Sunday, May 15, 2022

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day - May 2022

The cold, wet spring continues at Longview Ranch. Everyone is hoping for a bit of warmth, but there's no denying the wet weather with its mountain snowpack will be a positive thing come summer. And the plants just keep growing, though some flowers are getting tattered by the rain. Here are some very moist examples.

I love the reliable Lewisia cotyledon 'Sunset Shades' in my garden. These cultivars of Pacific Northwest wildflowers are happy to grow if given sun and good drainage.




Scilla peruviana is an arresting sight and remarkably hardy in my zone 8b garden. It's hard to tell here but the blooms are up to five inches across.



It's the month for some intense blues; here's Ceanothus 'Joan Mirov' just getting started blooming.



This is the first time I have had any blooms on Ajuga 'Chocolate Chip' reptans 'Mahogany' (thank you LL Garden for noticing my incorrect ID!)  It's getting more sun after we took out a big eucalyptus last spring and that's apparently what it was waiting for.



Iris tenax is, as I mentioned, struggling with the rain.


Our patch of Camassia leichtlineii is always a delight. The blues range from very deep to pale violet.



 

NOID Pacific Coast iris in a lovely golden shade.



Iris x pacifica 'Drives You Wild' is the most robust PCI I have.



I selected this white iris from a group of lovely Iris x pacifica 'Meadow Pastels' at Xera Plants.



Here's the first, brave California poppy, Eschscholzia californica.


And a few outliers: Lathyrus aureus, a gorgeous tangerine-colored pea flower, still waiting for its place in the garden.


 

The tiny flowers on Berberis verruculosa.


 

The filmy little flowers of Luzula nivea. This happy grass loves shade and manages with a modicum of water.


 

Finally, a couple of little native penstemon blooming this month in the Northwest Territory. Here is P. rupicola. davidsonii var menziesii. (Thank you, Tamara!)

And Penstemon davidsonii var menziesii. rupicola (and another hat-tip to Tamara for straightening me out!) Both are lovely little groundcovers.


May is our namesake sponsor's special month at May Dreams Gardens. Jump over there to see what else is blooming for Carol and other bloggers this Bloom Day.

Happy Bloom Day, all!







8 comments:

  1. Wonderful blooms! I would love to be able to grow Lewisias, especially those salmon-peachy colored ones. But they always rot in winter no matter how good the drainage is. Yours are stunning. I don't think the Ajuga you're growing is 'Chocolate Chip', it looks very different, more like Ajuga reptans 'Atropurpurea' or a similar cultivar.

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    1. You are right, LL! Thanks for catching my error on the Ajuga. It is indeed A. reptans 'Mahogany'.
      - MulchMaid

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  2. Beautiful! The Irises are my favorites, so pretty!
    Have a blessed day!

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    1. Thanks for visiting, Lea!
      - MulchMaid

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  3. All so gorgeous - and despite the deluge this spring. That Lathyrus is something to look into, I might need one! Say, in my mind the Penstemon rupicola and davidsonii are switched - davidsonii has the more purple flowers? I could be way off! Gorgeous all the same.

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    1. It's been an error-filled post and I appreciate the switch being pointed out, Tamara! You are quite right that I switched my IDs on the Penstemon. All fixed now! I plead a nasty cold fogging my brain...
      - MulchMaid

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  4. Every time you post your Lewisias I wonder why I don't have any . They are readily available here but I guess I just kind of forget about them. Love that Scilla too !

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    1. I would think Lewisia would do beautifully for you. Give 'em a try!

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