Blooms May 2022

Lots of flowers--you might get bored.  The last Peony of the year above--'Misaka', hiding under the leaves.

Rose 'Golden Celebration' from one of the new plants purchased last year:

Rose 'Yves Piaget', purchased this year.  I grew this rose in the past.  It's back, hopefully this time on a healthier plant:
The general appearance of May:
Clemantis 'Perle d'Azur':

Time for the main heavy daylily bloom.  They will continue for months to come, just not as lavishly:

Leucanthemum looks great with Geranium 'Rozanne' there in the background:
Clematis 'Bourbon'
Daylily 'Sabine Bauer':
Daylily 'Merlot Magic' (or something like that):
Clematis 'Ernest Markham'.  Sticks-on-Fire Euphorbia makes an excellent Clematis support.  Who'd have thought? 
Salvia 'Waverly'
Clematis 'Etoile Violette'
Salvia 'Black and Blue'.  I do my best to dig this Salvia out every year because it spreads so aggressively, and every year I miss some of it.  But wow, those flowers!
Aloe pseudorubroviolacea, Bougainvillea 'Thai Imperial Pink', and the white clusters of Ligustrum japonicum all flowering at sunrise:
 The Bougie from another angle seen through the arch enveloped with Tracheospermum jasminoides:

Calylophus 'Southern Belle' is a fine companion for Agaves:

Leucospermum 'Yellow Bird' is still in full floral glory.  We've had cool nights, keeping the flowers looking good a little longer this year (10 weeks instead of 8?):
More Clematis 'Perle d'Azur', now at sunset:
Sweet Peas 'April in Paris' and 'Mermaid's Dream' at sunrise.  They'll soon be finished for the year. 
Hydrangea 'Endless Summer' has been moved several times.  It will be moved again because this location,  while receiving considerable shade, has fierce reflected heat when it is in sun.  'Endless Summer' will go where the oak tree eventually shades out several roses. 
Brodiaea
laxa 'Queen Fabiola' begins its six or seven week bloom time.  This cormous plant is native to parts of California.  Photobombed by a couple of Cerinthe stems on the right: 
A Hippeastrum received for Christmas bloomed in early January, not all that well.  Surprise--it decided to try again, with two more stems.  Impressive! 

Please don't die of bloom-exhaustion.  Please grow some foliage, strengthen, and live to bloom next spring.  You stun the eyes.

Begonia 'Maribel' is "A richmondensis x fibrous cross exhibiting the best qualities of both".  Indeed.  It grew in a spot by the patio for close to 20 years (same plant). I pulled it this year because it had severely declined, but took cuttings to root.  Found the original tag in the soil! 
The shovel missed a piece of it--which is now growing and looking pretty good.  This is an excellent Begonia.  I want it to endure somewhere in the garden.
Hellebore argutifolia still in flower.  Some bedding begonias added to jazz up summer, after the Hellebores are done.
This area, cut back hard in winter, is awake again.
Day lily 'Little Missy':
Volunteer Gaillardia and Leucanthemum. A smear of  Sedum 'Angelina' as background:
Clematis 'Jackmanii':
No ID Fuchsia:
Gaillardia with a Ballota psuedodicthammus background:
Clematis 'Moonlight':
'Wisley':
Daylily 'Merlot Magic' looks very dark just as it opens:
Cuphea 'Vermillionaire', from a distance:
Sprekelia flowers are having trouble blooming straight up this year.  Perhaps it's time to dig them up and replant: 
Salvia nemerosa 'Blue Hill':

Iris 'Thornbird' is described as
"Standards pale ecru; falls greenish tan".  This one started out a greenish steel-grey.  It turned a clear pale yellow with deep purple veining, and photographed peach-y.  Cool! 
Okay.  That's enough of this month.  On the horizon for June...Agapanthus buds will shed their gnome-hat covers...

...
...Begonia 'Irene Nuss' will be in full flower...
...and the Trachelium will flower, if the rabbits don't eat them all. 

Happy May Flowers!

Comments

  1. Beautiful! Isn't it nice that hydrangeas are easy to move? I find myself doing lots of that.

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  2. Might get bored? Not a chance. A most beautiful late Spring abundance is aways a pleasure. As bare areas fill in with awakening perennials, I realize I don't have room in my garden, and I suspect you notice the same in yours. I look with a little envy at Salvia 'Black and Blue'... you work hard to control it, I couldn't keep it alive (but will try again).
    I love the combination of Aloe, Bougainvillea and Ligustrum at sunrise: what a sight! I may be the only person who loves the Ligustrum scent, firmly attached to childhood memories.

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  3. I love seeing your May blooms! Your Hemerocallis and Leucanthemum are WAY ahead of mine. I never cease to be envious of your Clematis, or the peonies of course. I uncovered the foliage of both of my Majorcan and Itoh peonies so they're not among the dearly departed after all but there's still no sign of any flowers. One of last year's newly planted bearded lilies was starting to bloom but, by the time I noticed it, yesterday's heat had already knocked it out :(

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  4. @Phillip, Yes thankfully they are easy to move. 'Endless Summer' is on location #3 or #4, I forget which. I got some wire fencing set up this morning so I can drape shade cloth for the summer to protect 'Endless Summer' until it can be moved. Again.

    @chavliness, I rather like the Ligustrum scent now. It's after all a natural floral scent.

    @Kris, well a lot of the flowers are repetitive. I looked at a bunch of bloom day posts same months different years, and---so much the same. That Iris in the post totally fried and shriveled yesterday. It may be a grim summer, so I'm enjoying the heck out of spring.

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  5. I dig up huge chunks of Back & Blue every year- it's worth the effort .Yves Piaget... I love this rose so much and it was tough to dig it out. Sometimes you have to make hard choices.

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  6. Boredom? Not a chance! Lovely blooms and photos of them. I didn't know Brodiaea laxa 'Queen Fabiola' was from your neck of the woods, Hoover Boo. Apparently it does well in parts of Aus too, although I worry it could get weedy here, as many bulbs are... Love the clematis / sticks of fire combo. Might make clematis pruning time...interesting! Such a gorgeous and unusual colour on your bearded iris.

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  7. @ks, why'd you dig out Yves???

    @Horticat, my 'Fabiola' hasn't moved from its location in 21 years, just expanded a bit, but every climate is different. Easy Clem pruning time--just cut Clem to ground. The rest will crumble away. (I grow type III's)

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  8. Hoov, Yves was a victim of garden renovation-and encroaching neighbor trees throwing too much shade. Yves and Frederick Mistral are the two I really regret having to give the heave-ho.

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  9. You are having a Spring show that most of us further north are dreaming about. Everything looks lush and happy. Feels odd to see your clematis blooming in May when ours don't start until mid-July. The golden climate.

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  10. So many clematis! That photo of Clematis 'Ernest Markham' and the Sticks-on-Fire Euphorbia is gorgeous.

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  11. @luv2garden,

    Come July everything here will be tired and toasted. Summer is our "winter"--time to stay in the house waiting out the bad weather. Garden blogs are great, because they remind us that somewhere in the world there are flowers blooming and foliage pristine and glorious to see.

    @danger,

    the Clems here don't get as lavishly huge as in cooler, wetter climates. Lucky to have them, though. Happy you liked the picture, thanks!

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  12. Such beautiful flowers! All your hard work produces amazing results! Here in Phoenix with the lowest humidity ever-like 5% I am trying to grow angel wing begonias. I have one doing well for about 9 months even through the summer! I think I will try Begonia 'Maribel' if I can find for sale on the Internet. I used to grow such beautiful ones in Rhode Island and miss them so much!

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  13. @Nancy in AZ,

    Hi Nancy! Thanks! Sorry to hear your weather is already intense. Hopefully you get some monsoonal rain this summer. Another very pretty (and for a begonia quite tough) is 'Gryphon'. Begonia in AZ is no small achievement--well done!

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