May Ends Bursting with Flowers

By the end of May all of the early spring bulbs are spent. Now the croms, tubers and perennials take over the spring flush of flowers.

There are two hardy geraniums blooming in my garden. On the left is Brookside and the right Claridge Druce

One of the best purchases I ever made was two bushes of Sambucus Nigra - Elderberry - Black Lace. They were planted some six years ago. They have been trimmed very little over those years.

It can be grown as a wonderful screen or trimmed for a more formal look. In the above photograph it has reached the height of 8'/2.4m. The pink blossoms have a heady licorice scent that fills the air. Blackish-red berries follow in late summer. The birds always seem to beat me to the berries. 

Another strongly scented flower blooming in late May is the Madame Isaac Pereire rose.

The antique Bourbon rose variety shares a 15'/4.5m trellis with a  Lonicera - Honeysuckle - Alabama Crimson on the south side of my house.

Madame Isaac Pereire is virtually thornless, which is good because I brush against it as I walk along the footpath. The honeysuckle attracts hummingbirds.

Iris are in bloom. The above white spreads into thick clumps.

This stately tall, dark and handsome variety is slow to spread and
looks
marvelous.

Meadow sage tends to fall over and could use support. 

I found this hoe stealing a sip. The ferns said nothing.

It won't be long to see what blooms in June.


©Damyon T. Verbo - all rights reserved

June - Late Spring Flowering

I stopped to photograph some blooms in my garden the first week of June 2012

Flowering Thai Basil a Bonnie Plant purchased at Lowe's

Common Mallow - Malva sylvestris

Hardy Geranium:Wargrave Pink with bee

Brown Eyed Stella Day Lilies

Clematis

Hollyhock

Yellow Loosestrife:Lysimachia punctata'Alexander'

Common Daylily - Henerocallis fulva

Rhododendron

Climbing Rose - Rosa' Zephirine Drouhin' thornless Bourbon

English Lavender 

Hosta

Eastern Purple Coneflower - Echinacea purpurea

I also finished transplanting flowers I purchased at Lowe's.

Red, White and Blue Petunias at the foot of my driveway. Note the soaker hose.

Red, White and Blue Petunias at the foot of my driveway

Planted under the umbrella of a Korean Dogwood - Cornus kousa-planted to memorialize by son, are begonia, impatiens an New Zealand impatiens. Notice the soaker hose in position.

©Damyon T. Verbo - all rights reserved 

May - Spring Flowers

While my square foot vegetable garden is beginning to bare fruit, more flowers around my house are blooming each and every day. I guess the old adage, "April showers, bring May flowers", is mostly correct.  There wasn't much rain in April but there are May flowers.

Clematis 

Clematis

Rose Madame Isaac Pereire

 Iris

Iris

Budding white Iris with Red Poppy in background

"Johnson's Blue" Cranesbill or Hardy Geranium

2 Sambucus Nigra "Black Lace" bushes in full bloom
The odor is lovely, spicy with a strong taste of licorice

©Damyon T. Verbo - all rights reserved

May Blossoms

The tulips, crocus, muscari, snow drops, dwarf iris have finished blooming. Here are a few photographs taken within the last few days of currently blooming perennials.

allium

Same allium days later

Oriental Poppies planted by the road. Waiting for the DEA to swoop in

Rescued in NJ from the bulldozer at a Lowe's building site. Not sure, I think they are  Spiderwort

 Salvia officinalis ("common sage"). Wintered over to flower.

 Salvia officinalis ("common sage")

 Salvia officinalis ("common sage")

Hardy Geranium:Wargrave Pink

 Iris

Clematis

Clematis

Honeysuckle:Alabama Crimson. No hummingbirds seen, yet.

Sambucus Black Lace

Birds in my Garden

I planted several flowers with the intention of attracting wildlife, specifically, birds and insects.  I have a red honeysuckle, hardy geraniums, lavender, purple coneflowers, verbena, zinnias, Thai basil, sweet basil, sage, buddleja, hydrangea Lacecap, lobelia, lots of daylillies and hostas.  Hummingbirds are attracted to the honeysuckle and the red to blue color petunias.  Gold finch are attracted to the seeds from the purple coneflower.  All the rest attract butterflies and bees/parasitic wasps.

The buddleja aka Butterfly Bush attracts the most butterflies by far with the zinnias running a close second.  The honeysuckle-Alabama Crimson attracts the hummingbirds.  I also have in the garden two bird baths and a hanging sack of black thistle seeds.  The bird baths attract all kinds of birds, some prefer the bath on the ground rather than the one standing 3ft tall.  The baths must be washed and scrubed once per week to remove the dirt.  I also placed a dripping watering device about four inches above the surface of the water on the tall bath to add water daily and to make a sound that the birds may hear the splash.  I placed the standing bath and hung the sack of thistle seeds within three feet of my breakfast room window and the show is almost nonstop.  The black thistle has two gold finch clinging to the sack almost constantly.  You just have to love the color of those birds.  There are house finches in the bird bath that look as though someone dipped them them head first into raspberry juice.

I have photographs of the currently flowering plants just below.  Tell me how you attract wildlife to your garden.

Day Lilly-Hemerocallis

Day Lilly Double-Hemerocallis

Hardy Geranium - Cranesbill

Honeysuckle- Lonicera sempervirens 'Alabama Crimson'

Hydrangea Lacecap

Verbena

Some kind of bee on Thai Basil

Swallowtail Butterfly on Zinnia

Swallowtail Butterfly on Verbena

My neighbor's aggressive Campsis Radicans-Orange

Petunia