Beautiful photos, babs! My bluets are still going strong. I love them!

A few shots from my garden from the last two days. Not a whole lot going on.

Virginia bluebells - used to have more of these but they've fizzled out

The agjuga that has taken over a path in my veggie garden. The bees love it!

I find it interesting that these two hostas, side by side, have such different timing. They've been in this spot for years but I can't recall if they've always had such different times of emergence.

A few tulips. The purple and pink ones have been in bloom for WEEKS. I'm really enjoying them!

And my lilacs are starting to bloom (surprisingly, before my Lily of the Valley!). You can see the bee appreciates this!

Not quite in the garden yet, but I received a cercis Oklahoma over the weekend. I was a bit nervous about buying a tree via mail-order but I am quite happy with it. It's larger than I expected, was extremely well-packaged, and came in great shape. I do think, upon looking at it further, that it was pruned oddly - branches on the bottom and on top, but the middle ones were clipped off - maybe to make room for the packaging? I guess in the long run it won't matter as the lower branches will likely be pruned off, but it is a bit odd, imo. But still, I'm satisfied. Now I just have to get it planted!

Weather has been warming up but it's still incredibly windy! Still can't really clean up my leaves with this wind!

:)

Dee

The roses have started.

Rosa primula

and the lilacs

Syringa vulgaris

Syringa microphylla

Then there are the perennials. My bluebells also seem to have died out in the garden beds. This clump is in the lawn.

one of my favorite sping bloomers is doronicum

species peony and woodland phlox

Gee, I don’t think I’ve seen the May thread yet.

Babs, I love seeing your property from different perspectives. Never saw that rock wall before or the pussy willow photo too.

Dee, I have not had luck with Virginia Bluebells. Have had them a long time and they are the same footprint as when I planted them. The other day I noticed a rabbit had chewed it back, so maybe that’s why and I never noticed before.

That is interesting about the timing on the Hosta. Most of mine come up at the same time.

I’ve been quite happy with the lilacs this year. Tons of bloom, more height, longer bloom period, plenty of fragrance.

I love that Deutzia Yuki Cherry Blossom photo. What does the whole shrub look like?

Nice Yaku Princess too.

MadGallica - You have a rose already in zone 5? Wow. And I love that photo of Syringa microphylla in front of the pine trees. So pretty! That shrub has developed into such a nice shape and full of blooms!

I have woodland phlox as long as I’ve had Virginia bluebells and neither of them has grown beyond their original footprint.

This is the only worthwhile photo for now. It's been so windy here and I haven't been happy with the photos I've taken. And right now is a lull between spring bulbs and the summer garden. A lot of ripening bulb foliage spoiling some shots and I haven't gotten all my mulch down yet.

This is 'Beverly' Rose. All the roses but one look so good so far this season. Beverly looks the best. Thanks to advice on the Rose forum, I had new insights into pruning and I thought this pruning on Beverly was just about perfect...lol. It's a nice shape, bushy and healthy looking and is developing a lot of buds on it. Should be blooming around the 1st of June. Oh, and I saw 2 lady bugs on one of the roses the other day and took a closer look and sure enough there were a few aphids. They seem to have cleaned the small start of the aphid population and now I don't see any.

I noticed a ton of bees around an Aronia shrub I have and I should have taken a photo. I have some new Hostas and Hellebores this year, but the rabbits have already chewed up the hostas and I need to clean them up a little. I'll try to get some more photos before the month is out.

My daughter's dog Babs, discovered a rabbit burrow a couple of days ago and all of a sudden we had 4 tiny baby rabbits running around the yard in every direction. So cute, so sweet and oh boy, my vegetable garden is just getting under way. *sigh*

I have a pair of catbirds around the garden this week, I hope they stay around, they are fun. They fly fast in and out of shrubs and make such interesting sounds. We had mourning doves but every year they show up and leave just as fast. Wish I knew what would keep them around longer.

Yes, prairiemoon, the wind has inhibited my photo-taking opportunities too lol! Nothing is holding still haha!

Oddly, that deutzia still has only those two or three blooms. There are buds, but for some reason they have not opened yet when those first few did. I need to prune this shrub. I hate pruning (i.e I'm scared of it lol) so I have to figure out the best way to do that.

A few more photos

Spanish Bluebells in full bloom now

Columbines - my plan of paring down the vast amounts of columbines seems to have worked, and I'm not sure how I feel about it lol! I guess reasonably speaking, it's better that the whole garden isn't overtaken by them, but I have to admit I'm missing the swaths of them, especially the pinks and purples. I'll have to take a wider shot and show the difference between last year and this!

That lagging hosta has almost caught up to it's neighbor lol

A yellow iris whose name I've forgotten. I have a few clumps of these throughout the garden. I moved them two years ago but honestly can't remember where I moved them from lol, and was surprised to see the various clumps - I forgot I moved them to several areas (they did not bloom last year). I'm a bit disappointed they are blooming so early (although this clump is the only one of the three or four clumps blooming)

More lilacs

I bought both of my lilac shrubs at the same time - two little sticks from some cheap mail-order place, purchased when I first started gardening - but one shrub is slightly different. It blooms about a week and a half later and is just ever so slightly darker. They are literally right next to each other so it's not a siting issue.

Rhodie Yaku Princess again. The blooms are whiter than I thought they would be but I'm still enjoying my new little shrub

Going out to move some plants - expecting record-high temps today so need to find some shade for my unplanted plants!

:)

Dee

Hi Dee, pruning is so rejunvenating, I end up doing a lot of it. Of course, it doesn't help much unless the plant is sited in the right amount of light to begin with. I recently was given great advice about pruning roses on a thread on the Rose Forum and it was the simplest and best advice I've found. I've pruned all along, but this season I feel I pruned the best and with more confidence after getting that advice.

Rose pruning is a little different than other shrubs, I suppose. I do an adequate job in general, that's about it. [g] I've recently started looking up everything on YouTube. Lots of great videos showing you how to do just about anything. Of course, you still have to sort through all the offerings to find the best ones.

Pretty bluebells - Hostas look better than mine. Mine have lots of chewed leaves from the rabbits. I haven't found time to trim them off yet. I have a patch of Yellow Iris like yours that is blooming right now and I have a purple and white large one that just started opening. Your lilacs look great! I've been surprised at how long the blooms and the fragrance has lasted this year. Some of mine are just starting to go by and I'm about to prune them.

It's so nice to see all the pictures. You all are always ahead of me. It's nice to see your pictures and know what's coming my way.

It's been a difficult winter, but I'm glad summer is here now and the garden is waking up.

I had this little visitor to the garden in early May

The rockcress is blooming on the patio. I grow these from seed, but it is hard to get them to establish in between the paving stones.

One of my favorite plants of spring is Gold Heart Dicentra. It just glows. It's a real highlight in the early garden.

And, a tease of one of my favorite plants about to bloom, Percy Wiseman rhodie

Zone 7a Stratford CT First monarch of the year today!

Clematis

Ninebark brandywine

Golden Alexander only blooms in butterfly garden

Ah, Percy Wiseman! LOL that rhodie haunts me. I always read about someone's, decide I must have it, do some research, think about it for too long (like everything else in my garden and in my life lol) and then don't get it. Then I see it again, wish I had gotten it, and go through the whole pattern again. My new Yaku Princess was actually purchased last year after I decided, that's it! I'm getting Percy! And I went straight to the computer... and ended up getting Yaku Princess instead hahaha. Oh well, maybe one of these days!

Deanna I don't think I ever realized you were on a lake or body of water. What a lovely site for a garden. Also, love the tree in that garden. Whatever it is, it's beautiful.

brdl I'm very close to you - in Shelton. I used to live in Stratford, before I started gardening. I'm a lot higher up than you and farther along behind you, bloomwise. I watch your photos and know what's coming next for me!

:)

Dee

Dee - It is amazing that just a few miles north to the parkway makes such difference in weather. I am not on the shore but near paradise green. And most of the yard is full sun as we have lost a lot of trees in the past few years.

Nice to see you posting Deanna. I love rock cress and that gold heart dicentra is making me want one. [g] Glad that snake is in your yard and not mine. Lol I’m not fond of them, as much as they may be beneficial.

Brdr - I never see monarchs this early, that’s great! I have a Ninebark too and it’s not as red as yours. I wonder if yours is in more sun. Mine only gets afternoon sun.

Brdrl, a bit off topic, but my daughter lived right off Paradise Green for a few years, on Park Street. She loved it there but moved to Fairfield for work and has since bought a house in Shelton too (now I have two gardens to play in!). Paradise Green is a lovely area - I love driving through in the spring and seeing all the gardens starting to bloom!

Yeah it's so funny how the parkway is the weather dividing line lol And for me, not only being further north, but the elevation plays a role too. I'm only about a half mile, maybe a mile, from Webb Mountain, so that gives you an idea of elevation lol, and a farmer once told me that the old farm a quarter mile down the road from me is the highest point in Shelton. There are times it's snowing at my house and raining two miles down the hill at the supermarket! And I when I go to work (five miles away) I can literally see the difference as i drive from my area lower down to downtown - in the spring trees are leafed out, bulbs in bloom, early bloomers opening, while up in my neck of the woods it still looks like winter! And worse, in the winter, there is a dusting of snow when I leave work and a blizzard and three inches up at home lol!

Back on topic - I was considering a ninebark last year and now I find myself looking at them in catalogs all the time! I can't decide on which color foliage I want (see above post about too much research and difficulty with decisions hahaha!)

:)

Dee

Dee - The ninebark looks more red now than in the summer. It deepens to a darker burgundy. I got them at Benedicts in Monroe a few years ago.

And back off topic - I’m going to say that you probaby know my house! White with yellow doors, antique and a very busy corner in town.

brdrl lol I literally just drove past the green yesterday going to pick up my son at the train station. I love all the old houses! I come down Huntington Road and out to Main Street. Now I'm curious! I thought from your pictures that you had an old house - at first thought you might be in Academy Hill or farther over by the Shakespeare Theatre. Next time I drive down there I'll have to keep an eye out for your garden!

:)

Dee

Dee - I am on Longbrook Ave. A too popular shortcut for many in town. I love our house and the gardens I’ve made but I would like to be more rural.

NHBabs, your photos that open the thread are idyllic. Such a beautiful scene in all seasons. I really love seeing them! Our Quaker ladies have just finished blooming.

They are one of my favorite spring flowers!

You all are in wonderful heavenly lilac season. I have one old lilac that has always barely bloomed, but this year just one side has bloomed. Rehabilitation efforts will continue!

Everybody's tulips look just gorgeous!

PM, I can't wait to see your roses again! It's always such a great. They are really beautiful.

brdrl, monarchs! Yea! We're still probably a month out and my Asclepias is not very tall. I hope it's a banner year. I have gotten confusing informatino about the Mexican overwintering sites. Some reports say it rebounded, others say the reverse. At least the CA population exploded. Such good news! I have a ninebark Amber Jubilee and it is just creeping along. i have to figure out why it's not growing much.

DiggerDee, you gotta get a Percy! He's blooming now. Yes, we are on the side of a peninsula. It is, indeed, very beautiful and calming. That tree is a Japanese Maple that was here when we moved in. Half of it fell off, and the other have has retained this nice leaning shape. I don't know how healthy it is, but so far so good.

Mad Gallica, I got my first woodland phlox last year, Blue Moon. got it at Whole Foods, of all places, and the roots were so thick and healthy I divded each plant into five portions! This bed was junky last year and got rejuvenated. All of these phlox are from one signle plant last year. It really glows this time of year!

And, one of my favorite azaleas. Probably one of the tall "lights" series. I love how it peeks up and can be seen from the porch. Highly recommned these light pink tall azaleas/rhodies. This pic doesn't really capture the glow when it is at its best.

Deanna - Love that Percy Wiseman Rhododendron. The blooms are very pretty. Does it need much sun? Do the leaves shrink up in the winter? I need a Rhodie that is taller than that, but that is so pretty, I'd like to find a place for it. And why are you having a lot of success with woodland phlox? Mine is awful. lol Is yours in much sun? That's about the only thing I can think of that could be the issue - either not enough sun - too dry - clay soil. I can't think of any other reason. Oh, what variety of woodland phlox is it?

PM, the Percy Wiseman has turned out to be one my most resilient of my rhodies/azaleas purchased in 2018. That winter was horrendous and I thought I had lost nearly all my new purchases, but they all rebounded. PW rebounded the best. It's a typical evergreen rhodie and the leaves do droop, curl, and shrink in winter. I did provide winter protection after that first bad winter until this past winter, when I ran out of time. PW came through just great. (Cherry Cheesecake is a non-performer, though. Talk about a finicky rhody!) PW will get about 4' maybe, but will get wider.

My phlox is 'Blue Moon.' I'm pretty sure the reason they did so well is becuase I did a complete redo of the soil there with compost and peat. That bed was a weedy disaster and last year was its turn for renovation. This area gets afternoon shade, and more sun now until the canopy completely flls out. I have more Blue Moon in the bed at the house entrance which gets more shade. It is not as large and bountiful, which leads me to beleive so far that they like some sun. The soil in both places should stay moist, which is what they are supposed to like.

That's what I need Deanna, a resilient Rhododendron, that just went on my list. I love plants that out perform the average and I love the color of the blooms.

That is just what I need to do to the area where I had the blue phlox. That area is last on my list though, to get a renovation. I still think there's probably not enough sun there it's in a very shady corner. I may have to choose another location. I do have lots of part sun areas with different degrees of sun. I should buy 3 plants and try them in different areas and see which one does the best.

Thanks Deanna, your garden is looking good!

Bleeding Heart already going to seed.

Iris with Nepeta in the background with Aquilegia.

A few photos from today:

Wegiela - from a cutting from a shrub of a friend's, from at least fifteen years ago

An unknown iris, looking kind of pink here but really more apricot

:)

Dee

Dee, that cutting gives me hope! My cuttings looks so small now, and that wegiela looks magnificent! The iris is beuatiful. I think apricot is one of my most useful and compatible colors in the garden. so many other things blend with it.

Deanna, the wegiela comes from a huge specimen, it towered well over my head - my friend was always whacking it back each year. (I'm terrified of pruning so I haven't done that lol). Mine is "only" about 6-7 feet tall. I'm guessing it's just the species (is that the right terminology? - not a hybrid or newer cultivar). I actually decided this is the year I'm going to try to shape it. As a new gardener all those years ago, I planted it too close to the boundary line and it needs to be kept a tad smaller (although my new neighbors put their garden right smack up against the boundary line on purpose. No malice there, it's just the only sun either of us has lol!) But it needs to be pruned, cleaned up (note the little oak tree growing underneath it lol) and just generally spruced up! I do wish the blooms had some fragrance but I think it looks pretty nice considering it's been neglected for almost literally decades!

I too love that apricot color! When I grew roses almost every one Ibought was apricot, and I just planted a daylily called Apricot Sparkles. I was always a pink/purple gardener, and then a few years ago discovered the beauty of orange lol. So I have a bed in the corner of my yard that is red (strangely, don't really like red much either), orange and yellow - figured in the corner those colors would be contained. Now I'm trying to add a bed that will be the bridge to my pink/purple gardens, and in addition to yellows and some purples, I'm adding in apricot to help the transition. It's an experiment, but then again so is every garden!

:)

Dee

Dee, I love to hear about shrubs started as cuttings! It takes so much patience! I've not done much of that. I wonder do you get any hummmingbirds visiting the Weigela? I was considering adding one to the Hedgerow project I'm trying to do in the fall.

Your Iris reminds me of one I had which was 'Beverly Sills' a pink and white one. I don't' remember what happened to it. I really enjoyed it and I don't have it any more. I know I felt that Iris needed to be divided too often, I also might have gotten some rust on the foliage and I didn't have a full sun area to put them in. But the blue and white Iris I posted a photo of, was a NOID division I bought at a local plant sale and it is growing great - reliable every year and clean foliage. So I'm thinking of getting another Iris to add to it.

'Beverly Sills' Iris

Here is the Philadelphus 'Buckley's Quill' that is very fragrant, but last year it just didn't look very good. The foliage was discolored and it was sparse. It is supposed to mature at about 5ft tall by 4ft wide, so I have it in a foundation bed under a window. It is facing West so no morning sun to speak of and a short afternoon of sun. Still blooms pretty well and very fragrant. I'm tempted to buy another one and put it in more sun to see how it would do too. So I pruned this one back hard about a month ago and put a layer of compost under it and now it's looking great! Not sure if it will bloom this year, I cut it back hard.

Here's another photo of the bed where the Nepeta and Iris are. There is an apricot Oriental Poppy in there that is just starting to open. I have more buds to still open and I'll try to get a better photo this week. I was just struck this morning when I saw the poppy blooming, that it's a nice combo for May/June - Iris - Catmint - Oriental poppy. It looks much better than this in person. And this is also in part sun - maybe 5-6hrs a day. I am considering moving the combo to my front full sun bed for next year.

Deanna, funny you ask - I just saw a hummingbird visiting my weigela this evening! Almost on cue, lol, as my husband and I were sitting outside and he asked about hummingbird feeders. I told him IMO they are too much work (needing cleaning, etc.) and that I prefer to attract wildlife through planting. Enter the hummingbird lol!

That Beverly Sills is lovely and I've often thought of getting that iris. I don't have a ton of irises - I too don't like the idea of having to divide them every few years. That being said, I'm really enjoying the irises this year, especially that yellow one I posted above (which since I don't remember it at all is like a new plant to me haha!) I also brought home a division of some siberian iris from a friend's garden the other day.

Your nepeta-poppy combo is stunning! I love it! And the iris fit right in. Did you plan it or was it a happy accident lol? Either way it's beautiful!

Oh, one more thing - the philadelphus. I almost bought a p. Illuminati Arch two days ago. I hesitated only because of the size. It is supposed to get about 4 feet tall, and I really want something about 6 feet, as I want a bit of privacy. I know plants don't always stop growing when they reach the number on the tag, lol, but still... Maybe I'll look into the Buckley's Quill since the size sounds more like what I'm looking for.

:)

Dee

Dee, PM gets all the credit for making your hummingbird materialize! That was her post.

PM, that Beverly Sills is just gorgeous! I’m not the biggest iris fan, but she is really really pretty. I’m glad you have an apricot oriental poppy in your nepeta, becaus I do, too! I’ve got huge honkin’ buds on it. The nepeta is still kind of small though. I don’t know if it’s the lack of rain or what, but I’m hoping it reaches heighth when the poppy blooms.

It’s amazing how short our seaon is here, but the side effect of that is everything starts blooming at once, it seems. Suddenly I’ve got all kind fo things blooming right on top of one another. When the season starts, is really starts!

I don’t know where this came from, but I have a Star of Bethlehem now. Briefly noticed it last year after blooming. Very nice!

Lol omg, deanna, you're right! Sorry PM2, all that praise should be heaped on you! (not that deanna doesn't deserve praise too lol)

Deanna you might want to pull that star of bethlehem. From what I hear they are very aggressive!

:)

Dee

I'm just tickled that a hummingbird actually visited your Weigela, Dee, because I really wanted to add one to my plans for a Hedgerow and I do like every plant to earn it's keep on my small property. Pretty spring flowers, polinators, easy care AND hummingbird attractor. That is going on my list for sure.

I do love that 'Beverly Sills' Iris and I could actually be a big Iris fan except for the amount of work they require because they have to be divided so frequently. Or should be I've thought. The Iris I have now, was a NOID and it has turned into a great plant. It hasn't been divided and instead has spread out and increased. And I've not seen rust on it at all, which is the second reason I cooled off on the idea of a lot of Iris. It would be nice to pick up another Beverly Sills at least. I am happy to grow a few and see how they do, as long as I don't have to be too invested, in case they become too much trouble. They're also out of bloom so much of the year, I forgot that. I do have a variegated one that at least makes up for that too. I'm working on a new plan to add those to a corner of my front bed where I am taking out a grass that became way too aggressive of a reseeder. I'm reluctant to add another grass now. I already have a Nepeta right there, so the Iris would go with it and I can move the poppy in that corner too. A little late to do anything about it now, but maybe in the fall.

Deanna, I just took a walk around the garden this morning and I'm so excited because the roses are full of big fat buds and starting to open. June 1st is the date I expect them and they are right on time. Penelope a small flowered one time bloomer is the first bloom open. But the rest are right behind that. Last season we had so much consistent rain that the garden seems to be better than usual this spring, especially the roses. So, I feel the same way, some of my plants are getting ready to all bloom at once. The end of May beginning of June is a busy season for my garden. I'm going to try to clean up the front bed this morning and put down new mulch to make sure nothing detracts from the display.

I made a spreadsheet once called Six on Six. I used it to develop a gardening plan that chose 6 main plants for 6 months of the growing season. I lost track of that and didn't finish it but I'm reminded of it and want to pick it back up again. I felt it helped me to spread the bloom season out over a longer period of time.

Deanna, I came across a bulb blooming in my vegetable bed and don't know what it is yet either. I'm going to have to take a photo and figure out what it is. Your Star of Bethlehem is very pretty and a very pretty name too!

For me Nepeta usually grows pretty quickly into a larger size. Don't you just love the buds on the Oriental Poppies?! As for being dry - this season has not been enough rain yet at all. I've been watering some. I do have my rain barrels up and thankfully we finally got enough to fill them this weekend. I had one filled early and used that all up. I cut my water bill in half last year, but I think it was mainly because we had so much rain. But the rainbarrels are really making a difference for me. I'm planning to add more.

PM, 100% agreement about iris dividing. Our former house had a 6’ clump with the concrete center and I couldn’t budge it. Finally got a contractor to pull it up with his big machines when he was at the house! Crazy. Since yours hasn’t made that concrete center, I wonder if there are types that don’t do that as much? If so, I’d like those! And Beverly Sills is beautiful.

I can’t wait for PMs rose season! Seeing your roses is one of the joys of these threads. They are so beautiful. I am looking forward to a good rose season from your yard. And, let’s hope the rain picks up this year!

When you find Six on Six, share it. It sounds intriguing. I’ve realized that I need to go through old photos and see what works as far as short-lived perennials, biennials, or regular annuals. I’ve have not taken the time to renew many things. Especially now that there are some holes in the garden, it’s time to revisit what I loved. Six on Six sounds like something that would help anchor things. To be honest, however, now that I think about it I’m not sure we have a full six months of growing here! Forsythia in mid- to late-May, with the asters beginning in September. Raydon’s Favorite was always my last blooming flower. But, I do like how things bloom all on top of each other, so I’ll do a Six on Four plan!

I do love the poppy buds. And, as a treat, one of mine is wearing earmuffs this morning!

My nepeta in front is about two feet high. Usually it’s higher. We’ll see how they overlap.

I need to get my rainbarrel/trash cans out! We don’t have gutters, but there are a couple of roof valleys I can stick a barrel under. Thanks for the reminder!

Two more azalea/rhodies I love are blooming, Blaauw’s Pink and Gibraltar. Someone broke off a big Gibraltar branch last year, but I do have some blooms.

The blooms on Leucathoe are easy to miss, but I like it when I notice them. Leucathoe is one of my favorite shade bushes.

Dee, I pulled the Star of Bethlehem yesterday. Thanks for the warning!

Deanna, now that you mention the ‘concrete center’ it reminds me that it wasn’t just the frequency of dividing, it was not an easy divide either. Lol Well, my NOID Iris that is in my photo - is very pretty and I’ve ignored it since planting it. It’s been there maybe 5 years, and it has encroached on some stepping stones along with Asclepias and I’m going to have to get in there and renovate, hopefully in the fall. I may run into the concrete center problem. It’s in an area that I plan to put a new Hedgerow, for privacy since a couple of my neighbors are renovating/landscaping, so I’m probably going to relocate the Nepeta/Oriental Poppy/Iris combo.

BTW, I noticed today when more of my poppy buds opened, that in the back with less sun the color on those poppies is much paler. I only noticed it because I was going through old photos and saw how deep a coral/orange they were in full sun. I actually prefer the paler version, but at the same time, the stems are not holding up the flowers as well in less sun either.

I do six on six, because I actually do get a full 6 months, April through Sept and six on six was a catchy name. [g] But however long your season is, it’s just about focusing on having something you look forward to in every month. So sure - six on four works too.

And I just did a search on the computer and ‘six on six’ brought the spreadsheet up at the top of the list.

My first column is a ‘shopping list’ column. That I would add the names of plants I wanted to add. Second column was for research on potential plants.

Then for every month I had a column to list every plant that bloomed or became prominent in that month and the date they started to bloom. Then a ‘development’ column to take notes on what I liked about what I had and what I might change. And then I would choose my six plants and put them in bold with a different color ink.

I have April, May, and June columns that are pretty full, but July/Aug/Sept need work. Much smaller lists and not much in the way of notes for changes, so that must have been when I got distracted with other things.

I chose my six for April -

Daffodils - Hyacinths - Phlox subulata - Hellebores - Scilla - and Galanthus.

I had six chosen for May - but funny, I would have a different list this year. I had…

Lunaria

Bleeding Heart

Epimedium

Aquilegia

Leucojum

Late Daffodils - Like Thalia

That doesn’t even include shrubs, like Lilacs which are the star of May! And Epimedium, as much as I love them are very short bloom time. Less than 2 weeks.

So, I’m glad I’ve remembered this project because it still needs a lot of work!

Very cute ear muffs on that poppy and I also love the seed pods when they are finished blooming. So attractive!

I just noticed my Leucathoe blooming this year! Mine rarely blooms and this year it has a lot on it. I keep thinking I need to prune it up and move it into more sun. Yours looks great! And you seem to have a lot of pretty rhododendrons too!

PM, lets start a ”six on six” thread. that would be fun to compare and see people’s choices!

Love that idea! Which forum? Perennials or NE?

Yea! I see it on NE. I think that's better so we get lists that suit our climate. This will be fun!