lots of things in bloom right now.

tiarella

white dicentra

lilly of the valley

candy tuft

pulmonaria

hellebore grape galaxy

regular pink dicentra

the lawn is a sea of violets

the only hawthorn left on the property

and the apple tree is actually in bloom. we usually only get a few blossoms and a few apples.

the rhubarb patch is super healthy

Lots of blossoms on the blueberry bushes

I overpruned the strawberries last fall, so have very few blossoms this year. lesson learned!

Great photos in both threads. I need more Epimediums in my garden and I really want one of those white Dicentras.

OK, the Hostas are almost fully unfurled here, so I'm going to post a few pictures. I promise I'll try to restrain myself. Apologies in advance to those who think they're just plain green plants.

H. Queen of the Seas with Syringa 'Arch McKean'

Part of the White Garden with H. Lakeside Kaleidescope up front.

Lakeside Love Affaire

Squash Casserole

Cold Heart

Dancing Queen

H. Krossa Regal. I use the Hosta foliage to hide the Allium foliage that fades to brown as the bulbs flower.

Steve

Eye candy galore being posted! Was it really winter a few weeks ago? I see leaves everywhere and plants just aching to get on with their lives.

Fothergilla 'Mount Airy' is in bloom.

My plants are in considerable shade so they're rangy, but I love them with the Azalea 'Hino-Crimson'. I just planted some new epimediums ('Warlayense') under these azaleas so I'm looking forward to a color echo next year. That's daffodil 'Fragrant Rose' in the vicinity.

Nearby is an old inherited azalea and I plan to plant Epimedium 'Sulphureum' under that as soon as my order arrives.

My blue hollies (Ilex meserveae) are in bloom and they have that berry bump.

Leucojum 'Gravetye Giant' is growing out of a miscanthus.

And since Steve opened the door to hostas, I'll add a few of mine (not even close to his superb collection).

Hosta 'Big Daddy' is slow but always dramatic when it emerges.

I have a bed down where the driveway meets the road and it's primarily hostas and variegated solomon's seal under a wild cherry and a forsythia, with lily-of-the-valley sneaking in.

The daffodils and scillas are gone by now and the hostas are coming up.

There's Hosta 'Undulata Univitata' on the bottom right, 'Paul's Glory' top right and 'Northern Exposure' on the left.

'Paul's Glory'

'Northern Exposure'

Claire

This post was edited by claire on Tue, May 20, 14 at 9:19

I'm having some trouble linking to my web photos on Picasa, Google is getting a little heavy-handed. So here goes, hope this works..

Daphe Carol Mackie (can you smell it? It's delicious!)

Volunteer crabapple:

Camassia, can't remember which variety:

Since it is May, it's time for Lilacs the genus Syringa. Here's a few that I have blooming right now.

S. vulgaris 'Albert F Holden'

S. vulgaris 'Sensation'

S. vulgaris 'Krasivitsa Moscovy' (Beauty of Moscow)

S. vulgaris 'Yankee Doodle' The large florets are distinctive of the "Rochester" hybrids. This one was bred by Father Fiala in Ohio.

Steve

Daphnes and Lilacs! Is there an app to turn on the fragrance via my computer? I can't find anything on the keyboard and I just get noseprints on the screen.

Claire

LOL, Claire! Steve, that Beauty of Moscow is aptly named, it's really lovely.

Steve's photos always appear squished left to right and elongated vertically - but I'm thinking it must be me since no one else has commented, lol! Strange, I wonder why only your photos do this Steve? Maybe I should try a different browser... although many of them look very cool this way, lol!

Dee

Tree peonies (Paeonia suffruticosa) are in bloom - hooray!

The daffodils are winding down, and the tulips are in full bloom, but the star of the show for me the past week or so has been the Fothergilla 'Mount Airy'. It starts with swelling chartreuse flower buds

This early morning was foggy and so the gardens and field had a delightful softness to them.

Dee: Steve's photos look normal to me (Firefox on a Mac). Also OK on Safari - I just checked.

DtD: Tree peonies! Do they smell as good as the herbaceous peonies?

nhbabs: Your Fothergilla 'Mount Airy' looks wonderful in full sun! It's almost like a different plant when it's grown in the understory. Still nice, though.

I don't recall you showing a pond in your field before.

Claire

Fothergilla is now on my want list.

First iris is about to open.

My fothergilla did not make it through the winter, sadly. I will most likely replace it as I did enjoy it immensely.

Dwarf irises in bloom, LotV opening, columbines opening, some patches of creeping phlox in bloom, along with Virginia and Spanish bluebells, and that's about it, I think, off the top of my head.

Dee

I'd send a photo of the rabbit -- if I could catch it in the act -- who's been nibbling daily on my Hosta Krossa Regal, now down to short stems. It's like the joke about the blank painting of the cow in the meadow: "Where's the grass?" "The cow ate it." "Where's the cow?" With the grass all eaten, why should she hang around?"

Carol

Excellent photos as always.
Steve, I really like the subtle colors in Squash Casserole.
Claire, those azaleas are such a vibrant, gorgeous color.
PL, your pic makes me wonder where my tiarella has gone and why I don't have bunches of it in the garden.
DTD, three cheers for camassia! Mine's about to bloom and it's definitely one of my favorites spring bloomers. Yours blooms at the same time as your tree peonies? Mine are across the yard from the peonies so I don't think I ever put two and two together, but that would be a good combo.
Babs, your field shots have just been spectacular and I'm so glad you continue to photograph and share.

Since irises are my most favorite flower, I decided to snap some photos of them before it rains all weekend.

pixie_lou: I'm amazed at all of your lovely irises so soon! I don't have any even near blooming here in zone 6b.

I do have another rhododendron - 'Percy Wiseman', who spent the winter in a cage, is free at last and blooming without having to worry about squirrels.

An old inherited lilac - I have no idea what its name is (after searching, I think it might be 'Charles Joly'):

Geranium macrorrhyzum 'Ingwersen's Variety' is one of my all purpose groundovers. Easy to grow, easy to transplant and it keeps the ground occupied so fewer weeds grow. I like it with hostas (and daylilies, and hollies...) I think that's Hosta 'Blue Cadet' on the left, and H. 'Undulata U.' on the right.

Maybe Hosta 'Blue Angel' (or 'Halcyon') lurking there (I moved a bunch of hostas several times and lost track)

And Hosta 'Diana Remembered' in the geraniums.

Some of the Spanish bluebells have started, the white ones first:

And the little native Canada Mayflower is quietly flowering:

Claire
edit note: added possible names for a hosta and the lilac

This post was edited by claire on Fri, May 23, 14 at 8:18

Pixie Lou, I am suprised at your irises too! I had a flush of dwarf irises bloom, but not yet for the tall bearded iris, which is what yours look to be, am I right?

Claire, that lilac is gorgeous! What a color! And thank you! I was driving myself crazy trying to think of the name of that little plant - I have it EVERYWHERE in my lawn! - and all I could think of was mayapple or maypop, which, when googled, were not at all what I have. I don't know why mayflower didn't pop into my mind. After all, what other word besides "flower" would be so obvious, lol?

Dee

Nhbabs, love the shot of your field.

Claire, how much sun can your Canada mayflowers take? I'm looking for a native groundcover for a tough spot by the house that gets about 2 hours of intense sun in the late morning, and is shaded by the house all afternoon.

Centaurea just bloomed:

This Aquilegia has been going for a few days, but is the only one to bloom so far:

Alliums:

I posted a picture of my dogwood already, but it's been a great year for it:

And my first azalea to open this spring:

nekobus: In my yard the Canada Mayflower stays in the shade and doesn't seem to venture too far into the sunny areas. However, I don't water the areas it grows in and it can get pretty dry.

I found a website Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens that says:

"Depending on soil moisture and the nature of competing vegetation, Canada Mayflower can tolerate deepest shade, dappled light or daylong sun."

It sounds like you might be able to grow it in your conditions if you keep it well watered.

Claire

Love these photos, everyone's gardens look so wonderful, and so varied. Here are a couple more from mine. I'll add a link to my picasa web album in case the rain has driven you indoors ...

An NOID azalea:

Another tree peony

Here is a link that might be useful: Nan's Spring Garden 2014

Lovely photos! Lilacs, rhodies, iris, dogwood, crab & apple blossoms, and peonies. Spring has some of my favorite flowers and it's fascinating to see the variety of schedules our plants follow depending on location and genetics. I've had both short and medium tall bearded iris blooming for a week or so.

Steve, such variety amongst your hostas! Seeing them all together is wonderful. I particularly like 'Dancing Queen.'

PixieLou - Between the bearded iris and the Siberians around your pond, you must have a long iris season. I enjoy seeing a wider shot of your iris bed.

Nekobus - For native groundcovers in mostly shade, but with some sun, look at wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens), which isn't a dense groundcover, but seems happy in all day sun to mostly shade, or partidge berry (Mitchella repens), one of my favorites, which grows in full shade to about half day sun here. You could also check out some of the native sedges and use a mix of the 4 plants (sedge, Canada mayflower, wintergreen, and partridge berry.) In many places I have at least three of those growing together.

Claire - My pond is quite seasonal most years. It houses singing frogs in spring, and in wet years like last summer never dries out enough to mow (the tractor gets stuck), but some years it's high and dry by midJuly. We sit on a clay layer about 6' from the surface, and in addition to the moisture that retains, we have also sent flow from French drains around the house's foundation toward that part of the field. I think it was originally a watering pond for the cattle that lived in a barn whose end wall is now part of the garden bed in the same photo. This hasn't been an active dairy farm since the 40's, and the barn fell in early in the 60's, but the somewhat silted and grown in pond is still there at this time of year and lets us enjoy the wood frogs and peepers along with a few visiting ducks.

Creeping phlox, bleeding heart, ajuga, candytuft, magnolia, tulip (spent).

Phlox, magnolia, dicentra, Pulmonaria, columbine, ajuga, candytuft, late tulip and daffodil, serviceberry just finished, too. All of Spring crammed into two weeks...

Finally spring here! I love looking at these spring photos from warmer zones!
I have a dwarf fothergilla 'blue shadow' blooming now along with some crabapples.

Nhbabs, I'll probably try some partridgeberry, that's a good idea. Thanks for the suggestions.

Found the first Anemone canadensis as it started to open yesterday:

The Dicentra eximia has been blooming for at least a week, but I never got a good picture of it until now:

The polemonium opened sometime this week:

Nice shot of the anemone, nekobus - I have trouble appreciating those, ever since I planted one tiny one. It was at a plant sale, and labeled 'May spread' - OMG, what an understatement! If only I'd resisted that adorable pure white flower. Anyway, I love the way you captured the blossom floating!

Just wanted to say how much I adore your lilacs, Steve and Claire; and Claire your azaleas are just magnificent!

I love your wildflowers, Pixie, especially the red trillium. I toy with the idea of adding some of these shady plants beside my brook, and perhaps some year I will. I also love the photograph of your violet covered lawn! My lawn is similar. It looks magical and provides me with the first wildflowers of the summer for my kitchen windowsill.

My flowering crabapples are just coming into bloom, the daffodils are going by, but my bleeding heart is still flowering. And my rhubarb is having a good year so far. I made a delicious rhubarb/cherry pie! It must be a good year for rhubarb.

Beautiful flowers and gardens everywhere on this thread!

I don't add much anymore, maintaining and pruning is pretty much where I am. 'The Philosophy Garden' out in a back corner is finally maturing a bit and becoming the woodland setting I wanted. The Chinese tree peony was a bare root stick I bought at a flower show some 20 years ago. It used to produce only pink and white blossoms. Now, with age, part of it has reverted to the parent stock (apparently) and it now produces two different shades of red in addition to the variegated. I think it's neat and I'm just happy it's happy. It lives in back of the bench to the right.

The first Siberian Iris opened down by the pond.

The German Bearded Irises continue to bloom. So far only purples and yellows!

Silver Bells up in the White Garden

A white poppy bud

Forsythia going by

I think these are Virginia Bluebells

Tons of Lunaria this year

Lily of the Valley

Solomons Seal

A tulip taking a nap!

A giant white allium

Siberian irises too, pixie_lou? Is there some kind of magic vapor emanating from that pond? And nhbabs has bearded irises blooming too - and she has a pond....

The tulip taking a nap I can identify with, I have some sleepy daffodils.

The close view from my deck is picking up with the doublefile viburnum (rooted cutting of unidentified 'Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum') blooming.

I have more viburnums in this area but most of them are small and not very showy yet. Viburnum 'Summer Snowflake' is a little slower than the doublefile,

V. 'Summer Snowflake'

but the little V. prunifolium 'Forest Rouge' (whose full name is almost bigger than the shrub) - has its first ever blossom and looks to be on the same schedule as the doublefile.

V. p. 'Forest Rouge'

I'm hoping that these three will cross-pollinate and produce lots of berries.

Claire

edit note: I swapped some of the photos for better ones.

This post was edited by claire on Sun, May 25, 14 at 16:39

I can't resist adding Dicentra 'Goldheart' glowing in the sun.

Claire

Claire - that dicentra is definitely glowing!

Have I mentioned that I absolutely love irises?
First Blue Flag open by the pond. (sorry for the fuzzy photo. Still learning how to focus the new camera.)

I need one of those Gold Heart Dicentras. Beautiful plant.

Just a few photos on Memorial Day.

I forget the name of this Iris. It's fairly common.

Still just a baby, but I love the Spring coloring. Picea pungens Maigold.

Clematis montana Mayleen

The Deck and Deck Garden

Hostas on the rocks. This is Grand Canyon (of course).

A seedling of mine. Very subtle variation in the color with a long tail. Rascal x Stingray

One more since they were all lined up for their School Pictures. Silk Kimono

Steve

That is a lovely spruce, Steve, with the gold new growth.

My azaleas are past peak now, but I like them with the Spanish Bluebells. That's fothergilla foliage next to it. The fothergilla has been moved a couple of times due to unfortunate siting so it hasn't bloomed yet:

and the Geranium macrorrhizum with the azaleas:

This is where I plan to add Epimedium 'Sulphureum', which may (or may not) be a good thing, along with the fothergillas. It may be too much, too busy but I want to try it.

Claire

This post was edited by claire on Wed, May 28, 14 at 14:32

I went out in the light rain/mist to get the mail and couldn't resist walking around with the camera.

I stood under the wisteria to look around. Last year a bad windstorm knocked the wisteria over so I had to revise its support system. The good thing is that now I can stand under it (until the next bad windstorm).

Coming out from under the wisteria, I saw the cotoneaster is blooming.

The cotoneaster is planted along a stone retaining wall, which is now almost invisible.

That's the good old Geranium macrorrhizum with ajuga next to the cotoneaster.

Moving on to the road, the Spanish bluebells are now blooming in all colors.

And in the back of the house the doublefile viburnum looks good in the rain, seen from the breezeway.

There are rugosa rose buds and peony buds and bearded iris buds on the verge of opening, but not quite there yet.

Claire

This post was edited by claire on Wed, May 28, 14 at 14:35

The old crabapple as it appears in mid-May:

{{gwi:1070519}}

This post was edited by homegrowninthe603 on Thu, May 29, 14 at 8:13

Love, love, love all the great photos!

My beastly bleeding heart. She'll get even bigger over the next few weeks.
{{gwi:695900}}

First tree peony just opened yesterday.
{{gwi:695902}}

Pink Beauty viburnum. Never pink, but always a beauty.

Popcorn and Rosace viburnums in this photo. I have a weakness for viburnums........

We had our fence replaced last year so I'm changing the gardens completely to be a more orderly English garden.....hopefully it will turn out that way.

homegrown - gorgeous crabapple.

thyme - those garden trellisis are so pretty. I'm looking forward to your transformation to an English Cottage garden.

My alliums are in full bloom now.

Peonies are getting ready to bloom

A white Columbine. Originally I had purchased a couple of blue columbines, but one of them turned out white. I've been collecting seed and now have numerous white columbines around the gardens!

And finally, more iris photos. These are all down around the pond.

And the siberian irises are beginning to open. First year I've had a yellow one!

T2D - that is gorgeous! I could stare at those pics for hours!

homegrowninthe603: I'm imagining what it would be like to live in that lovely little house hanging from, and surrounded by, the crabapple in bloom....

Maybe get to it by climbing a purple tuteur....

And look out at a pond ringed by irises...

But I don't live there so I'll post something from my own garden: My rugosa roses are starting to bloom.

Rose 'Blanc Double de Coubert'

Rose 'Yankee Lady'

Claire

Wow, Claire! Roses already?! And to think I was happy to see a few buds on my rose bushes yesterday, lol!

Everyone's photos are so nice. No photos here, but I've got mostly columbines blooming - I let them reseed wherever they want. Some perennial geraniums starting to bloom, tiarella, some late lilacs, and some irises is about it for me. My hakuro nishiki willows are breath-taking, if I do say so myself!

Dee

Dee: Just the rugosas blooming now - I have a few buds on Zepherine Drouhin but not much else in the way of roses. A couple of Siberian irises by a south facing wall but otherwise buds all over the place.

Photos of your hakuro nishiki willows would be welcome.

Claire

Dee - not fair. If you say something is "breath-taking" you MUST post a photo.

I don't know what Euphorbia this is, but it occasionally seeds, though not to any great degree. It is unfussy and tidy, and provides a nice foliage contrast to the other plants in this bed.