Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - April 2021

I'm celebrating Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day a day late, but with all the color and excitement of a lush spring. After weeks of really cold (for Portland) nights and barely warmer days, we are now into multiple days of warm, dry, sunny weather - not a moment too soon for me. (Permit me to apologize for the burned-out exposures in today's post: it's that very welcome sunshine, but almost impossible to avoid this week. Oh, too bad!)

First, Loropetalum chinense var rubrum 'Sizzling Pink' is taking up the slack from the recently removed Eucalyptus (RIP, E. pauciflora ssp debeuzevilli.)

At the feet of the Loropetalum is this little Rhododendron williamsianum. I bought it for its distinctive leaf shape, but this time of year, it blooms with a few simple pale pink flowers.

Ribes sanguineum is in full flower in the Northwest Territory, delighting us, the bees and the hummingbirds.

Dodecatheon hendersonii is the most welcome spring ephemeral. It's great to see it returning amongst the grand upheavals that have transformed the NW Territory this spring. But that's another post.

Another sweet spring flower is Ipheon uniflorum 'Alberto Castillo'. Compared to a neighbor's vast bank of Ipheon, my one little bloom is underwhelming, but I hope it settles in and reproduces.

 

Three compact Pieris japonica 'Prelude' are in full pure-white flower.

Tricyrtis is a plant I have never had good luck growing. This picture documents my excitement at the first bloom on one little flower head. I hope it's another success this year.

It's Grevillea australis time! You need smell-o-vision for this shrub. I have even had passersby ask me what the scent is, it's so pervasive and lovely. The blossoms are small, but powerful.

Near the Grevillea on my hell strip, poor little Ceanothus 'Valley Violet' struggles on and sports about four blossom heads this year. I love this poor little mite, but I wonder if I shouldn't start over with a new one in a more protected spot; dog and foot traffic have not been kind to it.

Also in the hell strip, my favorite small manzanita hybrid, Arctostaphylos x media 'Martha Ewan', with her surprisingly late-blooming flowers.

 Stop - in the name of Rosemary!

And now the primulas: this is P. seboldii 'Late Snow'.

 Primula 'Hose-in-Hose Yellow'.

And a happy mix of Primula veris and cultivars, mostly courtesy of garden blogger friends.

 In the same shady garden bed, Beesia deltophylla sports its fun, frothy flower stalks.

 Camellia 'April Kiss' is nearly finished, but has been a delight this spring.

One of many impossible-to-photograph Epimedium.

Last, the huckleberries (Vaccinium ovatum) in the front garden enjoyed the late, cool spring. I see huckleberry pancakes in my future later this year.

And that completes the sun-washed survey of blooms for this month. Check out May Dreams Gardens for lots more April flowers from all over.

A belated happy Bloom Day all!