Fritillaria stenanthera ‘Cambridge’
It is two days late for Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day, but I need to keep up my records. There have been sooo many flowers and activities around our house that it’s hard to account for everything that is happening. The daffodils are off to a fine start and all of their friends and neighbors are coming too. I’ll focus on some of my favorites in the interest of getting this post out at least by St. Patricks Day. The Fritillary pictured above is a reminder that some Fritillaries are willing face the viewer rather than nodding toward the grass.
It’s hard not to focus on the Hellebores for this time of year. They are everywhere.
Hellebore x hybridus PDN Double White
Helleborus x hybridus ‘Kingston Cardinal’
Helleborus x ericsmithii ‘Winter Sunshine’
Helleborus x hybridus ‘Peppermint Ice’
There is even a black one that I’ve forgotten the name of…
Hellebore black
There are several unnamed seedlings to be found in our woods since they don’t seem to be fancied by the deer.
Hellebore growing in the woods
And in the yard and the woods we find a classic primrose
Primula vulgaris
Out in the front yard the Edgeworthia is announcing the beginning of Spring.
Edgeworthia in full bloom
Edgeworthia chrysantha
And then there are the classic spring bulbs
Iris histroides ‘Major’
Crocus tommasinianus ‘Ruby Giant’
Glory of the Snow (Chionodoxa)
And yet more out in the woods
Narcissus ‘Jack Snipe’
Scilla bifolia ‘Rosea’
A nice surprise for me was to discover this rock garden plant that I put in two years ago after a Yuzawa Engei order from Japan. It’s original home is in the high mountains of Morocco so I’m glad it has chosen to flower here.
Ranunculus calandrinoides (High Alpine Buttercup)
I always feel good when little Saxifrages are willing to flower in our garden troughs.
Saxifraga ferdinandi-coburgi ssp. radoslavoffii
Saxifraga ‘Allendale Charm’
You can just barely see the little piece of tufa that Wrightman’s Alpines provides.
Another first time flowering for me is this little Clivia that I got from seed via the Pacific Bulb Society back in 2013.
Belgian hybrid orange Clivia (2013)
It has a few years to go to catch up with our normal Clivia. But I’m more than willing to watch it try.
Clivia
Clivia miniata
And since I began the last GBBD post with the first Adonis image of the year, I thought it only fair to end this post with another Adonis posting, this time of the very special orange one (even though this image is from three weeks ago).
Adonis amurensis ‘Chichibu Beni’
I was afraid last year that I had lost this planting it was down to just two flowers, but it came back strongly this year — and I intend to take some seeds.
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day February 2022
Adonis ‘Fukujukai’
Adonis is one of my favorite flowers. It comes so vigorously at a time of the year when we have almost forgotten the joy of spectacular flowers. I have seen it flower even before this year’s mid-February showing but it’s very appropriate to have it kick off a Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day. I have every expectation that over the next couple of weeks there will be a number of Adonis appearing at our early Spring party. It’s been a long, long January into February so let’s see what else is here today.
Daffodils have a strong connections with Spring and for us this is the first one
Narcissus ‘Rijnveld’s Early Sensation’
And in the front yard I found one lonely crocus.
First crocus
Last week I found a rare Eranthis blooming in the cold frame
Eranthis pinnatifida
I noticed today that there is now a baby showing in that same pot. Even more importantly I think I see buds for the same Eranthis showing in one of the outside beds.
At the same time the more common Winter Aconites are popping up all over the yard.
Winter Aconite (Eranthis hyemalis)
Last year I took some of these out to the forest and now they are showing in the woods as well.
Winter Aconite in the woods
At the same time I’ve been growing some of the more unusual cultivars.
Eranthis hyemalis ‘Schwefelglanz’
Eranthis hyemalis ‘Orange Glow’
It is surprising to me that the Cyclamens are also players in the early flowers game.
Cyclamen coum
And even before the flowers show up the Peonies are starting to show color.
Paeonia caucasica in bud
And the heather that I featured last month is still flowering. Cold weather does little to damp it’s winter enthusiasm. Also the Camellias that were so prolific in December are starting up again. They are simply wonderful.
Camellia japonica red
Of course when we turn to the trees, we need to take note of the Witch Hazels.
Chinese Witch Hazel (Hamamelis mollis)
Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Diane’
We also have several contributions from the greenhouse
Cyrtanthus flanaganii
Babiana framesii
Lachenalia aloides
That’s about here for mid-Maryland in this year’s February. I think there is a lot coming in the next few weeks.
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day January 2022
Cyrtanthus mackenii
Not a lot to share for this mid-January Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day Post. We have several pots of the Cyrtanthus in bloom now. The nice thing about Cyrtanthus is that the blooms last for a long time. It is a large genus in the Amaryllis family with many unique flower forms.
Cyrtanthus are said to be hardy down to 25 degrees which would not do well with the 12 degree temperatures that we had last night. These are some of the coldest temperatures that we’ve have the past few years.
In the greenhouse we still have the last of the white Narcissus in flower.
Narcissus cantabricus ‘Silver Palace’
However, outside there is not much to see, even if you spent time the very cold air looking. The snowdrops are fully in flower but when it is this cold they prefer to lie down.
Snowdrops lying down on the job
One remarkable plant in the winter is the heather that we added several years ago. The flowers seem to be governed by the calendar and not by the temperatures.
Kramer’s Rote Heather
One special event over the last week was the planting of the Concolor Fir that was our Christmas tree for this year.
Planting our Christmas Tree
We have been planting our Christmas trees for 46 years. I would say that about 30 percent have survived. It’s a really nice tradition. If you looked out of the back door a week ago, you can see two of the trees.
Backyard Christmas Trees
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day December 2021
Christmas tree is ready (Concolor Fir)
Well another Bloom Day and another year has come to pass. Today’s flowers include some very unusual participants for a December flower show. First and foremost is a Gentiana acaulis which would normally be waiting for spring to share its vivid blue colors. Instead a single flower has challenged the season.
Gentiana acaulis
As I went around the yard I saw several other features that illustrate just how warm it’s been this Fall. The Mahonia which is lucky to even be surviving here in Maryland has decided to put up some yellow flowers.
Mahonia ‘Sweet Caress’
I even see color on the first of the spring cyclamen. And the Adonis and Snowdrops are budding up.
Snowdrops on their way
The heather which flowered most of last winter has it’s first blooms showing.
Kramer’s Rote Heather
We have two spring flowering Camellia japonicas that are putting out lovely flowers and of course the fall flowering Camellia sasanquas are putting out many flowers.
Camellia japonica red
Camellia japonica double flowered pink
Fall Camellia in bloom
Camellia sasanqua Red
Camellia sasanqua ‘October Magic’
And in the greenhouse the first of the Narcissus ‘Silver Palace’ are filling the pot.
Narcissus cantabricus ‘Silver Palace’
Of course the flowers are one thing, but one of the items that really sparks the Christmas show is the hollies. Between the very large American Holly and the supporting cast of English Holly and Blue Holly we have more berries than you can possibly imagine.
Holly Berries
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day October 2021
Amarine tubergenii ‘Zwanenburg’
It’s Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day as we move securely into the Fall. The leaves are changing but we see no signs of lower temperatures in Maryland as yet.
The Amarine above is a first time bloomer for me, but comes with a little background. I bought it just this Fall from Quackin’ Grass Nursery and then as it was coming into bloom I discovered that I had another one that I had bought from the same place this Spring. No sooner did I put those two in the ground but I then found that I had bought a smaller bulb of that plant from Rare Plants back in 2017 and it too was now coming into bloom (for the first time). So apparently this plant is consistently appealing to me. It is a hybrid between Amaryllis belladonna and Nerine bowdenii. It’s somewhat questionable whether it will be hardy for me here in zone 7 (Nerines would not normally be hardy here), but I have planted two of them and we shall see.
Since it’s related I should mention that Nerine sarniensis (from the Greenhouse) is also flowering now bearing out my continuing interest in Nerines.
Nerine sarniensis
The above picture is from the kitchen and right nearby is a bowl full of vegetables showing the wonderful bounty from this year.
Vegetable yield in October
We’ve also had a lot of pears that we are still enjoying for dinners and desserts. And the raspberries are still making their appearance.
Raspberries still coming in
The flowers outside still have a lot of the same participants that we’ve had for the past few months.
Double Decorative Dahlia Purple
Dahlia ‘Bodacious’ still yielding
Cestrum ‘Orange Peel’
Cosmos in the wildflower patch
In addition there are a few new faces on the Fall horizon
New England Aster
Japanese Anemone ‘Whirlwind’
Colchicum ‘Giant’
Colchicum ‘Dick Trotter’
Toadlilly (Trycyrtis ‘Sinonome’
In addition I thought it was interesting to note that I completely missed the start of flowering for the fall camellias.
Camellia sasanqua ‘Double Rainbow’
Camellia x ‘Survivor’
There are lots of buds on these and other Camellias so I need to pay more attention. And similarly I’ll end by paying attention to the many oxalis showing up in the greenhouse now.
Oxalis hirta ‘Gothenburg’
Finally all summer long we’ve a beautiful showing of flowers from the potted plectranthus.
Plectranthus ‘Mona Lavender’
I’ll need to find a place in the greenhouse for a part of this plant over the winter.
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day August 2021
Naked Ladies in the Garden
It’s Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day for the middle of the summer. Our garden is like many at this time of year. Mostly annuals, crepe myrtles, and the last of the lilies dominate.
There are a few flowers worth noting. The Cestrum ‘Orange Peel’ has returned from it’s winter dormancy and will bloom until late fall.
Cestrum ‘Orange Peel’
We have a lot of annuals in the picking garden as well as the glads and dahlias.
Annuals in the cutting garden especially Tithonia
Dahilia’s still abundant in the cutting garden
The annuals and shrub flowers are great for attracting insects and birds, many of them very photogenic. I was struck by this little bluebird overlooking the garden.
Bluebird baby with attitude
The butterflies and other insects are striking.
Monarch on Tithonia
Bee on Tithonia
Swallowtail on Buddleia
Clearwing moth on Buddleia
August is also prime time for harvesting
Music Garlic
Contender Peach
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day July 2021
Stewartia japonica center
This is the middle of the gardening year with abundant flowers, never enough rain, and rarely the time to think about what chores to take on next. For Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day I thought it appropriate to lead off with the exotic center of Stewartia Japonica. The last flowers are just finishing up on this wonderful tree. It not only flowers abundantly but has exquisite bark as well.
Stewartia japonica
But the dominant theme for this time of year is LILIES. They are popping out like mad with their extravagant blooms. Some are super tall (Scheherzade) or small (Madame Butterfly), but all are worth paying attention to. Beth often brings them into the house for the fragrance. Here are some of our lily companions.
Oriental Lily ‘Time Out’
Orienpet Lilium ‘Scheherazade’
Orienpet Lily ‘Anastasia’
Oriental Lily Star Gazer
Oriental Lily ‘Muscadet’
Oriental Lily ‘Casa Blanca’
Oriental Lily ‘Marco Polo’
Orienpet Lily Conca d’Or
Lilium ‘Madame Butterfly’
And at the same time that we are bringing lilies into the house the gladiolias are coming into bloom.
Gladiolus ‘Margaret Rose’
This year I noticed a particular red and white that is large and very frilly. No name yet but I will research that.
Red and White Glad
In the garden there is a lovely long row of glads and dahlia with flowers still to come.
Glads in the garden
Our hardest working gardener is son Josh, and he has put a wall of sunflowers on the border of the garden
Sunflowers form the border of the vegetable garden
At the same time there was a volunteer sunflower in the vegetable garden that we just let grow. I would estimate that it stands about 12 feet tall at this point.
Volunteer sunflower in the vegetable garden
I should mention that we put a barn owl box in the pasture.
Barn Owl Box
It’s too late this year but hopefully we get a family next year to take of some of the small critters.
Nearby is a wildflower patch that Josh created by covering the existing grasses with a tarp until he was ready to plant. It’s worked out quite well.
Wildflower patch in the pasture
And then lastly, because we live not by flowers alone, here’s an update on the upcoming orchard fruit.
Redhaven peaches getting ripe
Kiefer pears in abundance
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day April 2021
Rhododendron carolinianum
All the usual suspects are in bloom now for this April Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day. Daffodils everywhere, first azaleas, dogwoods, peonies opening up, and spring bulbs of every sort. I’ll focus on some of the things that catch my attention on a morning walk.
It’s hard not to notice the Kwansan double-flowered Cherry when you walk out the back door.
Kwanzan Cherry in first bloom
In the backyard the Epimediums are special right now. There are two in particular that came as mother’s day gifts from Garden Visions years ago and are now quite substantial in size.
Epimedium x rubrum ‘Sweetheart’
Epimedium x rubrum ‘Sweetheart’
Epimedium grandiflorum ‘Lilac Seedling’
Epimedium grandiflorum ‘Lilac Seedling’
Another Epimedium that I like a lot is the Wushanense variety with its red leaves and white flowers.
Epimedium wushanense ‘Sandy Claws’
There are also several instances of Erythronium cultivars that add to the explosion of Trout lilies that surround the deck.
Erythronium californicum ‘White Beauty’
There are several spots where we have lovely clumps of star flowers
Ipheion uniflorum ‘Tessa’
In addition to the Peonies that are imitating being in flower because of the falling quince flowers, there are other Peonies almost in flower.
Peony with imitation red flowers
Paeonia caucasica
The first of the Arisaema and Podophyllum are poking through the ground.
Flower buds on Podophyllum delavayii
Especially nice was to see a return of the very rare Podophyllum x inexpectatum which I thought we had lost to animals.
Podophyllum x inexpectatum
The Camellias continue to dominate the flowering landscape
Red/white camellia
So many camellias
A new addition is the Loropetalum (marginally hardy for our area)
Loropetalum newly added to herb bed
I should not forget the Adonis vernalis which wraps up our Adonis flowering
Adonis vernalis
And the Iris tuberosa which has a nice flowering this year
Iris tuberosa
One of my favorite small troughs features a very nice dwarf Daphne
Daphne in one of the small troughs
Daphne detail
If we go back to the alpine bed the reliable Armeria is nearing peak bloom growing out of tufa rock
Armeria maritima ‘Victor Reiter’
And back in the forest there are many daffodils and the first of the Jack-in-a-Pulpit
Narcissus ‘Chromacolor’ in the woods
First jack-in-a-pulpit in the woods
In the greenhouse it is Spring in South Africa
Tritoma crocata
Ferraria divaricata
It’s also worth mentioning that because we made an early start on the season in the basement this year we have been eating green salads for the last 6 weeks and the plants are even happier now that they can come outside.
Salad greens brought from the basement
We’ve also put the first tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants in the garden
Tomatoes from basement
There are flowers on the fruit trees, strawberries, and blueberries. Life is good…
Flowers on the blueberries