Skip to main content

Featured

The Garden Awakens

Anise 'Woodland Red' ( Illicium floridanum ) A few weeks ago, I thought spring would never arrive, but now the change is astonishing. The nights are still cold (40s and sometimes even 30s) so planting tender annuals and vegetables is unwise although I have already succumbed, but covering and uncovering things gets old quickly. Someone made a wise comment last week and I must agree with them - "Don't plant anything tender until after May 1". Several plants are blooming like never before. One is the Anise shrub (above and below). I don't know if the recent tree pruning, which is allowing more sun into the woodland path, is affecting it or perhaps it is just age, but I've never seen so many blooms. Michael refers to this as "the stinky fish shrub" and I have to admit to smell of the flowers is quite unpleasant. It is so beautiful that I can overlook that. The old pink dogwood tree, which was already here, shades our woodland path and it too is prett
4 comments
Read more
Labels

April showers



The April rains are really causing the garden to go into overdrive. Everything is popping out all over. The white wisteria has started to bloom as well as the spirea.




I've never seen so many blooms on Leathleaf Viburnum (Viburnum rhytidophyllum). The pink blooms to the right of it are on the Piedmont Azalea (Rhododendron canescens)



The Kerria (Kerria japonica) continues to shine - I could not find a good viewpoint without getting the oakleaf in the photo. :( 


 

I love these Spanish Bluebells (Hyacinthoides hispanica) - they are among my favorite bulbs.

 

The blooms on the Chinese Snowball (Viburnum macrocephalum) have now turned white. It puts on quite the show. Notice all the weeding I have to do!


 

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
Email Post
Labels:

Comments

  1. UnknownApril 16, 2014 at 7:40 AM

    Gorgeous pics! Love the white wisteria! :O)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Edith KentApril 16, 2014 at 9:49 AM

    All just beautiful! !!! Love the Chinese snowball.

    ReplyDelete
  3. C. C.April 16, 2014 at 10:44 AM

    I don't notice any weeds, everything looks lovely! We got a freeze last night, and some of my new hosta leaves now look like frozen lettuce. :( Your Chinese snowball is stunning. My CS's blooms were turning white, but the pounding rains and then the freeze pushed the branches to the ground. I hope it will recover.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AaronApril 16, 2014 at 3:46 PM

    I'm with CC -- it's easy to overlook the weeds and just focus on the beautiful bushes that take center stage!

    I'm really enjoying some viburnums up here - Alleghany, Prunifolium and Prague. It's my first year with all of them. Definitely becoming a favorite plant genus!

    PS - Your Kerria looks great. I've been underwhelmed when I saw one in person. But yours looks really good.

    ReplyDelete
  5. outlawgardenerApril 18, 2014 at 11:25 AM

    Your garden is stunning as ever! They are not weeds at all but native plants allowed to grow to attract beneficial insects. April is a magic month in our gardens!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts