Welcome to Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day for May 2016.
Here in my USDA Hardiness Zone 6a garden in central Indiana, we are off to a great start to the growing season.
Well, almost a great start. As I write this, the weather forecasters are uttering words like “patchy frost”. I’ve moved my tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants inside for now We’ll see how things improve in the coming days before I take them back outside and plant them out in the Vegetable Garden Cathedral.
In the meantime, no threat of patchy frost will temper my excitement for all the blooms in my garden and for this gardening season, which I am sure will be my best one yet.
After all, isn’t it the month of May that makes us fall in love with gardening all over again?
Here’s a peak at just a few of the blooms.
Up first are the first two nearly open blooms of Clematis ‘Rooguchi‘ with Salvia ‘May Nights’ in the background. They are both in Plopper’s Field where I plop in new plants wherever there is a blank spot and it looks the new plant will get along well with those around it.
After years of plopping plants in Plopper’s Field, it’s getting a bit full and, as always, I should spend a bit of time weeding it.
I’ll do that soon, but in the meantime, I’ll enjoy the Salvia and chives.
And some daisies, too.
These are the quite common Ox-eye daisies, Leucanthemum vulgare. Once you have these daisies, you’ll always have these daisies as they self-sow readily.
Plopper’s Field is also home to several columbine, Aquilegia sp., including this seedling.
I didn’t plant it there, but I take credit for leaving it there.
Across the way, in the border called Bird’s Blanket, because it is in the shade of a honey locust tree and I placed some bird feeders near the edge of it, the first hardy ground orchid, Bletilla striata, is blooming.
These ground orchirds have been returning faithfully for several years, though the new foliage almost always gets zapped by frost in April and thereafter looks a little ragged. Who cares though? I’m growing them for the flowers!
What else is blooming? How about Dianthus ‘Bath’s Pink’?
I’ve got a nice stand of it that I’m going to whack back once it finishes blooming because it has spread beyond it’s allotted space. But I can’t whack it back until it is done blooming because I garden with certain rules and principles of my own making and one of them is “Let the plant finish blooming before you move it”.
Did I mention columbine? They are blooming all over right now because I don’t usually dead head them until the seed heads have released their seeds.
The columbine, which some call Granny’s Bonnets, are providing a lot of bloom right now.
Later, the columbine foliage will just hang around, not bothering anyone.
One of my favorite columines is this yellow one.
Behind it is a nice stand of pink columbine. Names and varieties you ask. Sorry, I couldn’t find their tags.
And nearby, the species Aquilegia canadensis, is flowering
Those blooms always look like they are ready to take off and fly away, don’t they?
Elsewhere in the garden, Amsonia is in full bloom.
There are more blooms, many more blooms, in the garden, and lots of buds, too. But I don’t want to take up everyone’s time so we’ll call it good with these blooms, and maybe this bloom, too.
This is one of several Alliums blooming right now.
What’s blooming in your garden right now? We’d love to have you join in for Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day and show us. It’s easy to participate and all are welcome. Just leave a comment below about what’s blooming in your garden and then leave a link in the Mr. Linky widget to help us get safely to your bloom day post.
And remember, “We can have flowers nearly every month of the year.” ~ Elizabeth Lawrence
What, no linky? Anyway, my post is up at http://birdwoman-thenatureofthings.blogspot.com/2016/05/poetry-sunday-and-garden-bloggers-bloom.html Happy Bloom Day!
Carol-your May garden is looking fabulous and Plopper's Field is looking exceptionally brilliant. We had a very cool start of spring as well, but are now well on our way with many blooms. Thanks for hosting! My Bloom Day Post: http://landscapedesignbylee.blogspot.com/2016/05/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-foliage.html#.Vzf3g_krKUk
You have had a good start and I hope the "patchy frost" doesn't prevent more blooms from opening. I love the variety of columbines you enjoy–nice colors! Thanks for hosting and I'll join with the others and leave my link: https://mygardenersays.com/2016/05/14/may-flowers/
I hope our gardens make it through with minimal damage. It's not fun to face a polar vortex when the garden is in full bloom. But we can't control it, so… Anyway, here's my post: https://plantpostings.blogspot.com/2016/05/a-freezing-cold-bloom-day.html. Thanks for hosting!
Oh my, you used the f word. Yikes, no frost here thank goodness and I hope the patchy part means that it won't find you! May flowers abound in your garden. This is the month, isn't it? Happy GBBD, Carol! My post is here:http://outlawgarden.blogspot.com/2016/05/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-may-2016.html
Beautiful blooms Carol, I love the aquilegias. It was cold here last night too. I do hope that's the end of it. I want to get planting! Here's my post.. http://www.rustyduck.net/2016/05/15/bloomin-may/
The English bluebells are finally out in the woodland. Happy Spring!
Love all your Aquilegias, they say "May" to me. Hope your frost didn't do any damage, it's always a problem at this time of year, hopefully we will all soon see the end of it.
My link is http://leadupthegardenpath.com
As you say, May Dreams Garden – simply beautiful!
http://timpingradina.blogspot.ro/2016/05/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-may-2016.html
I love those Aquilegia canadensis blooms, they do look like they'll fly away. GBBD in my garden is here: Crumbs
All the beautiful columbines! I have the first one you posted, which spreads like crazy, but all my others have vanished – time to plant some more! Happy Bloom Day, and I hope you get your tomatoes in soon – mine are waiting too.
We've had those same frost warnings the last couple of nights. Luckily it didn't happen; at least not in my garden. Love that red Aquilegia.
Hope it is just a warning to get you all excited and no frost falls. Your garden looks too grand to get nipped by icy crystals.
Thanks for hosting us all, such a fun day.
Thank you again for hosting this monthly gathering. I enjoyed your columbines – mine are just starting to open here in upstate New York. As usual, your blog is like a "coming attractions" for me, as I'm always behind you. Here's hoping your patchy front didn't happen.
Carol, thank you so much for making me go round the garden and realize how much I have out there to be thankful for.
Linky not working for me:(
Anyway here's my link http://www.thegracefulgardener.com/?p=5328
Thanks so much Carol for hosting GBBD!
The Graceful Gardener
Oh yes, the threat of frost. so glad it didn't happen. I have clematis, columbine, and allium blooming!
Hi Carol, your garden looks beautiful! Especially love allium blooming, I've decided add them to my garden:-) Thanks for hosting!!
You May garden is bursting! I hope the frost threat comes to naught. Thanks, as always, for hosting.
I love that all of your borders have names. You have a lot of colombine flowering in your garden. They always remind me of girafs.
What lovely may blooms. They are always a delight, this is the most exciting time of the year.
Happy GBBD Carol! I am in love with a few of your columbines! I love them too and love adding more. Your May gardens are busting with color! Beautiful!
I keep dreaming of growing some of your spring blooms someday. Please send me any cool weather that comes your way. Happy GBBD to all !
Thanks Carol!
Gorgeous aquilegias! Thnaks for hosting Carol
Oh, you are so far ahead in garden blooms compared to the North Country. I won't see Rooguchi or Amsonia in my garden for awhile yet, but the columbines have big fat buds. Love love love that hardy orchid! It is quite a chilly spring day here after three days of summer – maybe it's already fall – crazy weather!
Nice to see your alliums Carol, mine have just started to pop today 🙂
We have several of the same blooms going. My poor alliums got beat down in the wind storms the past couple of days. Bah… Happy Spring, Happy GBBD.
Your Salvia 'May Nights' almost makes me want to try some more Salvias again, though I find them to be such short-lived perennials here (in Washington, DC), that they peter out fairly quickly for us.
PS Linky not recognizing my Gravatar again – but at least let me post a link without it 🙂
Lots of beautiful May blooms in your garden today. I love the wide variety of Columbines you have – they're so delicate. And I'm envious of your alliums, they fry here before they even reach full height, much less bloom. I had lovely bletilla in my garden, too, though mine have long since come and gone what with our early spring and total lack of winter. Happy Bloom Day!
Just posted my link, not sure if it made it. Your flowers are beautiful! Happy GBBD!
I always let my Columbines go to seed too. It's so much fun to see what you get next year! They keep surprising me! 🙂 Happy GBB Day!
GBBD is always my favorite day on the internet. I love seeing what's growing on so many beautiful gardens.
Carol, Not surprisingly, your garden is looking glorious in May. In Maine, I remain 3-4 weeks behind you. Here, the amsonia shoots have just emerged from the ground and the allium buds have just appeared. -Jean
Love all your columbines, Carol! Most of my annuals have been spending the weekend inside, too, though I didn't see any frost this morning and hope we won't see any tomorrow either. Looking forward to some warmer days ahead to get all my many, many annuals planted!
Your blooms are beautiful! Don't you love how you can get surprised by the plants that seed themselves? I had fun finding lots of flowers in my garden, which is bringing me such joy this spring! Happy GBBD, and thank you for hosting!
Like Jean of jeansgarden, I am a good deal behind you. For this month's post I decided to feature all my new daffodils. Some have yet to bloom! I bet all your daffodils are done blooming, aren't they? Frost predicted for us tonight. I wish the weather would just settle down and be beautiful.
You are ahead of me with the clematis blooms. Still, will take what I can get with the miserable weather we had last week.
May is looking beautiful in your garden Carol. Thanks for hosting and for your detailed plant names and descriptions. I love May!
https://countrygardenuk.com/2016/05/16/may-delights/
It's amazing the things that are blooming at the same time, like the Bletilla striata and Amsonia, despite how different our growing zones are.
I love the Columbine bloom season, it makes parts of my yard looks like Hobbit land. After all the vigorous past self-sowing, I am forced to deadhead before the seeds drop, though they manage to come up in new areas anyway. The exception is the lovely A. canadensis, which I planted but it did not manage to self-sow or even make its presence known. I like seeing yours, Carol, it reminds me of fireworks.
Coming in late… (what's new?!) but love the look of May in your garden, especially the columbines… 🙂
Hi Carol, I couldn't help but notice that in your comments you gave us a 'peak' at the peak of your garden. 🙂 This month might well be the peak of the gardening year.
Happy bloom day.
What a beautiful collection of columbines! Thanks for hosting!
I love the Salvia and chives combo. I put my chives with lavender this year, but only one is in bloom so far…I'm having a hard time linking for some reason…its http://edgygardener.blogspot.com/2016/05/may-gbbd.html#more
I'm late! But finally joined the party. Oh and whadda ya know, we've both got Amsonia blooming right now. I don't think I've ever noticed a match before.
Another late entry! I did try leaving a Mr Linky link, but it would get as far as the thumbnail stage then close the window. So here's my contribution to the meme:
https://nextsquaremetre.wordpress.com/2016/05/17/may-blooms-come-late-this-year/
Thanks, Carol!
I love all of your columbines! In my opinion you can never have too many.
I'm really discovering how much I love aquilegia this year. Your salvia and ground orchids are gorgeous too!
Beautiful photos, and thank you for hosting. I have added my link but I may have also done this several times as I could not get it to work for me for a while. Probably operational error as I have not used this type of linky for a while and I was a little confused 🙂 Sorry about that.
Thank you for Hosting Carol. My post is late because we have had some bad weather lately.
Just beautiful Carol. I hope you didn't get any frost. ~~Dee
Hard work in the garden during spring will begin to pay off in June as plants take hold and flowers bloom, but there is still planting that can be done to create a beautiful summer garden. Thin Fruit: It may be tempting to leave all fruit on trees no matter their size, but thinning excess fruit results in less strain on the tree or vine and makes for better-developed remaining fruit, especially for trees bearing fruit for the first or second time…