Category Archives: backyard bed

Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – May 2016

alley bed, backyard bed, bloom day, fence bed, gate bed, loki bed, perennials, pollinators, spring

A bright and sunny albeit wind-chilled day marks this season’s Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day. Spring has been wonderful on the Lot this year with transplants having made it through the winter, insects already busily buzzing about, and a few new feathered friends visiting the garden.

Currently the South bed is empty of blooms, the tulips having recently passed. The sweet william in the bed has not quite opened yet. Only a bit of carpet phlox is left behind in the Southwest bed. However, on the East side of the Lot, a pretty vignette has brightened up the corner of the house near the gate.

May Flowers in Gate Bed

The labrador violets are still going, now joined by the purple spear-shaped blooms of bugleweed (Ajuga x ‘Chocolate Chip’). The rock foil (Saxifraga) is blooming like the phlox, but this ground-hugging perennial holds its clusters of white flowers above its mat of foliage. Also blooming in the bottom left of the photo is the pasque flower (Anemone patens). Here is a close-up of the flowers.

Pasque Flower

Next are the white blooms of the foam flower, or Tiarella, accompanied by the neighbor’s escapee bluebells.

Blooms in Fence Bed

Further down the fence, the cranesbill has seeded into the backyard from the two plants near the compost bin. Tucked around the Lot everywhere are forget-me-nots.

051316_cranesbill

Sharing the bed with the new cranesbill plant are the dwarf iris. I did some major shuffling around of this plant last season when I removed some tickseed. I’m glad to see the iris have seemed to adjust well.

051316_dwarfIris

And here’s a busy bee on one of the irises.

051316_dwarfIrisBee

The brunnera is in bloom…

051316_brunnera

…as well as the Jack in the Pulpit. Jack invited along some friends this year.

051316_jackInThePulpit

The strawberries which ducked under the fence from the westside neighbor are blooming.

051316_strawberryBloom

And the same bed brings our second year of blooms from the Geum triflorum ‘Prairie Smoke.’

051316_prairieSmoke

Last season I divided the solomon’s seal (Polygonatum odoratum Variegatum) in Loki’s bed. The plants seemed to have weathered the winter well and are currently blooming.

051316_varigatedSolomonsSeal

Here is the Mt Airy Fothergilla, looking quite stunning in the late afternoon light.

051316_fothergilla

The lilac is blooming near the alley bed.

051316_lilac

The Other Half is not the only one who enjoys sticking his nose in the lilacs.

051316_lilacBee

And the last Bloom Day photo is a patch of violas we are not responsible for planting last season, but have been enjoying nonetheless. The violas are an annual in our Zone 6a garden, but reseed for the following season. I’ve let the generations of the little plants wander about the garden for several years now. The recent cold snaps (we had a frost last night) do not bother them.

051316_pansies

That’s all for the Lot this month. Be sure to visit May Dreams Gardens for links to many other May blooms.

Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – April 2016

backyard bed, bloom day, bulbs, fence bed, front bed, loki bed, pollinators, spring

Warmer weather has arrived at the time of this Bloom Day, a garden bloggers’ meme where gardeners across the world share what is currently blooming in their gardens. This April on the Lot is dappled in blues, lavenders, and yellows. The snowdrops, tommies, and aconite have faded, but the remaining early spring bulbs are now in bloom.

Early Spring Bulbs Gate Bed

Here is a photo of the soon to be developed, additional backyard bed where we planted a serviceberry shrub last Fall. Glory of the Snow (Chinodoxa luciliae), Blue Squill (Scilla siberica), and Tete-a-tete Daffodil (Narcissus ‘Tete-a-tete’) add little dashes of color around the budding shrub.

Early Spring Bulbs

Also blooming in the backyard are the Ice Stick tulips, which remind me of fried eggs when completely open in full sun.

ice stick tulips

Here is one of the many early pollinators I found around the tulips and other early Spring bulbs when snapping photos for Bloom Day.

bee Ice Stick Tulip

Here is an up close and personal looks at both the Glory of the Snow (with bee) and the Blue Squill.

Bee on Glory of the Snow

Blue Squill

Around front in the South bed, the Lot’s more familiar Spring arrivals are beginning to appear. These daffodils near the front steps always have the prettiest ruffles and frills.

Double Daffodils

And last but not least, our lovely Lenten Rose (Hellebore) in Loki’s bed.

Lenten Rose

There were a few times during the extreme temperature swings this Spring I worried about frost damaging this plant. However, being well established now and the first perennial plant on the Lot every season, it sort of shrugged off the frost each morning and gradually recovered throughout the day. It does a great job brightening up the shade bed where is lives.

lenten Rose Flower

Beyond some cheery violets and violas, that is about it for the Lot this month. To see more beautiful, Spring blooms, check out May Dreams Gardens.

Something is Stirring

backyard bed, bulbs, fence bed, front bed, gate bed, perennials, sidewalk bed, southwest bed, spring, the Lot

Yesterday I spent a nice chunk of the afternoon cutting back dead plant bits leftover from last growing season. As I worked on garden squats (yeah, the backside is burning today) and happily clipped away, I caught glimpses of plants emerging from the ground. It’s fun because you are busy clearing away hollowed stalks and crackling leaves when your fingers brush again something alive. While the Other Half and I have been cooped up inside bemoaning the fact Spring cannot arrive soon enough, these plants have been stirring. They’ve already begun their move toward the surface of the soil seeking sunlight.

So, I thought it would be fun to make a psuedo-First-Day-of-Spring (it was yesterday) post with photos of the first arriving plants on the Lot. This first grouping is of some Spring bulbs. Winter aconite and snowdrops have been open on the Lot for a few weeks now, but the tulips, daffodils, and remaining bulbs are queuing up in the wings.

Species Tulips Daffodil and Tulip Foilage Emerging Spring Bulb

In the South bed, sedum is already growing, as well as the bearded iris, bee balm, and coneflowers.

Emerging Sedum Emerging Iris Emerging Bee Balm Emerging Coneflower

Along the east bed, lady’s mantle and columbine are fanning out new growth.

Emerging Ladys Mantle Emerging Columbine

In the backyard along the fence bed, the tall garden flox is well on its way. The dwarf iris rhizomes are sprouting leaves and two poppies are racing ahead. Loosestrife is appearing as red spear-like columns.

032016_fdosPhlox 032016_fdosMiniIris 032016_fdosPoppyLoosestrife

Near the rain barrels, the snakeroot and brunnera are just emerging. The snakeroot seems to be pushing up a fiddle-head like shoot to break the soil surface.

Emerging Snakeroot Emerging Brunerra

In the backyard bed, the Himalayan cinquefoil has been well on its way for awhile now. There are little bits of frost bite around the edges of the leaves.

Emerging Cinquefoil

The weather forecast for the upcoming week is a bit more on the chilly side, with chances of frost during the evening. Because of this I left the layer of dead leaves the plants have been growing beneath. So begins my Spring routine of a quick, daily stroll about the Lot to check on the progress of the plants.