A Bounty of Blooms In May

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This spring has brought us a ton of rain but has also made things really nice for flowering. There are so many things in bloom right now that I may have to save a few for a future post. It’s time to get started then! To the left is out tulip poplar tree in bloom.

Catmint ‘Walker’s Low’ is one of my favorite plants for a number of reasons it looks good, it’s easy to grow, and the leaves smell great! It also propagates easily as you could tell if you were walking around our yard, it’s gradually taking over! Rest assured that is on purpose since it definitely doesn’t spread enough for my tastes. Here I planted it just underneath a witchhazel. The idea is that the catmint serves as a green mulch keeping the ground cool and prevents the deer from eating my small tree because of the fragrance of the catmint leaves.

 
We have some by the front steps. The bees love it! This is a great way to keep door to door sales people away. All but the most determined will ever make it to the door die to the heavy bee population! Bees generally don’t even care if you’re there but people seem to fear the mere sound of their buzz. 
  
The flowers are prolific and long lasting.  They make the plant appear to be a mound of purple. 
  
Here’s a dianthus from the arbor garden.  It’s also on the edge of the self-seeding garden which is a perfect location for it, since I want more, lots more.
  
Meet Jethro! This is Coreopsis ‘Jethro Tull’ in bloom. Don’t you like the tubular looking petals? Very cool. 
  
A coneflower from our rain garden is budding out almost ready to bloom. This coneflower was a volunteer that I moved from the birdbath garden last year. I have no clue what the flowers will look like but the parent plant was a member of the sundown series so we’ll see.
  
The daylilies are beginning to bud all over the yard. 
  
Here is a view of the deck garden. This one was new last year but is quickly being filled with plants. Some from propagation like the catmint and others from a variety of sources. You can see catmint, penstemon, salvia, and some iris foliage in this picture. 
  
Penstemon ‘Husker’s Red’ 
  
Heuchera ‘Mocha’ 
  
Here is the honeysuckle on the Arbor I built for the Better Homes & Gardens 48 Hour Blog Challenge, don’t forget to vote!
  
I really like this penstemon although I can’t remember the name. Time to go hunt down a plant tag! 
 
 Here’s a closeup of a red penstemon bloom. Now where did that tag go?
  

Plox paniculata from Gail, better known as Practically Perfect Pink Phlox.

 
Another favorite perennial of mine is salvia. It’s all over the place in our garden. Can you ever have enough salvia?
  
Here in the front garden purple salvias are mixed with ‘Snow Hill’ Salvias. The ‘Snow Hill’ Salvias were planted a year after the ‘East Friesland’ in the picture.  It’s easy to see the difference! Please ignore the grass along the border of the garden. I haven’t been out to edge in a while.  Soon I’m hoping to add some stone borders on that edge.
  
Here’s a glance down the front sidewalk across the salvias. It’s a pretty nice plant don’t you think? 
 

For more blooms go pay Carol a visit at May Dreams Gardens! And don’t forget to vote for the arbor!

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17 thoughts on “A Bounty of Blooms In May”

  2. Beautiful May blooms Dave! That dianthus is stunning.

    I planted the short catmint last fall, and have already divided it into three small clumps. I love Walkers Low, but in my mostly-shady garden I think it might sprawl a bit too much. I had the short one in a previous garden – just as pretty, blooms just as much, harder to find, but a bit better behaved in past gardens than Walkers Low for me.

  3. Ah, tulip poplars, Dave! Thank goodness my neighbor has one here so I can enjoy the blooms and leaves. (Our yard is already shady enough, we can’t squeeze in one more shade tree!) Seeing his tulip poplar is like enjoying a little bit of transplanted Tennessee, much like myself!

  4. Lots of blooms there ~ BEAUTIFUL! We are currently digging up a lot of rocks from a ledge at the back of the property (aka – goat pasture) for using at edging around what I hope will be next year’s perennial herb garden.

    We are tired and sore, but it sure beats purchasing a pallet of rocks. 🙂 Your bed is going to look even nicer when you get yours edged.

    ~Faith

  9. I hope to grow catmint in a container this summer, mostly for the car! It’s very pretty. I really love the tulip tree…but all your blooms are gorgeous!

  10. Your garden really is a bounty of blooms today Dave! I’m glad you have some of that Jethro Tull, he’s blooming here too. Great plant. I love that Red Penstemon, hope you find the tag soon. 🙂

  11. Hi Dave, what an amazing difference from a year ago! You have chosen the bestest of plants with the salvias, too many is not enough! and nepeta. That is quite a nice dianthus too, hope it makes some seedlings for you. Excitement about what the echinacea will look like too. My daughter Semi had a seedling look just like the parent, Sundown, I think, sort of orangey red. The rain has made such a difference for us too. Hooray! Hope your arbor wins, it is deserving of first place!
    Frances

  13. Hey Dave…You have fantastic blooms going on! But the Walker’s Low cat Mint is superb. So that’s what it looks like in full sun! When you find the name of the pink penstemon…let me know I love it! You can’t have too many salvias or penstemon! Glad you like the PPPP…and thanks for the link! Gail

  16. That Walker’s low has really really grown on my this year. I am working on it taking over here too. It is somewhat shade tolerant, but like Gail said, what a difference in full sun. Your garden is growing SO much!

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