Well, it’s a little late this month, but I finally got my Bloom Day post put together. Lots of pictures, so here we go. Above is Chocolate Chip ajuga (Ajuga reptans ‘Valfredda’) with golden barberry (Berberis thunbergii ‘Aurea’) – I know, I know, boo hiss for barberry; I’m removing it soon.
Above is ‘Fireglow’ Griffith’s spurge (Euphorbia griffithii) against ‘Velvet Cloak’ smoke bush (Cotinus coggygria).
Below is ‘Looking Glass’ Siberian bugloss (Brunnera macrophylla) with variegated tawny daylily (Hemerocallis fulva ‘Variegated Kwanso’).
Below is sea thrift (Armeria maritima) with ‘Summer Sunshine’ germander (Teucrium chamaedrys) and golden-leaved currant (Ribes alpinum ‘Aureum’).
Above is a double columbine (Aquilegia x hybrida ‘Touchwood Supreme Mix’) with variegated Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas ‘Variegata’).
Below is a no-name peony with bronze fennel (Foeniculum vulgare ‘Purpureum’) and ‘Red Majestic’ contorted hazelnut (Corylus avellana).
Above is one of my holding beds, with a bunch of May bloomers: Jacob’s ladder (Polemonium caeruleum), more columbines, and some money plant (Lunaria annua), plus a small ‘Gold Cone’ juniper.
Below is ‘Espresso’ wild geranium (Geranium maculatum) with ‘All Gold’ lemon balm (Melissa officinalis).
Above is sea kale (Crambe maritima), just coming into bloom.
Below is Florentine iris or orris root (Iris ‘Florentina’) with perennial flax (Linum perenne) and Euphorbia palustris ‘Zauberflote’.
Above is ‘Ravenswing’ wild chervil (Anthriscus sylvestris), and below is ‘Onondaga’ viburnum (Viburnum sargentii).
That’s pretty much it for this month’s blooms here at Hayefield. For links to more May flowers and foliage, visit the main Bloom Day post at May Dreams Gardens.
Lovely viburnum, and your first pic is my favorite, even with the barberry (which has incredible color, I just don’t like them). Fennel is on my list, but I try to space out my nursery trips so as to make it appear I’m spending less money than I actually am. Then the credit card bill comes and all is for not.
Thanks, Benjamin. It’s very easy to start bronze fennel from seed; you could even sprinkle it directly in your garden. I’m thinking you need to try some propagation experiments this summer; that’s a great time to sow lots of perennials.
-Nan
Great plants all but I love that ‘Fireglow’ euphorbia.
I love it too, Gloria. It’s such a nice bit of orange to go with all the chartreuse going on in the garden now.
-Nan
Hi Nan – what dramatic combinations you’ve made – there is little that is shy or wimpy here! Even the white iris and blue flax have punch from the Euphorbia.
Berberis is just fine as long as it’s in someone else’s garden… it can be pretty but I don’t want to take care of it!
Happy Blooming Day~
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Thanks for visiting, Annie. I really do feel guilty about the barberries, so I have a rule of removing one per year. I’m not minding the loss of the burgundy ones so much, but I think I’m really going to miss the clear yellow of this one.
-Nan
Nan – everything is just spectacular. You really do have the best foliage EVER!
Thanks, Gina! If this had been Garden Bloggers’ Leaf Day, it would have been a *much* longer entry; there’s a lot more going on here foliage-wise than flower-wise right now.
-Nan
Sort of an ominous sky above that double columbine! That’s the second white iris I’ve seen online today. They look like a flower a ghost would carry.
Last evening’s sky foretold the dreary weather we’ve had today, but it’s been a lovely soaking rain. The irises sure don’t like the rain, though; they look pretty ghostly (or maybe I mean “ghastly”) themselves right now.
-Nan
Hi Nan, your combos of foliage and flower are great for giving us mere mortals ideas for our own gardens. That ravenswood is so lacy and dark. Love it. I like the yellow barberries too, they are good brighteners for dull spaces, like with the azaleas after they have bloomed. I really like the viburnum with the red barn, nice touch.
Frances
Thanks for your kind comments, Frances. I’m surprised at how tall ‘Ravenswing’ has gotten this year – nearly 5 feet in bloom! Seems to me it used to be just a foot or two. Maybe it’s because it’s been growing there for a number of years. I do make a point of cutting off most of the faded flowers, because it can reseed enthusiastically.
-Nan
That first photo is spectacular, Nan, but they’re all gorgeous. The geranium looks so pretty with that golden leaved lemon balm, and I love the Iris with the blue flax and euphorbia. Lucky you to have a peony already! What a great color it is.
We’ve had a nice, steady rain since this afternoon and it’s very welcome.
Ross has been working on planting 60 acres of field corn (with a 2-row corn planter because the 4-row is broken and would cost too much to fix), and is a little more than 2/3 done. He has the sweet corn in, and is feeling pleased to be this far along…so let it rain!
Your garden is looking beautiful with all those wonderful combinations!
How lucky that your husband got your corn in when he did, Kerri! I hope you’ve gotten some of the same rain we’ve had. I’m glad you enjoyed the Bloom Day photos. Yes, the species peonies seem to be so much earlier; the few that I have generally start in April and are usually a week or two past by now.
-Nan
Okay, I’ve think I’ve got all the drool off the keyboard now. Wow, I just love all those combos with chartreuse. Yesterday I saw Corylus ‘Red Majestic’ at the nursery. I was so tempted.
Oh, if you can get ‘Red Majestic’, I’d definitely recommend it. Mine was tiny when it arrived, but it’s grown at a fairly good clip since then, and I have high hopes for it filling out its spot in another few years. Such a beauty!
-Nan
I love the barberry and ajuga. That first picture is a beaut. Why are you getting rid of your Barberry? I have a couple of the red ones that were here before I moved in. They have been moved around several times but I still like them. All of your blooms are gorgeous and of course the foliage is tremendous.
I too like the barberries for their foliage colors, but they’re considered very politically (or rather, ecologically) incorrect in our area. Plus, most magazine and book publishers shy away from using photos that show barberries, so it’s kind of pointless for me to make combinations with them. I’m gradually learning how to create similar effects with non-invasive substitutes.
-Nan
Beautyful pictures as always Nan.
The contrast is outstanding.
Have a nice weekend Ken
Thanks for visiting, Ken. I’m glad you enjoyed the combinations. I’m not surprised, given your liking for foliage!
-Nan
Hi, Nan! I like the last picture too. The color combination matches perfectly with the blog.
Oh, I didn’t even notice that, Robin. Hmmm…now I’ll have to start color-coordinating the garden with my blog. Or maybe it would be easier to change my blog colors as needed.
-Nan
Such a wealth of bloom, Nan! I’ve been loving my lunaria with the lamium, geraniums, and celandine poppy (ack, but the yellow is nice with that red-violet and lavender-pink) here, too, and I have a large spread of Jacob’s ladder in one of the back beds that’s looking fantastic, too. I love your golden lemon balm and that amazing peony!!! And of course, the viburnum is beyond beautiful. My first iris is in bloom, a dwarf heirloom that has to be seen to be believed (and not necessarily in a good way; it’s a wild combination of buff falls and blue-violet standards). Yow!
I’m telling you, we need to teach you how to use a digital camera!
-Nan
I love all your combinations of plants. You really have quite a talent for pairing up plants! I have some barberry, with the light yellowish green foliage, and it has been quite well behaved, so far, requiring very little pruning. I’m keeping it!
Thanks for joining in for bloom day again.
I appreciate your visit, Carol. Oh, yes, the golden barberries have been quite well-behaved from a size perspective; it’s just the invasive potential I worry about.
-Nan
Umm, boo-hiss barberry? I’m fairly new here, so what’s the problem with them? I’m another fan of barberry. I have both red and yellow varities. Aside from the pokey thorns I really enjoy these plants.
Hiya, Cinj! Around here (in PA), Japanese barberries are frowned upon because of their potential to become invasive. There are many seeded into the hedgerows on my parents’ farm, which adjoins my field. And I’ve even seen purple-leaved barberry seedlings in the fields and woods. It could be that they are not a problem where you live, in which case you can enjoy them without guilt.
-Nan
That top photo is a knockout! And while your flowers are lovely, it’s your foliage contrasts that really wow me. Great job!
Thanks, Pam! That yellow-and-blue combo is one of my favorites too.
-Nan
I love your use of foliage and flowers, just beautiful. I am going to split my Brunnera Jack Frost and put some near my daylilies, your garden is constantly giving me ideas, Thank you.
I have got to Silver/blue plants in your book on foliage, enjoying reading all the plant descriptions many plants I haven’t heard of. I am trying not to fall in love with something particular as they will not be all available in the UK! The book is going to be very useful as reference especially with your blog – the two compliment each other.
Best wishes Sylvia (England)
Sorry about the plant-availability issue, Sylvia. I know exactly how you feel: Some of my favorite gardening books are by British writers, and I always seem to fall hardest for the plants we can’t get over here.
I feel the same way about the blog versus the book: This gives me the perfect place to cover my newer favorites, as well as plants that had to be cut from the book for space issues.
-Nan
Lovely picture, Nan! I hear you on the barberries… they are so beautiful, but there are persistent purple seedlings growing in the sidewalk cracks along my dog-walking route, with nary a barberry in site nearby. Since I hadn’t planted any prior to that, I’m trying to abstain.
I love your ‘Chocolate Chip’ ajuga–it’s one of my favorites, too. As far as the golden lemon balm, do you find it as much of a spreader as the green? And if it might actually be safe to plant in the ground… lol… how does it taste? I like plants to do double-duty here, so you’ve piqued my interest with that one!
The scent and flavor is just as good as the ordinary kind, I think. The issue isn’t so much spreading by roots as by self-sowing. It comes true from seed, so it’s easy to spot the seedlings, but they can be over-abundant very quickly. I’ve learned to cut it back just before it flowers: The plant stays bushier, the foliage looks fresher, and it pretty much eliminates the seedling issue. (I do still get a few volunteers each year if I’m a little late with the shearing, or if I miss a plant.) I’d say it’s definitely worth a try!
-Nan
All works of art!
Thanks, Layanee!
-Nan
I had to chuckle at your little missive at the end of the blog – “That’s pretty much it for this month’s blooms here at Hayefield!” You have a glorious garden and your photos are wonderful. My favorite is the one of the geraniums and yellow lemon balm not something I would even think of putting together. The wild chervil and Onondaga’ viburnum look quite stunning too.
Well, gee, it seems like lots of people have a whole lot more blooming now than I do. But I’m glad you enjoyed the photos, Ki. Honestly, I wouldn’t have thought of combining the geranium with the lemon balm either; they did that on their own!
-Nan
Thanks, Nan! I think that I just may give it a go if I can find the golden variety around somewhere, with that review. :)
Wow, I didn’t realize that hardly anyone is selling this gem. Apparently Glasshouse Works has it on their list, though.
-Nan
Oh my! I try to be sooo careful about invasives, and yet this is the first I’ve heard about barberries. Perhaps they behave themselves in the Pacific NW. I think they must, because last summer I purchased two rarish ones, B. replicata and B. jamesian (which, when I fell for it, was festooned with pearly yellow clusters of hanging berries) from a highly reputable specialty nursery. I would hate to part with either of them.
I think you’re ok with them in your area, Ricki. Invasiveness is such a regional issue. We can enjoy growing blackberries without guilt here, for instance, though I believe they’re a big problem out your way.
-Nan
Could you tell me where you got the Espresso wild geranium? It does indeed grow wild around here (the common form) and I would like to get cultivars. I had a white form but it took ill and died.
I got my original plant from a friend probably 15 years ago, and it has seeded around since then. Let me know if you want me to try to catch some seed for you. Or, I could send you some seedlings this fall.
-Nan
Dear Nancy,
I saw the expresso wild geranium first time this year at George Schoelkopt’s garden but he didn’t have it blooming last year. I tried to go on line to find it and so far could not but it was spectacular. I just reached your sight and am only on second blog list. the photos are fabulous as well as the variety. I lost my crambe cordifolia this spring. I planted it in July of last year, I got two of them and I think the soil was too rich for them where I planted, not sure but they did not work out. I love the foliage and would like to try them again. Where do you have yours planted?
I also saw for five minutes and did not buy( was with out of towners and didn’t want to hold them up) five red leafed and stemmed salvia cultivars I had never seen. When I went back to find out the name the local nursery was oblivous and they were sold. Do you know what it could be? It was a deep red color with pinkish violet flower. I have gone on line looking at places like Plant Delights, Sunny Border, called Oliver etc and no one knows what I’m talking about..?
thanks
Linda
Hi again! I’ve tried Crambe cordifolia a few times, but the flea beetles always demolish it, so I’ve given up for now. So far, so good with Crambe maritima, though. I have it planted in a totally inappropriate spot: right on the edge of a narrow path, with only morning sun, and it’s thriving. Go figure.
You have me salivating (or would that be salviating?) over the thought of a red-leaved salvia as you describe. The only ones I know of are the various dark-leaved selections of cancerweed or lyre-leaved sage (Salvia lyrata), such as ‘Purple Knockout’; their flowers are usually pale pink to white, though. Maybe another reader here will know the plant you’re seeking; I hope so!
-Nan