Two days with temperatures that managed to get into the 50s and 60s Fahrenheit (that's teens in Celsius) with a fair amount of sun pushed the garden into growing mode. This week is supposed to continue the warming trend so I expect to see some blooms beyond Hellebores and minor bulbs. We snapped these pictures at the end of the day Sunday so some flowers had closed with the sinking sun.
Love this little Tulipa humilis 'Odalisque' from Brent and Becky Heath (above). It's red on the exterior with a "beet-root purple" interior and a yellow base. It's planted near yellow Primula veris and red Trillium erectum. Nearby is this lavender Glaucidium palmatum (below). I just added a couple of Primula 'Springtime' which are lavender-pink with a yellow eye to further tie the grouping together.
All the Hellebores are in full bloom. That little stick you see in the center of the Hellebores is actually a Carolina Silverbell tree that I put in last summer to replace the Hawthorne that came down in the winter of 2012/13. It appears to have made it through this winter.
I think Paeonia japonica (foreground) will bloom this week given the temperatures that are predicted. Behind the big pot is Paeonia obvata whose buds are still small. Trilliums and primroses in the left rear are ready to explode with another warm day or two.
Helleborus 'Ivory Prince' is at the top of a slope and is outward facing, making it one of the few Hellebores that I can enjoy face to face.
Double bloodroots are developing into a nice clump, though they have not spread further afield.
Manchurian maple (below) has great fall color and gorgeous buds in spring. It's growing under a big sugar maple.
Late light on Marsh marigolds in the bog at the side of the pond.
The view standing behind the marsh marigolds.
Marsh Marigolds! Your photo took me back 55 years. I have not seen them since I was a child. They grew along the pasture brooks in the Connecticut Valley of New Hampshire, where I grew up-
Posted by: Betsy | Monday, May 05, 2014 at 03:29 AM