growing amongst it though.

Rhodiola

This bush is getting ready to bloom, and I have no clue what it is. Any thoughts?

My Crystal Fountain clematis is just loaded with blooms this year.

Bonehead, whatever that unknown bush is, it's very attractive! I had to chuckle at the "jolly" groundcover description - I don't think I have ever heard a groundcover described as jolly. LOL

Oh, gosh! Such lovely colors in all these photos! Deb, is that shrub related to Lycesteria formosa, perhaps? Leaves look wrong, but flowers look similar. Kayte? Kathy?

I love the columbines. I generally let the bees take over and then see what happens. I seem to have more of them than ever this year. Here is a little alpine one. I don't remember which one. It might have a tag.

A. flatabella.

Old yellow tree peony. Every year when this blooms we get a huge rain and it pelts the flowers from here to creation. I'm afraid to look at them today.

It might be related, but it's definitely not Leycesteria . . . I think I lost mine this year - no sign of life. The one at Molbaks is lifeless, too, though. Argh!

Pretty Aquilegias.

This green primula.

No, I know it's not Lycesteria f. The leaves are completely wrong. But it's very pretty!
My first clematis bloom of the year: Nelly Moser. Coming back from the dead!

Johnson's Blue geraniums (and Admiral)