Early blooms of a Cityline Venice Hydrangea. For some reason the blooms are not full mopheads this year. It still has great vivid color.
Oakleaf Hydrangea Alice with a large bloom. The leaves on this plant are HUGE this season. We have several planted behind the patio so in a few years they will cover the fence and create quite a dramatic setting.
Classic Nikko Blue Hydrangea just on the edge of full maturity. I love how blue stands out against green leaves.
The dainty bloom of Lady in Red Lacecap Hydrangea. You cant really see it in this image but the stems are red.
Old fashioned Annabelle Hydrangea flopped over after a heavy rain storm. This is the reason it gets a bad reputation. The stems cant support the weight of the blooms so its beautiful until a heavy downpour flattens it. They never really recover. For this reason I'll be replacing it in the fall.
This is an unknown Lacecap variety that we found in the castaway section of an Amish garden center. It has large full blooms and very strong stems. The lesson is, don't overlook ugly plants (perennial) at the nursery. You can get a great deal and nurse it back to health.
This is a new stand of Penny Mac Hydrangeas named after Penny McHenry, founder of the American Hydrangea Society. They have a few unusual traits. It blooms on old and new wood, is a repeat bloomer in the same season and has both large and small mopheads on the same plant. Can wait until they reach full maturity (up to 6 feet) in a few years. I've added some natual sulphur (from Espoma) to turn them blue. Its safer than Aluminum Sulfate, is non-toxic and approved for organic gardening.
This is shot of Annabelle, Nikko and Endless Summer Hydrangeas together with Liberty Hostas and a branch of Fallopia.
Purple and blue Delphiniums in peak bloom. This is a new cluster we planted this season. If they do well this year we'll plant a second row behind them.
An unknown rose that really took off this season. It burst into flower and has a rich orange tone.
A colony of Gooseneck Loosestrife (Lysimachia clethroides) is always a nice sight. These do well in morning to noon sun but afternoon sun is too much. It does spread but I wouldn't call it invasive.
Japanese Fleece Flower or Fallopia japonica “Variegata’ or Polygonatum cuspidatum ‘Variegata’... whatever you want to call it is a striking plant due to its painted foliage and symmetrical stems. Oh, and the the flowers are nice in the fall. Its a source of resveratrol, emodin, and methanol. Its considered and invasive species in some areas so please look it up if you plan to add this plant to your garden.
Large, fragrant and showy Golden Stargazer Lilies are one of our favorites. We plant them in 100% compost for the most amazing show. They grow to 7 feet and have at least 10 blooms per plant.
Fragrant Asiatic Double just starting to come into bloom.
We finally had decent blooms on our Lysimachia Punctata this season. We trimmed back the Peach tree and butterfly bush to give them more sun. It paid off.
White Gladiola survived the recent monsoons. I was afraid they might break off in the downpour.
Classic Cleome is always a favorite. They reseed so heavily the'll even sprout in the grass. We have so many we just mow them over. Nothing seems to eat this plant and we haven't has any disease attack it either.
A large and happy stand of Jacob Cline Bee Balm (Monarda).
A close up of the odd Bee Balm bloom. Pollinators love this flower. I can't remember what variety this is but it's not the Jacob Cline variety above.
Petite Delight Bee Balm in the border of a new bed we created this season. It was an old mulch pile and we deiced to convert it to a new flower bed.
Black Eyed Susan, a staple of the summer garden, has been difficult to keep due to critter taste buds. Like Phlox, this rings the dinner bell for groundhogs. We took a chance and planted them together away from the forest hoping they don't sniff it out.
Phlox that was planted with the Black Eye Susan's above. Let's hope they survive the summer.
As I was walking around the garden and I saw this tiny Calla Lily bloom and thought the angle with the spotted leaves was very interesting. I took the photo and cropped it into a rectangle. Artistic license I guess.
One of the more interesting plants in our garden is the Smoke Tree. This image is the Grace variety (the White version). There are Golden and Red available as well. In the spring, the leaves are copper and mature to light green. The flowers emerge brownish-red and then turn fluffy white in the summer. In the fall the plant is covered in "smoke" and looks like a big cloud.
Veronica x spicata "Tickled Pink" is a new edition to the garden this season. We planted two and they have done well. Next year the bloom should be much thicker. Notice the Ostrich fern in the background.
Delphinium elatum "Blue Lace" is one of my favorite Delphiniums. It has been raining quite a bit lately and I wanted to catch it before the lower flowers were beaten to death. Normally, I'd wait until the entire flower spike is covered in florets before I took the picture.
A classic purple Iris. This is a very fragrant variety. It smells like citrus.
Another nice image of the the High Society Rose with Mock Orange blooming in the background.
A solitary Chinese Dogwood bloom.
Pink Peony.
Red Tree Peony Boreas (Paeonia suffruticosa). Named after Boreas, God of the cold North Winds. I'm not sure how rich red and pink hues would make one think of winter but there you have it.
Kerria japonica (Pleniflora) is a new edition this season. Its a member if the rose family but has no thorns. It has been celebrated in Asian art and literature and has quite a history. The 15th Century samurai, Ota Dokan, who served the Hojo Clan spoke of it.
Liberty Hostas have been a great performer. They're a little pricey but well worth it. They really standout in the garden. Our little trick to make them so large is to stick a houseplant fertilizer spike at the base of the stem when they emerge in the spring.
Azalea Exbury Gibraltar bloomed beautifully this season. The rich orange color is an odd sight in spring so it stands out against green very well. These are quite fussy but worth it when in bloom. It a took a few years for this one to settle into its location.
High Noon Tree Peony put on a show this spring. This isn't the best picture due to an overcast day. The yellow petals are much brighter and the color is very rich.
Clematis Nelly Moser finally reached the top of the fence and squirrels immediately started eating the blooms.
We planted a pink climber, Rosa High Society, a few years ago and it just sat there. This year It came alive and produced a few blooms. It's the pink bloom mixed in with Mock Orange (Philidelphus).
Speaking of Mock Orange, this is how they bloomed for us this season. Tons of flowers and a nice light fragrance. This is an image of two plants about 10 feet apart. Simply beautiful.
Sunny Knock Out Rose (Rosa Radyod) was added last season and has started to bloom. The flowers can be white, yellow or somewhere in between. Rose purists frown at patented commercial roses but they bloom heavily and are carefree. Whats not to like?
Love Delphiniums but they can be temperamental. They are not to fond of our humid summers. So far these have done well this season. The Delphinium elatum Pagan Purple was first to bloom. It's blue cousin is ready to bloom this week.
Scotch Broom Lena (Cytisus) survived the winter snow and is starting to bloom. The first bloom heads flopped over onto the grass.
Lilac Wonder (Tulipa bakeri), a hybrid of the original wild Persian tulip naturalizes very well in Zone 7. These were planted five years ago and continue to impress.
Korean Spice Viburnum was a new edition this season. Can't wait until they reach 10 feet, covered in flowers. I'd say they rival Lilac on the pungent aroma scale.... if there is such as thing.
Speaking of Lilac, the Declaration variety is blooming nicely this spring. It's still needs a few seasons to mature. I planted it with five classic French Lilacs so I'm hoping for quite a nose full in a few years.
Another new addition this season is Creeping Phlox. We planted about 10 interspersed with Petite Delight Bee Balm for multi-season color.
Good ol' Azaleas. Slow as molasses to grow but their spring display is hard to beat.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Peaches in bloom give Cherries a run for their money.
This is a Peach with Bridal Wreath Spiraea (Spiraea prunifolia) in the foreground blowing in the wind.
Yellow Emperor Tulips can't be beat. In zone 7, they are the hardiest of the Fosteriana group. This set was planted 4 years ago in partial shade and still comes back strong.
This is our first year with Korean Spice Viburnum (viburnum carlesii). The fragrance is strong but not overpowering. Think spicy gardenia without the heaviness. They get quite large so we will probably plant 5 or so this season to fill in the gaps and create a nice backdrop for a patio.
A pink Bleeding Hearts (Dicentra spectabilis) happy on a Spring morning. This is an unusual plant that grows quickly, blooms heavily, and dies back to the ground when the summer heat arrives.
Magnolia Betty flowers have a nice light citrus scent. Can't wait for this tree to mature.
