April Showers

Rhododendron 'Blue Baron'

Greetings from a wet, wet garden. In between rains, I've managed to get a few photos... (And sorry for the erratic quality of these. I have a new phone and still learning how to use it. Some of these are from the phone and others from my camera).

Acer japonicum 'Aconitifolium' ('Dancing Peacock')

Flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum) 'King Edward VII'

Clematis 'Stolwijk Gold' is beautiful for the first time after languishing in the garden for five years. Turns out, it is all my fault. This is a clematis that should not be cut to the ground in early spring. You live and learn, and I know that I will never understand the rules of pruning clematis. 

Clematis 'Stolwijk Gold' 

Aucuba japonica 'Rozannie' - the aucuba that doesn't really look like the others.  But what a fine shrub this is, especially for shady situations. This was planted in 2019 and didn't grow much for the first few years but now making up for lost time...

Aucuba japonica 'Rozannie'

Cistus 'Mickey'

Daphne tangutica and
Omphaloides verna (Blue-eyed Mary)

Barberry 'Orange Rocket' and Spirea 'Ogon'

Rhododendron 'Taurus'

The Japanese Skimmia, already here when we moved in, has never had as many blooms. That is Pieris 'Little Heath' next to it...

Japanese Skimmia and Pieris 'Little Heath'

Tulips are just beginning

And finally, the camellias. I've always loved them. However, I do find that here in the Pacific Northwest, their blooming time is unfortunate. They bloom like crazy here, far more blooms that I ever saw on plants in the south. The problem is that the weather keeps you from enjoying them. And then there are the soggy, wet blooms...

All that said, they do give a much needed shot of adrenalin after a long, gray winter.

Camellia 'Mathotiana' and Creeping Mahonia (Mahonia repens)

Camellia 'Donation'

Camellia 'Nuccio's Bella Rossa'

And finally, we come to 'Black Magic' which is sadly becoming a disappointment. It is loaded with blooms this year, after being a very shy bloomer previously, but look at this growth habit...

Drooping, nodding flowers and not necessarily caused by rain. They always do this. I do love the thick, dark green leaves. It is becoming a nice screen so I will bite the bullet and try to get over the fact that it looks like it has whiplash. The blooms, when you don't have to bend down and look up to see them, are indeed lovely...

Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy