Welcome to Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day for May 2020.
Here in my USDA Hardiness Zone 6a garden in central Indiana, we have had a few frosty nights recently—not unexpected, but not welcomed either. There was some damage to a few plants but it wasn’t horrible and unrecoverable.
I did follow up with a Zoom meeting with the annual flowers and veggie plants to reassure them that summer is going to arrive eventually. Until recently, they were spending time in the sunroom and on the back of my pick-up truck, which made it easier for me. I could back the truck out of the garage during the day and pull it back into the garage at night.
As of now, I believe frost is finally in the rearview mirror of this growing season so it is full-planting ahead. On to the blooms!
If you had to choose a flower to put on a calendar to represent May, which one would you pick? I would have to go with columbine, Aquilegia.
I do believe that most of the columbine that self-sows around my garden are offspring from hybrid varieties that aren’t native to the United States. At one time, I did have the native columbine, Aquilegia canadensis but I didn’t see it on my quick tour of the garden to snap these pics.
That doesn’t mean it isn’t there. It just means it didn’t catch me eye out there.
The columbine comes in a variety of colors from dark purple to almost white. Many are double-flowering, a few are single-flowering. All show up where they planted themselves. I no longer remember, or care, where I actually planted them.
Elsewhere in the garden, there are swaths of blooms. One needs those to avoid the “dottiness” of single specimen flowers here and there.
This is snow-in-summer, Cerastium tomentosum.
It’s kind of a one or two-week wonder and then it is a silvery groundcover.
Just down from the snow-in-summer is a swath of Cheddar Pinks, Dianthus gratianopolitanus ‘Bath’s Pink’
If you could just smell it!
And then there are Spanish bluebells, Hyacinthoides hispanica.
These bluebells can be a bit aggressive and want to dominate through self-sowing so I deadhead them each year.
Elsewhere in the garden, the peonies are still in tight bud. Frosty nights and cool daytime temperatures have kept them from being in full bloom as they usually are this time of year.
The alliums have also endured those frosty nights and seem none the worse for them.
Two more flower pics and then I think we’ll move along to see what you’ve got blooming.
How about some common ox-eye daisies.
And the first of the salvias?
There is more to see, but that’s a pretty good representation of what’s blooming here at May Dreams Gardens in the month of May.
What’s blooming in your garden? We would love to have you join in for Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day and show us. It’s easy to participate. Just post on your blog about the flowers in your garden on or around the 15th of the month and then come back here and put a link in the Mr. Linky widget to show us how to get to your blog and leave a comment to tell us what you have for us to see.
And remember, We can have flowers nearly every month of the year. ~ Elizabeth Lawrence
Happy Blooms Day everyone!
Interesting to see your bank of Bath Pinks, Carol seeing I live only a few miles from where they're native! Like you we've had a few frosty nights this week, but it doesn't seem to have affected VP Gardens that much, thank goodness.
My post is about a return plant to my garden, a result of local plant availability under lockdown. A topical but positive post!
I could smell those pinks. I used to have a big swathe of them. I loved that smell. I don't remember why they died out. Maybe the plants around them became too large and they didn't get enough sun. Seeing yours makes me want them again. Happy GBBD.
I can smell those pinks too. And I am inspired! I still have plants to buy. I'm on a garden tour this July and I'm still trying to spruce things up.
A nice array of (to me) early spring blooms, as my garden is on summer's doorstep. I love the bluebells; my neighbor has some, they bloomed in March. And the color of the alliums–swoon! Thanks for hosting this fun garden tribute to blooms.
Your columbines are lovely and those pinks…wow! I too can virtually smell them. The month of May has been on the cooler time with a freak passing snow flurry on the 9th, but now warmer days are back and the garden is in full swing. If I had to pick a bloom to represent May, it would be Kwanzan Cherry! Allium ‘Globemaster’ and Peony ‘Bartzella’ can win hands down for later in the month!
I love your columbine and your pinks (ah yes, that fragrance…..). My bloom for the month would also be Kwanzam Cherry, which are blooming right now where I live. I don't have any but I do have a native cherry tree loaded with blooms. They are just now starting to open. We had snow on Saturday and I am still wishing for the weather to settle. Thank you for all these years of hosting, Carol!
I wish I could grow pinks like you, unfortunately my soil is heavy clay which they don't like. Love your columbines too. Rhododendrons are the stars of my garden at the moment.
May is probably represented by the oranges of California poppy. I was going to say calendula, but they will be around for months, and the CA poppies will be gone. Or yanked out of beds for stealing the sheets. Saw your unboxing video, you will have SO many things to share next month!
I think I would have to chose peonies as the flower of May…even though I only have one I have friends with lots of them so I see them everywhere. Happy May Bloomday to you!
I'm glad your cold snap did your garden no serious harm, Carol. There's no sign of Aquilegia here this year – it was probably scared off by our 2 early heatwaves. Achillea 'Moonshine' signifies May in my garden but the Agapanthus are already lining up to headline June. Thanks for hosting!
Carol, I am not the most consistent blogger or participant of your meme, but please know that I enjoy it and greatly appreciate your effort. As I work in clinical research, it seems that all I do is work right now, and the garden needs a good grooming, but the May flowers always make things look right and 'normal', even when they're not. 'May Dreams', as you rightly say.
Your photo of Cerastium tomentosum has helped me identify a plant that has been doing well in my garden, which I had grown from cuttings from my mother-in-law, without knowing what they were! Many thanks!
Hi Carol
Been a year since I participated but am back. Love your flowers which reflect my own here in the UK. Hope you are well
Helen
Happy Bloom Day! This May all the flowers are living up to their promised "dreams" — which is gratifying in this very trying time for us all.
I'm very much a foliage gardener, but I probably have the most blooms of any month in May. Thank you for providing this delightful forum for us to share ours with you! Happy Bloom Day, Carol.
I'm in southern middle Tennessee and we have had three nights of mild frost last week. Our last frost date is April 15th so this has been unusual. Finally, I think winter is over and can't make myself come inside. The month of May is heaven here. Naming your blog "May Dreams Gardens" was perfect.
Jeannie@GetMeToTheCountry
I always love seeing what's blooming in your May garden, Carol — a preview of things to come for me. It sounds as though your weather, like ours in Maine, has been cool this spring and that the garden is developing more slowly than usual. But I love how much there is to look forward to at this time of year.
Well we are into summer but still saved from heatwaves that can disrupt the condition of plants in the garden completely .Although this year with emergence of weather disturbances every now and then soaring temperature of summer has not started yet which is quite unusual for this part of year. Those columbines are lovely .Happy bloggers blooms day.
I'm days late, wishing all a happy bloom day. So much happening in May. Glad to see gardens coming to life and showing off!
Happy bloom day!!!
I just sent what's "blooming" here in South America, in Brazil.
Can I just participate and show our Emerald Grass carpet? Although here is getting colder now, the grass looks amazing here. I guess because "colder" is still 70 F. lol
I sent the thumbnail and the link to our website. But didn't find the place to comment. So, here it is!
Thank you!!!
https://www.realgramas.com.br/
Your spring flowers are lovely! Happy May Dreams 🙂