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Camellia 'Black Magic'
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It is exciting to get back in the swing of things with Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, a monthly practice on the 15th of each month, hosted by May Dreams Gardens for bloggers to show what is blooming in their gardens. I find that is also a great way for me to keep up with what is going on in my garden and for future reference.
The garden is quickly waking up with warmer temperatures although the mornings are still very cold. I've learned that it is best to wait until around noon to get out in the garden to avoid the cold. It has been close to 60 this week in the afternoons and the sun has been out for weeks now with very little rain (actually that is probably not a good thing but let us not linger on it).
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| Anenome |
My favorite at the moment is the anenome in the above photo. According to my records, it should be Anenome nemerosa 'Royal Blue' which came from Far Reaches Farm. However, when looking at photos of it online, the flower petals look different. They are much more rounded in other photos I see. So perhaps it is Anenome blanda? I don't know but it is lovely.
The Bloom Day posts also give you an indication of plants that are blooming early or late. Looking at last year's post, it looks like things were ahead with Spirea 'Ogon' and Camellia 'Bella Rossa' already flowering. There is a spattering of blooms on the spirea but that specific camellia has not opened yet.
Other camellias in the garden that do have blooms include the first ever bloom on 'Black Magic' (top photo). This camellia was just planted last year.
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Camellia 'Magnoliaflora'
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Camellia "Mathotiana'
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Boxleaf Azara (Azara Microphylla)
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It was a thrill to finally get blooms on the boxleaf azara (Azara microphylla). It does indeed smell like chocolate. It also sometimes reminds me of a pipe. Anyway, the tiny blossoms are covering the plant. I thought I had planted it four or five years ago but after consulting my records, I see that it went in the ground in 2018. So this is the third year and it is already at least seven feet tall.
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Crocus - of course!
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Daffodils (probably Tete-a-Tete)
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| Hellebore |
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And finally, some primroses. They look a bit ragged but the blooms are always amazing and a surprise.
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Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
Comments
-Ray
I really like the look of Azara Microphylla. A towering variegated Azara Microphylla caught my eye on the last visit to the South Seattle Arboretum; it was pruned with a single trunk although from pictures online it saw it can be grown as a shrub too. I have to go back and see if its blooming.