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Stepping Into May

Rhododendron 'Klondyke' and Geranium maculatum May is already here and the garden suddenly explodes with growth. We spent the weekend watering (already?) because there hasn't been significant rainfall in a while. We don't have a sprinkler system so it is all manpower, dragging hoses and sprinklers. It takes two days - one for the back and one for the front - to water everything. It is possible to get it all in one day if we start really early. The rhododendrons are beginning now - 'Mandarin Lights' 'Jean Marie De Montague' 'Percy Wiseman' - beautiful but suffers from lacebug. I'm considering replacing it or maybe I will try and treat it. A favorite right now is the Chilean Potato Vine ( Solanum crispum 'Glasnevin'). This plant is hardier than you might imagine. Some sources list it as a "9", others an "8".  It is going on its third year in our garden, having been moved once. It is sheltered somewhat by a fence but ...
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The First Peony - 'Shima-Nishiki'



The Tree Peony 'Shima-Nishiki' is the first to bloom. The name means "fire flame" in Japanese, an apt title to describe the red blooms striped with white. Occasionally, there are solid red blooms.

Every year this peony gets better and seemingly overnight, the puny-looking bare branches are suddenly fleshed out with a tremendous profusion of leaves. The bush is dense, forming a 4 ft. mound. Our plant resides at the top of one of the terrace beds in back where it gets some morning sun and dappled sun (mostly shade) for the remainder of the day. 

We have many peonies in the garden and they all came from Adelman Peony Gardens in Salem, Oregon. It is worth a drive just to see their beautiful display garden in May.






Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
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Comments

  1. Kris PetersonApril 27, 2025 at 7:03 PM

    That's a looker! I'm SO envious!

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  2. AnonymousApril 29, 2025 at 7:08 AM

    Stunning, with just a touch of white... Wow!
    Chavli

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  3. tz_gardenMay 1, 2025 at 8:24 AM

    Oh, it is absolute perfection. I love that you placed it by the red branched (maple?) pot.

    ReplyDelete

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