Funny, I got an email notification that Deanna posted about her rain gauge but I don't see it here. I measured as well and it looks like I got 4" of rain this weekend. LOVE it!

If I can dodge raindrops tomorrow, I'll take more pictures, but this is from today.

Rosa primula

Rosa hugonis should open tomorrow.

I was just looking at the forecast for this week....rain rain rain.

Mad Gallica, Wow, a rose blooming the beginning of May in Maine?! I won't see a bloom until June 1st and this year I'll be lucky to see that, since they are all starting at the base. Enjoy it! Is it fragrant?

I did post! But houzz used a generic user name based on my email alone so I deleted and tried to repost and couldn’t. Anyway, I put my rain gauge out after 0.5 inch hadhas fallen, which means we got 5” this past weekend!

Some quick photos: scraggly pulmonaria with brunerra just beginning. My old tulips are hanging in there. I think they’re about eight years old now. They were sold as a paired combination, but the magenta ones always bloom right when the orange ones are finishing. Rock cress is a spring favorite. My rock cress planted in a vertical stone wall didn’t make it. I need to put more in the horizontal places where it is happier. My FAVORITE plant of early spring, Dicentra Gold Heart, is about to bloom! The sun is already shining on the chartreuse leaves. and, lastly, a small azalea that has been mistreated, covered by stacked wood, ignored, etc, but keeps on trucking. It is my first azalea bloom. and no others will folllow for a long while.

Hi Deanna - I still haven't bought a Dicentra 'Gold Heart' and I should, but some critter ate all my pink bleeding heart, and this year due to the crazy winter, my white bleeding heart is coming back about a quarter of the size it was. I also bought a 'Valentine' bleeding heart and I haven't seen that at all yet. So I've not been very lucky with bleeding heart and I love them. I'm waiting to see your gold heart in bloom!

Rock Cress is one of my favorites too, but I don't have anywhere to grow it, so I'll enjoy yours.

Eight years is a long time for tulips to keep coming back. I'm surprised rabbits haven't eaten yet.

My tulip bulbs are in a raised rock bed, but it's on a slope so I would assume the rabbits could get in there if they really really wanted to. I forgot to include a picture of my trout lilies. They are quite numerous and this year I seem to be getting more and more flowers. They are so cheery and doing so well infiltrating areas on their own!

Yellow bird magnolia

hellebore

spanish flare hellebore

very sad Rising Sun redbud

it loses brsnces every winter

noid waiting for help from Name That Plant forum. the flowers are small nodding ,held under the leaves

sorry i or houzz deleted phots

more below

tough bloodroot

sad redbud

Bloodtoot

noid

Bloodroot

choice polygonatum ”grace Barker”

Many more deleted

it must be me but cant figure what im doing to lose them

Deanna - Beautiful Trout Lilies - I added some years ago but they never bloomed once. I just saw a rosette of foliage last week, still there, but they never spread or bloomed. I had it under my Japnese Maple at just about the drip line. So I never added more.

Marie, that’s a nice solid trellis. Have a variegated Polygonatum that is making itself at home with Epimedium under white lilacs. The solid green I had in two other locations in dark corners have almost disappeared. ‘Grace Barker’ is so pretty, do you mind if I ask where you found it?

It’s a shame you lost photos, I would have loved to see them. I think we all have had photos disappear when posting. I found that if I try to put more than 4 or 5 in one post, it does that. You might try starting a new post every 5 photos.

I might have had photos to share but the rabbits are eating a lot of my plants. Tiger lilies, Hostas, all my Crocus, Heucheras, and I've tried to cover them once the sun goes down, but then they started eating my Epimedium. I'm not sure they will come back after losing all their leaves. That is the first year they touched the epimedium. Maybe I need to grow a garden of poisonous plants.

Mad-Gallica - I did not realize that roses would bloom this early in the Northeast. And you have two early blooming roses. I really like them both. I had a Rosa hugonis once I don't remember what happened to it. Are either of them fragrant and how long do they bloom? Very pretty Hellebore and Epimedium combination. That Lilac is different. It's so big! You have a lot going on in the spring!

All the early roses I grow are fragrant. Working outside this time of year, there is either a light, fresh rose fragrance, or a heavy lilac scent. It changes depending on how the wind is blowing.

Most of my once bloomers bloom for 3 - 4 weeks, depending on how hot it gets.

Yesterday, my DH was out in the yard, and said 'that lilac is GIGANTIC.' At this point, I think it is more than one plant, but yes, it is BIG.

This year the shades of purple/magenta in rockcress seems to have more variation. It’s really beautiful. My favorite early azalea is about to bloom. Also, our local . hardware store had these Jack-in-the-Pulpit starts for $2.75! They were clearly done by a local gardener in dirt, not a professional mix. I'm so excited to have them!

About previous posts, finally:

Marie, that magnolia is lovely. Even though I'm on the trendy natives kick, every spring I appreciate the early magnolias more and more. I wish I had a place for one. I have never seen the yellow before. It's beautiful!

About hellebores--I'm worried about them becoming "invisible" in the garden. i always thought they should be planted someplace were you would easily see them, like by an entrance, because they seem to blend in too well to be placed somewhere farther away in the garden. Are they really noticeable, or can they be hard to see? I have three seedlings to place, and I'm really struggling with where they should go.

As for redbuds, I've given up. I've purchased at least six saplings at different times. Only one is thriving. I overwintered two small saplings in the garage, and even they are dead at the tips. All but the thriving one die back to new branches near the base. If they can't make it in my garage, I give up. How can I be so talented at killing saplings?!

PM, my trout lilies spend a long time as just a mottled leaf. They have spread so widely. I definitely have far more mottled leaves than flowers. They play so well with others that I hope my future eventually . has yellow flowers everywhere!

MG, I am amazed that you have roses this early! That must be very very nice. Your spring garden is wonderful. Is that the normal species brunnera I see? I would still love to have that over the variegated series, but the standard is impossible to find as plant or seed. What is the yellow daisy-like flower?

No forsythia blooms for me this year.

Deanna, I LOVE that Rockcress! Magenta is one of my favorite colors. It looks like it is growing out between two rocks, is that a wall? I'm just trying to figure out if I have conditions to grow it. Clay soil, no rock walls. All I have is rock edging and a slight slope.

You lucked out with Jack in the Pulpit.

I think I'm going to dig up the trout lily I have and move it to a new location.

I have the same question about Hellebores. Mine have not shown flowers all over them and they don't always stand up above the foliage. I agree that placing them somewhere where you can see them up close is important. I have mine by gates and steps too. I have a new one, 'Dprothy's Dawn' which has variegated leaves with pink flowers. Striking and I've planted it next to one with dark flowers. I just bought that two years ago. If I had the time I might move some of them, since I have a few in a far corner.

PM, I had some rockcress growing in a stone wall of a garden bed. It had access to some dirt from the garden soil. It lasted for about 5 years I guess but this year did not come back. I don't know if it was the drought or the wild temp swings from a month or two ago. The rockcress in the photo is between two pavers on a rock patio. I grow it all from seed and tried very year to establish more in the wall, but they never took well. I've given up on the wall and am going to try to find more places on the patio. One note of caution: I learned the hard way that they do not like areas of the patio where the leaves pile up as they're bown about during winter! This particular plant is in a spot that always gets blown free of leaves, and it is very happy so far. It's only two or three years old now.

I got three JIPs for under $8! I did luck out!

Thanks for the hellebore feedback. It will be a challenge to figure out where to place my seedlings.

Deanna, Thanks for the advice on the rockcress, I think I'll try that. What kind of seed do you buy? What brand?

Wow on the JIPs!

IfI had a rock wall, or steps to a different elevation, I would put the hellebores on the higher elevation so that it could be closer to eye level. Some of the Hellebores have flowers that hang down. I now try to buy Hellerbores that describe flowers as above the foliage.

Wood peony

Smilacina (name out of date) or false Solomon's Seal

uvularia “Merry Bells”

false silomons seal

Wood peony the blooms last 2 days at most then shatter

in reply to a few questions: i believe the magnolia came from Northeadt nurseries in Beverly or around there It bought by the landscaper who worked on my front gardens.

t

“Grace Barker” came from now gone

”blanchette’s nursery” in Carlisle. im still sad it’s gone

Redbud. ihave had 2. i think our climate challenges them. the i got one from Wilsons and they promised me their redbuds did ”great” where they grow them up in their zone 5 NH nursery.

it looked and acted completely dead ithe next spring. i left it there and the following spring i noticed it had sparse leaves. Over the last 5 years it has slowly revived but it will never look good. it is just grower.

The second one lost main branches over winter. it has lost branches every one if its three winters in my garden. it looks ridiculous but its alive. and it pushes out enough leaves in spring that has a substantial chartreuse presence. But my opinion, from my limited experience, is that they have weak crotches. substantial die back and overall branching pattern is not always pleasing.

Why is this side ways and how can it be fixed and more basic how do you delete a photo once it is on the screen. ?

for people who are inclined to turn their camera sideways, the chartreus is that wee sad stick of redbud now that it is completely leafed out. the flowers were insignficant. this year. if the foliage stays this color it so has earned garden space

Better: redbud ”rising sun” leafed out

My woodland jungle

Calycanthus ”hartlage wine”

Changing photo dize to medium made it go sideways

Better ” hartlage wine”

Is this and followin photos ”silky dogwood”?

Silky dogwood?

Ivergrown lilac Miss Kim with maple sapling in middle. this is 3 lilacs.

The more civilized and more boring garden. it looks better later. when the phlox are in bloom. i think of it as the ”phlox protection zone” in memory of a loved deceased garden webber who r regularly posted the MA extension report. as well as good photos and great comments. often there was a glimpse of sparkling bay water in her pictures. i miss her.

Marie, your redbud foliage looks great. I see all these beautiful mature redbuds around me, but my experience is similar to yours—they do not survive for me. I’ve purchased 7 small saplings over the years. Only 3 are alive and 2 of those died back to just above the bottom of the trunk and will now take more time to grow into bush form. My one that is alive barely grows a couple of inches a year. I’ve given up on them. Two of them are alive only because I got them last year and they overwintered in the garage. Almost too petrified to put them in the ground! I love the foliage on yours. It really shines in your beautiful woodland jungle. I miss our Cape Cod poster, as well. We lost two very prolific posters who delighted us with flowers and wildlife. Also, I hope NHBabs is doing well after her move.

I am not posting much here only because Houzz makes it so hard for me. When I type text on my phone in Houzz is keeps doubling words, etc., but when I post pictures from my laptop I have to go and export all of them to a different format. Phone doesn’t work for text and computer doesn’t work for pictures. Arghhhhh!!! So many times I’ve through, “Let me post right now,” but then I don’t because of the hassle and time involved.

My lovely pink azalea tree is done blooming. Here’s a closeup of the flowers.

Sagae hosta always looks so good before any sun and heat have changed the coloring.

Blue moon phlox is now a favorite early bloomer.

I LOVE my bigroot geraniums planted amongst hostas. When they overlap with

Dicentra I love it even more. (No hostas in this particular spot)

I also love Geranium phaeum when it is planted close enough to enjoy both foliage and flowers. Looking forward to dividing these as years go by until I have lots!

The deer have eaten these buds for two years. This is all I got this year. They are definitley trimming this azalea for me.

The pot ghetto this year. Lots to do!

Marie, I love your Merry Bells. I just bought one of those and I’m looking forward to next year with it. It’s already past bloom right now and not in the ground yet.

Sorry to hear about your Redbud. I had the same trouble with my Japanese Maple ‘Bloodgood’ this year for the first time. It has leafed out but a LOT of dead branches up there in the canopy. I’m going to try to keep it watered well this season which is not easy if we are not getting rain.

How do you irrigate your garden?

Love your Calycanthus. I added one a few years ago and it was small, it was still getting established and the rabbits ate it down to the ground over the winter. It has come back up and is about 8” high now, but I wonder what the point is if the rabbits will repeat that next year.

Thanks for reminding us of Claire! The forum hasn’t been the same without her. I miss her ocean views and her birds, her kind thoughtful posts and her consistent participation.

Deanna, Your Sagae looks great, compared to mine, that the rabbits have nibbled around a number of the leaves. Is ‘Blue Moon’ a woodland Phlox or Phlox paniculata?

Poor Azalea! I feel like that is going to be my story with the rabbits and my Calycanthus.

That ‘pot ghetto’ doesn’t look so bad. I had mine down to zero last year, but I’ve done a lot of transplanting and moving around this spring and I have one started again. Soon to have a LOT more added to it. [g]

I’m so sorry that you are having trouble with posting to Houzz. Not in the least surprising, but sad, because there seems to be no hope of them straightening themselves out to offer a better experience. I continue to think they are short staffed and I won’t be surprised if we go to post one day and it doesn’t exist any more.

I seem to be able to post and post photos without any issues. It’s only when I need to do a search of the forums that I start getting frustrated. Or try to use the messaging function. And my notifications on comments is hit or miss. But I use my laptop - an Apple. I know some people use a tablet. If you have one, it might work to post from there.

I haven’t been posting in part because I’ve been too busy. I was able to hire someone to help in the garden and I have been able to tackle some projects that have been on the back burner for awhile. And I’ve been ripping apart some of my beds, so they haven’t really been great for photos.

We are also in the process of getting some of our fencing replaced and I’m going to need to move a LOT of plants that will be in the way, that I don’t want to get trampled in the process. Which is not a bad thing, because it is along a border that needs a complete renovation any way.

I’m almost finished with my front bed, except for a new vegetable area that I’m stuck on. I have to do something to protect it from rabbits and the ideas I had to do that are just not working out. But something will work out, it’s just time consuming and not the fun part of gardening. In the mean time I have opted to grow more vegetables in containers this year. My raised beds in the back are just not doing the job any more. Not enough sun, tree roots, and 9 year old wooden beds.

That’s about it from here. I would take a few photos but it’s very windy here today. A nice breeze to sit out and enjoy the day but not great for photos. I’ll take some and start a June thread this week.

Hope everyone is enjoying the Memorial Day weekend!!

Deanna et al

Houzz- youll see i posted a tirade about it at perennials. i completely understand your frustration. i dont understand why i cant log in the start then be able to type a comment snd submit. DONE (not)

it slows down, it delays characters, it hides content with its ads, there are commercial posters who are hawking their services.

so, thank you for kind words . i love the merrybells but disporum is really stately.

here are a few more from recent days and one if im desperate to know.

im going to stop posting from my phone becsuse my crooked fingers snd ytpos houzz bugs make it very tedious

im also going to chsne my user name and password to synchrozine them in hopes that houz will recogines me consistently. and log on will go faster

im giving up right mow correcting spelling errors!

What is this delicate lily like flower?

i swear it is nothing i planted tecently and i have no memory of it. goliage is strap like

Rhodotypos- rose family not the most graceful of shrubs but grows and flowers in full shade. you cant kill it. Nothing eats it. Seeds freely but not too much so if you need something green to fill an bad spot, this is your plant.

now i will literally ”submit” to houzz agonizing posting process.

PM, I just read up on redbud care, and your plan to water seems wise. I read that they can handle some drought when established, but need lots of water the first few years. I didn't tend to mine at all after their first summer. I know yours is established, but I''m sure the water will be welcome!

Blue Moon is woodland. I got two pots of these at, believe it or not, Whole Foods for MUCH less than a nursery, and the pots were so full that I got FIVE divisions out of each pot! They have done well, but the ones in more sun do a bit better. They like some sun,

One day my pot ghetto will be down to zero. One day. Every year I wish I had a space for garden paraphernalia and work, but instead tools and plants have to be spread around to where there's space.

My photo issue originates with my phone, I'm sure. it uses a new format only on the phone called .heic instead of .jpeg and Houzz won't accept it. I think it creates smaller files than .jpeg. But, it gets weirder. I CAN post .heic directly from my phone as long as I'm accessing Houzz from my phone! So, it takes .heic from my phone, but it will NOT take .heic from the computer, and all computer photos have to be exported to jpeg. But, typing on Houzz on my phone is riddled with difficulties. Murphy's Law! In the past I've actually types a post on my laptop and then immediately edited it on my phone to add the photos!

I'm SO glad you got to hire somebody! what a relief that must have been. I Iose my teenage boy last in a year or two. Trying to milk it for all it's worth right now and get help on the hard heavy jobs!

The multiple rabbit woes I hear on the forum make me count my blessings. We have enough predators to keep them in control, and I'm glad! I hope your solution is inexpensive and effective. One day i'll create raised garden beds...obviously before the teenager leaves or it will never happen. I have only a couple of spots where it would work, and I've been musing about it in the back of my mind for a while.

Marie, keep up with the typos. It makes your posts much more fun to read! :-D

Marie, the red flower looks like an Oriental Poppy?

Hope you get your Houzz problems worked out. Does Houzz not have some kind of tech support? They used to at least have a forum you could post issues to and they would respond.

Deanna - I confused you. [g] I referred to Marie’s trouble with her Redbud, but it is my Japanese Maple that is having similar trouble and that is the tree I’m trying to water more.

I was disappointed when I tried the woodland phlox, they just petered out, maybe I had them in too much shade. I think my yard is too dry. I love that story about getting 5 divisions from 2 pots! LoL

I am in the same boat with no space for garden paraphernalia or a work space. So my kitchen and DR are a mess every spring. Right now everywhere there are flats of seedlings, seed packets and delivery boxes, boxes of alfalfa meal and big bottles of Cayenne Pepper that I’m trying to fend off the rabbits with, etc. Lol I do keep a lot in the garage, but it makes a mess and we have too much stuff in our garage. My DH has offered to get a nice garden shed, but my Scotch frugality can think of so many more important things to spend the money on. [g]

Oh well.

As for the pot ghetto, I’m trying to commit to planting 2 pots a day, every day. We’ll see how long that lasts.

Oh….no jpeg? Maybe you can find a setting that allows you to switch back to jpeg? Well, I wish I could help with the Houzz issues. I am doing okay with it right now, but I use a laptop exclusively - and no jpeg issues with my Apple laptop. I also see Marie is talking about ads on the site and I wonder if that interferes somehow. I still use an AdBlocker and I don’t have those problems either. Sign in can still give me fits between Houzz and Gardenweb - but I have adapted and I only sign in to Houzz and then stay signed in. Unless I want to do a search and I can’t do it right from Houzz and have to sign into Garden web.

I seem to be doing okay with the rabbits right now. I still get them in the yard, but they don’t seem to be eating much. But now that I say that, I realize I've postponed planting out some things I know they like. [g] My husband told me he sees a dozen rabbits on his morning walk around the neighborhood. My efforts to deal with them are stuck right now. I still have a few ideas to try though. [g] I suppose if it wasn’t that it would be something else, right?

Love your idea for Marie to keep the typos! Lol

I’m going to start the June thread today.

On my iphone, if you go to Settings>Camera>Format you get two choices. Set it to 'Most Compatible', and you will end up with jpegs.

BTW, Camera is waaay, waaay down the screen.

You gave me my answer, gallica! Yea! That’s amazing. The good news is I can switch back and forth betwen jpeg and HEIC. Then I won’t be using up my phone storage for other photos AND I can take just garden pics in jpeg. You’re wonderful!