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!

Perennial Geranium

      The true geranium, Geranium endressii, is a pretty little perennial that blooms here in Delaware in mid to late May.  Some of our Forget Me Nots have moved in right next to clumps of the geraniums, making a nice combination of pastel colors.

Perennial Geranium,  5/28/2012

 

      Though they multiply by seed, they did it very slowly for me.  The tap root is quite long for a fairly small plant, so dig a big chunk of soil out if transplanting.  They tend to be very unhappy about a move if you whack off half of the tap root.  They will send up a few flowers for much of the summer, and don't suffer too much from a drought.  A very desirable addition to a perennial garden.

Friday's Flowers

More pictures for my archive, all taken May 11, 2012:

Yellow Bearded Iris

Clematis, magenta

Clematis, light purple

Same plant as last shot

Yellow Bearded Iris, different clump, paler yellow

Purple Columbine

Dutchman's Breeches

Bearded Iris, mixed purple

Native Columbine

Native Columbine, second shot

Perennial Geranium

Same plant as above

Lonicera species, ornamental honeysuckle

Early May Blooms

      I took a walk about the yard on May fifth to snap some pictures of the flowers that were in bloom.  This morning is gray and rainy, so it makes it nice to be looking at these pictures.

      I love this purple clematis as it has wonderful color, yet is bright enough to really shine.  This plant has is the parent to many surrounding babies.  Though quite popular in my plant giveaway, I think there are still some available.

Same plant,  5/5/2012

      While this clematis is beautiful, the darker blooms just don't grab my attention the way the lighter purple ones do.  Yet floating a flower in a cut glass bowl would be very pretty....

      The Stella de Oro day lily is just coming into bloom.  It has been popular in the giveaway, yet some clumps are big enough still to cut off more divisions.

Weigela

Yellow Bearded Iris

Native red columbine

      And don't forget the "Forget Me Not".  There are clumps everywhere, particularly in the middle of the beds where taller plants should be.  They would appreciate a road trip.

      Heading around the corner to go to the front yard, we pass a clump of perennial geraniums   

Closer shot of the flowers

      .  What a beautiful flower, and they will bloom off and on over the summer.  They volunteer only sparingly, but are long lived.

Delaware Valley White Azalea

Rhododendron

Wow!