Garden Blogger's Bloom Day for May

'Nelly Moser'

 

The last couple of weeks has brought a lot of change to the garden. There is enough blooming now to want to walk the garden each evening after work to see what might have opened during the day.

The clematis 'Nelly Moser' is as full of blooms as it has ever been. The temperatures have been mild here in Central Kentucky and there has been lots of moisture.

 

I don't have much luck with azaleas. I have tried to grow them in many different places over the 40 years that I have gardened here with mostly failures. This one has been in this location several years and this is the most bloom I have ever seen.  Is it the temperature and lots of moisture? I'm not sure, but I certainly am enjoying the show.

 

 

 

There are several iris that are blooming for the first time. These were planted two years ago but the late freeze last year damaged the buds, so what few actually tried to bloom were ugly and distorted.

 

 

These were planted at the same time and they also are all full of blooms.

 

 

I have several more iris already ordered to arrive later this summer. Seeing the blooms on these is making me glad that I will have lots of new faces to admire next year too.

 

 

The peonies are just beginning to bloom here. I love their big  blooms and just hope that we can avoid any heavy downpours for a few more days.I don't know the variety, they were plants that came from my mother in law's garden many years ago. 

I planted a few allium bulbs last fall. I ordered only a few so I could see if I would like them. Seeing them bloom the same time as the peonies has me making mental notes to add them to my list of bulbs to order this fall.

Wisteria frutescens 'Amethyst Falls'

 

Finally a wisteria that will bloom for me! This American wisteria, 'Amethyst Falls' is a far better plant for me than the Chinese or Japanese varieties. I had one of the Asian varieties for many years and fought its rampant growth and was repeatedly dismayed that the late spring frosts seemed to always get the blooms. They are beautiful but I just could not handle the maintenance required.  I have been so pleased with this variety that I purchased another one this past weekend.

 

Hope that you are enjoying the blooms that May has given us so far. There is still much to look forward too. For me the roses are just beginning to show color and daylily foliage is growing rapidly. It won't be long before I start looking for scapes to appear.