Tithonia
Well this Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day catches us right in the middle of annual flowers ablaze in the vegetable garden. Zinnias, marigolds, cosmos and things like the Tithonia above.
Particularly striking are the gladiolias that come into the house on an almost daily basis.
Gladiolias
Purple Glads
Otherwise there a some worthwhile elements around the yard worth pointing out.
Mirabilis jalapa (four o’clock)
The Four O’clocks have expanded their space this year such that even though they are a tender perennial they look like a solid part of the perennial garden.
I note also that the Allium millenium have reliably returned as an August perennial.
Allium millenium
Nearby is a lovely little Gentian that recreates the blue of Gentians in August
Gentiana makinoi ‘Blue Star
And right beside it is an Arisaema that has leaves that are as desirable as the flowers.
Arisaema consanguineum ‘The Perfect Wave’
Also in the backyard is the first of the fall Cyclamens. Both the leaves and the flowers are delightful.
Cyclamen purpurascens
Wandering out to the pasture finds a number of big fat mushrooms from recent rains.
Mushroom in the pasture
And the Crepe Myrtle in the pasture stands out for its many flowers.
White Crepe Myrtle
And let me finish with the Buddleia which has many butterflies sampling the flowers.
Swallowtail on Buddleia
Swallowtail on Buddleia
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day July 2026
Lilium ‘Scheherezade’
Well as usual I’m a day late for GBBD, but the flowers are happening nonetheless. Lillies are the dominant theme this time of year. And for us the Scheherezade hanging over the garden fence is difficult to miss.
Lilium ‘Scheherezade’
There are, however, many other lily varieties that help stamp July as the lily time of year.
Lily ‘Time Out’
Lilium ‘Casablanca’
Lilium ‘Madame Butterfly’
Stargazer Lily
I was particularly struck by a very tall Lily Orienpet cultivar that has very large and striking red flowers.
Orienpet Lily ‘Miss Feya’
Nearby to the backyard gate and the Scheherezade lillies is the continuing flowering of the Cestrum
Cestrum ‘Orange Peel’
And on the deck steps the 9 foot tall Princess flower plants continue to flower as well.
Princess Flower (Tibouchina urvilleana)
Even the buds for the Princess flower are quite striking.
Princess Flower buds
Another long flowering plant, Hydrangea ‘Limelight’ is coming into bloom beside the back porch.
Hydrangea ‘Limelight’
Another strong flowering element for this season are the sunflowers.
Sunflowers in the garden
We have some quite striking varieties in bloom now.
White Sunflower
Bees love the sunflowers
Sunflower (note the green center)
Sunflowers to dine with
Let me close with one of a number of gladiolias in the garden.
A striking white Gladiolia in the garden
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day June 2026
Lily ‘Forever Susan’
Well it’s already past the middle of the month and I will try to catch up with a brief post for Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day.
Life has been very busy with travel to Europe and strange weather in Maryland. As shown above the first lillies are beginning to appear.
Lilium ‘Purple Marble’ is in the Peony garden.
Lilium ‘Pink Perfection’ sits out by the blueberries.
One flower that is particularly striking is the bright red Bishop Dahlia.
Bishop of Llandaff Dahlia
This one comes back every year even though dahlia are nominally not hardy enough to over winter in our are. The bulk of our dahlias are dug and put in the basement to get through the cold part of the year. Perhaps I should try a couple of other varieties in the ground over the winter. Right beside this Dahlia we grow a palm and a banana so it may be an unusually warm spot.
Nearby is a particularly nice green leaved plant with bright yellow flowers.
Lysimachia paridiformis var. stenophylla
Of course it’s important to note that the Stewartia is covered with flowers in a 20 foot tall tree at this point.
Stewartia pseudocamellia
And I’ve been meaning to mention one of the loveliest ‘weeds’ you could possible plant.
Corydalis lutea
These guys are zero care, widely spreading, and easily pulled if you think they are taking up too much space. And they flower from now until winter.
In the newly rebuilt Alpine bed the first Lewisia flowers are delightfully showing themselves.
Lewisia ‘Little Snowberry’
Besides the Alpine bed we have reconstructed the vegetable garden including two raised beds which were added today thanks to visiting family from Massachusetts.
2 raised beds
This should provide some more good growing space for beans, lettuce, and garlic.
And in lieu of a more complete posting I should mention that we did spend two weeks in England at the end of May. Once again we were at the Chelsea Flower Show. This time with a tour group led by our good friend Marianne Wilburn. (Hortcultural Exceptional Garden Tours)
Just a few shots from Chelsea, with more images to follow.
Chelsea Chrysanthemum
Tacca Chantrieri
Inspirational Ferns
Fern heaven
South Africa at Chelsea
Once again Chelsea is just loaded with inspirations for the future. Ironically one of things I discovered was Cornus Venus, a delightully large flowered hybrid Cornus that I had planted this Spring with knowing that the flowers are gigantic compared to the normal Chinese Dogwoods.
Cornus ‘Venus’
The world is full of discoveries…
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day May 2026
Stewartia malacondendron
It is Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day and it’s mid-May but some of the strangest weather you could imagine. As you see above our favorite Stewartia is indeed in bloom, but many other things have suffered the drastic hot/cold cycle that we went through in mid-April. We had temperatures at 85-90 degrees and then three days later down to 26 degrees. Although it was hard to imagine at the time the net result over the last month has been an almost total loss of apples and peaches as well as drastic damage to many other trees and bushes. I think we may get a few pears, blueberries and raspberries but it’s going to be a different year.
We still have some flowers to report on but I need to keep this fairly compact as I still have a lot of planting to do outside.
As usual the Azaleas are among the peak performers in May. In addition to the Gibraltar exbury hybrid and the Klondyke we’ve now added a third exbury hybrid
Azalea exbury hybrid ‘Gibraltar’
Azalea exbury hybrid ‘Klondyke’
Azalea exbury hybrid ‘George Reynolds’
Of course regular Azaleas are busy doing their thing as well.
White Azalea in the front yard
I should mention that at the end of last month we got a nice flowering from the Azalea ‘Visco Sepala’ in our raised bed by the porch.
Azalea ‘Visco Sepala’
This is probably the most fragrant Azalea that has ever flowered. We got it from White Flower Farm about 50 years ago and I’m not sure you could fine it anywhere nowadays.
And as you might expect Peonies are performing every day.
Paeonia x ‘Morning Lilac’
It is always astounding to see the flowers of Festiva Maxima show up because we brought this with us from Alexandria, Va over 50 years ago.
Festiva maxima
It’s now against the house, in the lawn and in the pasture. It seems to be vigorous and happy no matter where we put it.
Somewhat more suprising is vigorous growth of the Chines Ground Orchids which seem to be spreading every year as well, both white and pink.
Chinese Ground Orchid (Bletilla stricta)
Bletilla stricta
In addition to all of our carefully planted flowers we have wild flowers contributing to the beauty of our hillside.
Blue Flax and Dame’s Rocket
Many people are very negative about the invasive impact of the Pink Evening Primrose but to me it’s like saying you don’t like California poppies because there are so many of them.
Pink Evening Primrose (Oenethera speciosa)
Pink Evening Primrose (Oenethera speciosa)
One of the major projects for us over the last month has been restoring the Alpine bed next to the greenhouse. And hooray it is now being planted again.
Restoring the Alpine bed
Restored Alpine Bed
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day April 2026
Peony japonica Seedling
Well there are many things to celebrate for this Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day. Not the least of which is celebrating the beautiful Peony blossom posted above. Last year I was traveling when this peony bloomed. I am particularly fond of this one because I’ve never seen it elsewhere. In addition to the pink tinging of the blossoms the filaments of the stamens are also pink — quite unusual.
Of course there are other peonies in bloom because we seem to be well ahead of the normal progress for this time of year.
Tree Peony light pink
Paonia mairei
The daffodils are still continuing though they are reaching the latter part of their season.
Daffodils still coming in
one of many white daffodils
Narcissus ‘A Million Kisses’
‘A Million Kisses’ came from QDaffs several years ago but seems to have vanished from their catalog.
Of course it’s not surprising to see Azaleas flowering their hearts out in April but our version of ‘Coral Bells’ that we brought up from Alexandria many years ago seems to be particularly happy this Spring.
Azalea ‘Coral Bells’
Azalea ‘Coral Bells’ flowers
And beside the greenhouse is a particularly striking Gentiana that I got from Edelweiss in 2024.
Gentiana acaulis hybrid ‘Renate’
Gentiana acaulis hybrid ‘Renate’
And nearby in another trough is a little Delosperma that I got from Wrightman’s nursery in Canada four years ago.
Delosperma basuticum
Also in the yard are a couple of Ariseama that are popping up.
Arisaema ringens
Arisaema sikokianum
And I should not neglect the Ipheion that are sprinkled around the backyard.
Ipheion uniflorum ‘Alberto Castillo’
But I also wanted to share what is happening the forest where I take my daily walk. The first of the Arisaema are popping up there as well.
Arisaema urashima ‘ShiroKasuri’
And also the completely wild native Arisaema.
Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)
Nearby is a little Azalea that I moved to woods several years ago.
A Spider Azalea in the woods
And there are several patches of Trillium that I’ve moved to the woods as well.
Trillium grandiflorum
The Primula that I moved to the bottom of the hill last year seems to be quite happy.
Primula kisoana
A marvelous discovery that I made several years ago is that we have a native Viburnum growing in the woods and even more recently I’ve begun to appreciate that the flowers are absolutely wonderful if you look up at them…
Viburnum prunifolium (Black Haw) blossoms
Viburnum prunifolium (Black Haw) blossom
An addition that I made to the pasture last month is a Metasequoia that has a lovely gold coloring. Picture it 30 ft high…
Metasequoia ‘Soul Fire’
I also had a question from longtime correspondent Chavli as to whether we kept bees given that we have so many flowers on our fruit trees. And the answer is that we have several approaches to bee hives. The easy way is the Mason bee houses that we have in several locations.
Mason Bee house
They are very easy to take care of and get lots of use (see the filled holes already this year).
We had started with Bee hives 50 years ago (picture my wife getting a bee hive to construct for Christmas). But neither of us were particularly good at caring for the honey bees. More recently we made arrangements with John Gardner and he has established five hives on the property.
Bee Hives at work
You might enjoy reading John’s description of Peaceful Beekeeping.
April Discoveries
Kwanzan coming into bloom
Well it is April now and I thought it would be good to catch up with some of flowering progress that has been happening on our hillside. In addition the Kwanzan Cherry that is just days away from full bloom there are flowers everywhere on the hillside.
There are many flowers now on the actual fruit trees — cherries, pears, apricots, apples (a few), and peaches (many).
Fruit trees in bloom
I was really struck by the beauty of the individual Kiefer Pear blossoms.
Kiefer Pear
I had never noticed those pink centers before.
I also wanted to note that the trout lilies are in full display.
Erythronium americanum in the raised bed
When they are captured in the raised bed they all want to flower. For the thousands that I’ve started in our woods they are much more reluctant to flower. They would rather run wild, but this year they are starting to really flower in the woods.
Erythronium in the woods
I think I counted 22 flowering in the woods this year.
Of course there are all the other Erythroniums that just flower every year come what may.
Erythronium ‘White Beauty’
I also wanted to note that the wildflowers are happening right along with all the wonderful daffodils and tulips.
Bluebells in the woods (Mertensia virginica)
Including our first Spring Beauty of the year.
First Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica)
Let me close with our last Adonis of the year.
Adonis amurensis ‘Vernalis’
This one always flowers last but it’s a reminder of how much we enjoy Adonis.
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day March 2026
Well it’s been a crazy year for weather so far. We began the month thoroughly in winter and we are in the midst of Spring happening now. In between there has been extreme thunderstorms, threats of tornados, and 80 plus degree days. So I will share our blooms but bear in mind that nothing normal is going on in Maryland for this GBBD.
Though I could easily begin with the daffodils and other outside bulbs what is particularly striking is the Clivia which is having an all mass of blooms.
Clivia in full bloom
Many other good flowers are in the house at the moment.
Hellebores in the house
Daffodil ‘Jack Snipe’ on the dining room table.
Two other imports from the greenhouse are particularly striking.
Freesia
Sparaxis
In the greenhouse I have one of the exotics that you could never grow outside here.
Ferraria divaricata
In the greenhouse there is also a very nice Scilla peruviana coming into bloom.
Scilla peruviana
I have a couple of these Scilla planted in the ground but they only rarely flower in our climate. Other outdoor plants include the Edgeworthia at the front of the yard.
Edgeworthia at the edge of our property
Another item up front is the flowering Apricot, first of our fruit trees to bloom.
Prunus mume ‘Matsubara Red’
One of the flowers I like most at this time of year are Hepatica.
Hepatica nobilis Pink
They are hardy enough that I have some planted in the woods as well.
Hepatica nobilis in the woods
Nearby to the Hepatica in the yard is a particular Jeffersonia dubia just coming into bloom.
Jeffersonia dubia ‘Dark Centers’
One of my discoveries this year is that I had misnamed this plant when I put it in years ago and called it ‘Dark Eyes’. What I realized is that if you search for Jeffersonia dubia ‘Dark Eyes’ you will only find references to my citings on MacGardens and not to the original plant from Garden Vision Epimediums where I bought it.
Another plant with a little story to it is the planting of Scilla siberica ‘Alba’ in the forest. I planted a number of these bulbs next to the forest path years ago and the bulbs slowly moved themselves from the forest into the pathway where they were apparently much happier.
Scilla siberica ‘Alba’
Also in the woods for years now are a couple of patches of small Daffodils that are apparently quite happy being just visible from the path.
Daffodil ‘Jack Snipe’ in the woods
One of the things I relish about planting in the woods is that there is little upkeep. Either the plants succeed and enjoy their space or they don’t. A new planting for the woods are three large bulbous plants that I imported this year from Japan
Cardiocrinum cordatum var. glehnii
The large green leaves are already quite striking.
Not only in the woods but everywhere on our property we have Glory of the Snow. It grows abundantly and is absolutely lovely in flower.
Glory of the Snow (Chionodoxa forbesii)
Another vigorous grower for us is the same Primula that is a wildflower in England.
Primula vulgaris
I am often surprised that these are not more commonly grown in the U.S.
Of course Hellebores are abundant for us right now. They are happy in the woods and the yard. This is one of my favorites.
Helleborus x hybridus ‘Cotton Candy’
One item to share is a very unusual Fritillaria. Most Fritillaria do not share this flat open blossom.
Fritillaria stenanthera
And let me close with a final look at the Adonis which are reaching the end of their blooming cycle. What a joy they are!
Adonis amurensis ‘Fukujukai’
Garden Bloggers Bloom Day February 2026
Backyard on return home
Well we arrived home from California vacation on February 13th and found the remains of three weeks of icy weather in Maryland. So this Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day has only limited flowers to share. I suppose I should be grateful that the snow provided insulation for the plants during some of the coldest weather Maryland has had in years. The snowdrops were visible in the grass.
Galanthus nivalis in the grass
There were just a few bare patches of soil showing up. And in one of them the Adonis were demonstrating why you should plant Adonis.
Adonis in the early morning
And then when the sun came fully out
Adonis amurensis ‘Fukujukai’
The Adonis have long been one of my favorite flowers and over the next few weeks some of the other varieties will showing up after the snow melts.
I can also see some color on the Witch Hazels but they are behind their normal performance at this time of year.
Witch Hazel ‘Diane’
Witch hazel (Hamamelis mollis)
Otherwise we need to go into the greenhouse to enjoy the flowers. The greenhouse survived the cold temperatures quite well and several of the flowers will come into the house.
Geum ‘Pink Frills’
Lewisia ‘Little Raspberry’
Nerine ‘Masonorium’
Cyrtanthus breviflorus
Cyrthanus hybrid
Veltheimia
Veltheimia flower
I think a lot of flowering will be evident in the next few weeks as the snow melts. In particular the daffodils should be ready to go from the buds showing now to full open flowers…
I should mention in closing that we had a great time with flowers on the west coast with visits to Huntington and the UCR Botanical Garden. In particular I will share a short video of our visit to the Ventura Botanical Garden
Short walk in Ventura Botanical Garden