What's Blooming Today

Last month's Bloom Day post was titled "March Blooms in April", and as of May 15 we are still running quite a bit behind schedule. Most of what's blooming this mid-May day are plants we'd normally expect to see in late April. The heat has been really cranking up lately though - it feels like we're skipping "real" May entirely and advancing directly to June. Argh, my favorite month has been annihilated!

There are some blooms though. In my backyard patio bed, tulips and daffodils are going strong. I just planted this area last year.

Tulips 'Purple Prince', 'Monte Carlo', and 'Sweetheart', Narcissus 'Katie Heath'

My rose-garden-in-progress is still pretty bare. I haven't finished planting it up yet. A few things are blooming though, like these cute little species tulips and a spurge.

Lamb's ears with Tulipa humilis 'Little Beauty', Euphorbia polychroma (Cushion Spurge), daffodils

There is also a patch of lamium is in full swing here, with some crunchy looking old hyacinths that need some serious deadheading.

Lamium maculatum 'Orchid Frost', Hyacinth 'Pink Pearl'

Most of the daffodils are worn out or gone now, but in this shady corner a few fresh-looking ones remain. Nearby is the ferny foliage of polemonium caeruleum (Jacob's Ladder), which should start blooming soon.

Narcissus 'Ceylon' and 'Ice Follies'

No peonies in the peony bed yet, but these 'Abba' tulips are blooming there now accompanied by candytuft. I grew the candytuft from seed last year, so this is the first year for it to bloom. Another spurge is developing its showy bracts here as well.

Blooming: Tulip 'Abba', Euphorbia 'First Blush', Iberis sempervirens (Candytuft)

I do actually have one peony bloom already: a species peony, paeonia anomala. This may be unfair because it already had a bud on it when I purchased it recently. I'm not sure if this is its normal bloom time or not, but it is said to be one of the earliest of peonies to bloom, so could be. The flower is small but the contrast between the magenta petals and the golden stamens is striking. This guy looks fairly awful because he was only recently liberated from his pot.

Paeonia anomala

Some perennials are blooming in the shadier parts of my garden too. Here is the shady border along the side of the house, with bergenias, white daffodils, and Bleeding Hearts just ramping up.

Bergenia cordifolia 'Winterglow', Narcissus 'Thalia', Dicentra spectabilis

Blue woodland phlox is looking cool here with 'Thalia'. Male ferns uncurl their fronds nearby.

Phlox divaricata 'Blue Moon' and Narcissus 'Thalia'

The pulmonaria has been slowly cranking out blooms for a while now. The flowers start out raspberry pink, then fade to a pleasing dark blue. I think the spots on pulmonaria look icky, but this particular cultivar has nearly clean silver leaves.

Pulmonaria (Lungwort) 'Majeste'

The Canadian redbud tree is in its full glory. The amelanchier flowers have fallen, and the lilac is just beginning to form buds. Last year (admittedly bizarrely early), the lilac put out buds in March and bloomed in early April.

Cercis canadensis (Canadian Redbud)

In my "orchard" (ha), the brand new pie cherry is blooming nicely. Will there be cherries in its first year? Seems too good to be true... so probably not. It's pretty anyway.

Tart cherry 'North Star'

Now head over to Carol's Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day to see what else is blooming in gardens across the world this month!