Garden Blogger Bloom Day - May 2014

What a splendid spring we are having here in Northeast Ohio, USDA hardiness zone 5b. I do not remember the last time we had a slow cool start of spring where native plants, spring bulbs, perennials and trees got to have their own moment of fame. I am enjoying this spring even though the last couple of days we had a lot of rain coupled with temperatures as high as 88F which  made the crab apple trees bloom and look good for exactly one day!  I kept a watchful eye on the weather and got all my seedlings hardened last week and all the veggie garden planting done on Mother's Day as I was hoping to do.  Lots of annual seeds and flowering bulbs went on the ground as well so all this rain and heat should help the new plants.

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So what is blooming in our garden now?  

The white daffodils  "Thalia" are at the peak of their show.

And they look so good with all their neighbors.  

The Grape Hyacinths are quite lovely at this time.

Muscari and Brunnera "Jack Frost"

The much expected show is unfolding from the golden Bleeding Heart who is becoming a very large and attractive specimen in this border.

Dicentra "Gold Heart"

After all the rain and heat of the past days, the candelabra Japanese primulas are growing at the rate of 1 inch a day. We are approaching peak bloom time for this amazing plant . The show will be spectacular this year since we have hundreds of these plants in all the part shade moist borders.

Primula Japonica

The dark magenta color is my favorite shade of this primula and I hope this will not be the only one.

Another golden beauty that pops against the dark green neighbors is the Dead Nettle. It is so dependable  and longblooming if you provide it with full sun and great drainage.

Lamium maculatum "Aureum"

You can't talk May without Virginia Bluebells especially if you have a part shade woodland garden.

Mertensia Virginica

Lamiastrum galeobdolon "Herman's Pride"

This year I removed another piece of lawn where it was hard to cut grass due to wetness and hubby built a new bed. Currently Jacob's Ladder and Solomon's Seal are in full bloom and primula japonica are going to follow.

Leopard Bane, a big favorite of mine for May.  I've done some splitting and relocating last year in an attempt to multiply its presence.  It didn't like the wetness of the new location. So, no multiplying yet.

This patch of Ajuga with some Woodroof thriving on a difficult spot where many plants have been killed before due to wetness in the spring and too much drieness in the summer.  

Other shade to part shade beauties blooming now are:

Tiarella "Sugar and Spice", Polygonatum, Convallaria majalis, Epimedium,  Trillium erectum, Lungwort

Some sun loving beauties that can take part sun are also in bloom:

Viola lutea splendens

Centaurea "Jordy"

Aquilegia

Mazus reptans

Nepeta fassenii 'Walker's Low'

Geranium phaeum "Samobor"

Viola odorata which can be very invasive, naturalized in the neighbors lawn creating a carpet of white and purple.  I dedicate it only one spot in my garden under a rhododendron with bare trunks.

Another invasive native that hasn't been so bad for me is the  deadnettle "Archangel" which is a rapidly growing ground cover that covers well the base of large tulip or birch trees where not much wants to grow in dry shade.

Lamiastrum galeobdolon "Florentine"

This white woodland hyacinth is quite happy and naturalizing this year. 

Dame's Rocket is another bi-annual starting in the show in our garden. While considered a non-native invasive plant it has not taken over anything here as I make sure that I cut the seed pods on most plant before the seed is ready to drop.

Woodroof another fast spreading ground cover is not taken for granted in this garden.  I had like 6 large patches of it lost to a foliar disease a few years back.  This is the first year that it can be noticed again in the garden.

More native plants blooming today are:

Trillium grandiflorum,  Celandine poppy, Geranium maculatum, May Apple - Podophyllum peltatum, Iris cristata, Corydalis lutea

The three apple trees that we had nurtured for 7 years now without enjoying their apples, are in full bloom at this point. If I can make the squirrels go away, now that can be called progress!

After a couple of years of planting flowering shrubs we are finally having a more significant presence of shrub blooms this spring:

Prunus "Pink Almond", Daphne x burkwoodii "Carol Mackie", Lilac x Syringa "Bloomerang", Viburnum

Garden Blogger Bloom Day is hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens with gardener bloggers around the world share each month what is in bloom in their gardens.