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.
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
Garden Bloggers Bloom Day January 2026
Camellia japonica
Well, for this GBBD it’s going down to 18 degrees tonight but this Camellia japonica doesn’t seem to mind. We have a fair number of Camellias but this particular Camellia has two parts, one which blooms early and the other half comes in the normal Spring blooming for Camellia japonicas. Here’s another view of the same plant.
Camellia japonica blooming early
Most of the other japonicas have lots of buds but no blooms as in this example.
Camellia japonica
It’s hard not to want to plant more Camellias since they have such an extensive blooming season and look good even when they are not in bloom. Here’s the last flower on the fall blooming Camellia sansanqua.
Camellia sasanqua
And then there is the very lovely little hybrid Camellia ‘Yume’ which manages to flower extensively across the late Fall to early Spring.
Camellia ‘Yume’
Other than the Camellias, flowering is still pretty limited. We are seeing the first snowdrops appearing in multiple places including the lawn.
Galanthus elwesii in the lawn
And I can now see the first flower buds on the Cyclamen Coum.
Cyclamen coum first bud
Otherwise my morning garden walk is more focused on the various ways that green contributes to the garden. Here’s the Cyclamen hederifolium for example.
Cyclamen hederifolium
I find the winter is much more tolerable when there is lots interesting greenery. Here are some other green points.
Japanese Holly Fern (Cyrtomium falcatum)
Mahonia ‘Soft Caress’
Mahonia japonica
One of many Hellebores in the woods
One of many Epimediums in the woods
I also have been tracking the Pussy Willow on the hillside as this is the first year we’ve had buds.
Pussy Willow
Of course for every winter’s day my real focus is on the Adonis and wondering when they will first show up. Here is their status.
Adonis ‘Chichibu Beni’
Adonis ‘Fukujukai’
Lastly let me note that the greenhouse has been a constant joy. Here is one of the current flowerings.
Freesia fucata
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day December 2025
Our winter gardens
Well we went from buds creeping into the yard to a snowfall yesterday and super cold temperatures for this GBBD. It went down to 15 degrees last night. Despite the cold I thought it was worth noting that one of the Camellias seems to have cold resilience built in as the flowers are still showing on the Camellia ‘Yume’.
Camellia ‘Yume’
All the other Camellias have lost their flowers or are patiently waiting for Spring.
Camellia japonica (this one has had a few early blooms already)
I did notice that the flower buds on the Mahonia in the forest are still there, though whether they will actually open is a matter of question.
Mahonia in the forest
Otherwise I thought it was worth noting that, like the Mahonia, some plants are just as noteworthy for there beautiful green leaves.
Cyclamen hederifolium
And there are a number of perennial plants putting their early shoots out of the ground.
Adonis ‘Chichibu Beni’
For flowers we turn to the greenhouse which is benefiting from my thorough cleaning this Fall.
Freesia
Lewisia longipetala ‘Little Raspberry’
Princess Flower (Tibouchina urvilleana)
The Princess Flower is about ten feet tall in the greenhouse and has been flowering since June. I really don’t know why more people don’t grow these.
I thought I would also share the leaves of a new Hydrangea in the greenhouse that is a birthday gift for Beth.
Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Inspire’
The mahogany coloring is inspiring…
This Hydrangea is from Juniper Level Botanic Garden. If you haven’t visited Tony’s website, I encourage you to check it out.
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day November 2025
Fall Camellia (Camellia sasanqua red)
Well it’s GBBD and it’s hard not to look at the Camellias as the main focus for this time of year. They just seem relish the colder temperatures even though they are just barely hardy here. This particular C. sasanqua actually died back to the ground one year and I was ready to take it out but instead it began growing again and now goes up to the roofline.
Fall Camellia (Camellia sasanqua red) shrub.
Its companions for Fall weather are another C. sasanqua and a very long blooming hardy hybrid.
Camellia sasanqua ‘October Magic Orchid’
Camellia ‘Survivor’
But surprisingly there were a couple of unusual flowers showing up despite the fact that we have been below thirty degrees on a couple of nights.
Alstromeria ‘Sweet Laura’
There was also an azalea that yielded a flower and then this morning I noticed that the Loropetalum had a single blossom wanting to bloom.
Loropetalum chinense var. rubrum ‘Zhuzhou Fuschia’
Perhhaps the Loropetalum was not aware that it is barely hardy here.
Of course there are lots of things in the yard that are getting ready for spring like the Edgeworthia.
Edgeworthia chrysantha
As we look forward to winter actually arriving (they are calling for over 60 degrees next week), we have cleaned out the greenhouse to make it fully usable for the citrus and various small pots for South African and South American flowers.
Greenhouse in order…
You can get some appreciation for why I do this with close up images from the right side and upper left of the greenhouse image.
Nerine undulata
Princess Flower (Tibouchina Urvilleana)
The other thing that struck me as I wandered the grounds over the last couple of days is what marvelous color we’ve had this year. There are just so many ways in which fall colors make the days seem special, sometimes from trees you wouldn’t think of for color..
Threadleaf Japanese Maple
Carolina Allspice leaves
Hybrid Witch Hazel (Hamamelis x ‘Amethyst’)
Paperbark Maple
And then me close with another sort of color
Sunset on the hillside
Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day October 2025
Dahlias from the garden
I thought I should start out this month’s GBBD post with the Dahlias that have been so glorious for us this year. Mostly they come from Swan Island and they have never been so large and productive as this year. I think part of the credit goes to son Josh for rigging up the watering system. They look wonderful in the house.
Dahlias brought inside
We have also gotten wonderful production from the Bishop of Llandaff which stay outside in the wintertime.
Dahlia ‘Bishop of Llandaff’
I’ve noticed that the bees and monarchs are very fond of the Bishop.
We are also harvesting the first of the fall camellias.
Camellia x ‘Survivor’
In the yard the Cyclamen hederifolium are nearly done flowering but the leaves remain with their lovely patterns.
Cyclamen hederifolium leaves
In the front yard we have a lovely Aconitum specimen that stands out at this time of year.
Aconitum carmichaelii (Arendisii)
In the backyard are a couple of fall crocus that delightful in detail.
Crocus speciosus ‘Conqueror’
Also the backyard we have a nice patch of toad lillies that are sharing their flowers.
Toad lily (Trycyrtis hirta) in the garden
And there is even one flowering in the woods at this point.
Toad lily (Trycyrtis hirta) in the woods
As we exit the backyard the Cestrum at the gate continues its flowering.
Cestrum ‘Orange Peel’
I should probably share a picture of the whole plant to give some idea of how remarkable it is that this plant dies back to the ground each winter.
Cestrum ‘Orange Peel’ whole bush
Right next to it are many Black and Blue Sage flowers which were said to be marginally hardy in our area but which continue to spread every year.
Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’
Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’
The greenhouse has also been sharing flowers with the house this month.
Zephyranthes fosteri
This is one of the nicest of the rain lillies.
I also found a nice Nerine in Flower this week.
Nerine Zinkowski hybrid
I will close with one of very nicest developing shrubs on the property. This is the Temple of Bloom that we got from Nurseries Caroliniana a couple of years ago.
Hepticodium miconioides ‘Temple of Bloom’
When it’s white flowers are done in the fall it ends up with beautiful red bracts that are like flowers as well.
Hepticodium leaf bracts