Back Yard Garden, May 22, 2013

Back Yard,  May 22nd, 2013

      One part of the garden is very much in bloom right now.  Most of these plants were available in the recent plant give away.  That is mostly finished for now as prime transplanting time has come and gone.  During the give away time I found it difficult to remember the colors of some of the day lilies, so I can identify the Stella de Oro lilies that are now blooming.

      The clump of Stella de Oro in the foreground are in the northeast corner of the back garden.  A strip of Forget Me Not runs up to the next clump of lilies.  The taller stems behind the Forget Me Not are phlox which are not yet in bloom.

     Walking around into the garden leaves the one Stella clump in the middle behind the bird feeder, while the second clump is now hidden by the orange tetraploid lilies that are taller, but not yet in bloom.  The pure yellow iris at the right is just starting to bloom, and the iris in the middle forefront is a pure blue just about to bloom.

      This is the same yellow iris, but this shot swings a little to the left and shows the shasta Daisies in the middle.  On the right are the tetraploid lilies again, and the magenta colored clematis is at the top in the middle.

      This shot shows the magenta clematis in the foreground, and the purple clematis in the middle.  The purple has lots of baby offshoots at its base.  They were and still are available for the asking.  At the base of the magenta clematis, the Joe Pye Weed is just starting to grow.  It needs to be dug out REAL SOON and a limited quantity might be available for a road trip.

      The perennial geranium is near the entry to this back yard garden.  To the right of the geranium is the African Daisy, about three feet tall on its way to six feet tall in a couple of weeks.  The gold finches will feast on the daisy seeds later in the season.  It won't be long before the Shasta Daises seen earlier are finished blooming and become finch bait.  There are some Forget Me Not behind the geranium, and behind that is penstemon, also known as Beard's Tongue.

A different angle, May 22nd,  2013

      This mixed purple and blue Bearded Iris is by the deck in back.  It is my favorite of my iris, and has had a very nice bloom this year.  I will move some this fall to see if I can increase my stock.

      The Weigela is now in full bloom.  My wife was told that if we prune it back hard after blooming, there will be a second flush of color later in the year.  As it badly needs a trim, we will put that theory to the test.
      What a pretty time of year.  And there has been enough cool weather this spring to prolong the colors!