Wednesday 16 May 2018

Blooming May

I love this time of year, not least because the lilac blooms right outside my bedroom window and there's no scent I'd rather the breeze carry into my bedroom.


It's not all about lilac though, there's so much more interest in the garden at this time of year.


Geum - Koi. This is a dwarf variety. I also have Mrs J Bradshaw in my garden, though she isn't flowering yet.


Dicentra Spectablilis or Lamprocapnos Spectablils as it's now known. I prefer its more common name of Bleeding Heart.


Welsh Poppy. These pop up all over the place, they're all self sown. I remove most of them but they're pretty so I allow a few to flower.


Chive. The flowers are only just opening up but once they have, they'll be covered in bees, they love them.


Lily of the Valley. These can be a bit of a thug but they tend to behave themselves in my garden.


Dandelion Seedhead. Who can resist these?


Dandelion. Oops, should have removed those seedheads! The grass is covered in dandelions at the moment even though it was only cut a few days ago.


Daisies. There's still room for plenty of daisies though.


Aquilegia - I bought this one but I also have lots of self-seeded ones.


Saxifraga - Peter Pan. I bought this from the plant shop at RHS Harlow Carr a few years ago to give some extra colour in spring, it certainly does as I'd hoped.


Welsh Poppy Bud. They're so tactile.

Do you have a favourite?

50 comments:

  1. Love your colourful flowers, my favorite flower is a Peony, I have a plant in my garden from my mum's garden which is older than me.

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    1. I've never grown peonies but my mum had a beautiful blood red one in her garden, it was a beauty. How lovely that you've got a plant which was in your mum's garden, that's something to treasure.

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  2. Your garden is well ahead of mine, we had a few lilac trees in the garden when I was a child. Their perfume was heady ans would permeate the whole house but they were never cut and taken in. The only flower that is well open now was given to me when I moved here and I have no idea what it is called.

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    1. I think the sunshine we've had just lately has brought everything on. We also had a lilac tree in our garden when I was a child so I was really pleased to find one in this garden when we moved here, though it's much darker than the one from my childhood.

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  3. Your garden must been lovely and colourful with all those beautiful flowers. I killed all the dandelions in our lawn last year, so far they haven't returned, they do have such a pretty cheerful flower though don't they.

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    1. I only have a small border in my garden but I pack it out with plants as I love to have plenty of colour. Well done for getting rid of the dandelions in your lawn, no matter how hard we try we never seem to win the battle.

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  4. I love Dicentra Spectablilis. It's also called Lady in a Bath - I thought it was lovely and rude when I was a kid!

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    1. I've never heard it called Lady in a Bath before, that's definitely one of those names which would evoke a giggle from a child.

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  5. When we left The Willows we left everything in the garden behind only to find that the new owners have since dug everything up. If I'd known I would have dug them up and bring them with me but that's another story. We did bring pots with us and to our surprise there were some poppies that had self seeded. Once they had finished I dried the seed heads and sprinkled them all around the garden and some have taken are growing well in the new garden. Poppies are one of my favourites so I can't wait until they flower.

    Mitzi

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    1. I remember your beautiful garden, how sad that the new owners have dug everything up, what on earth possessed them? There are two flowers which I've only come to like recently, one is the rose and the other are poppies. I've got poppies in my own garden now and they've got buds so they'll be in flower soon. I'm pleased that you've got a little reminder of your old garden in this new one.

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  6. It's a beautiful time of year. Everywhere is suddenly bursting with colour.
    I don't have a favourite but my least favourite at the moment would be the dandelion seed head Lily decided to scatter all over the back seat of my car!
    How lovely to have the scent of Lilac just outside your window. X

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    1. Oh, I'm so sorry, that made me laugh. You'll be finding those dandelion seeds for weeks! It is a lovely time of year, not only are so many plants flowering but the shades of green all around us are so vibrant. I like to keep my bedroom window open at this time of year when the lilac's blooming.

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  7. Great photography. I do love the Bleeding hearts.

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    1. The macro setting is brilliant for flowers. I bought this bleeding heart plant back in 2009, it was a tiny specimen but it had soon outgrown the space where I'd planted it and I had to move it. I'd quite like one of the white varieties.

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  8. Lovely post and pictures. Good to see you include dandelions and daisies. xx

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    1. Dandelions drive me mad popping up everywhere but I can't deny that they give a lovely splash of colour.

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    1. There's so much colour around at the moment.

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  10. Ohhhhhh soooooo gorgeous!

    How lucky you are, to have a lilac tree, right outside of your window. I love Lilacs. But.....

    My husband has allergies, and somehow, I now seem to have something like them. So.... We can not have lilac trees in our yard. -sigh-

    I look at them, in neighboring yards. But can't go and smell them. Oh well, I could when I was young. :-)

    I like dandelions and violets, though they are thought of as weeds. I don't care. Nor do I need an only green lawn. And no chemicals applied here either.

    Let the dandelions flower, say I. Good for the bees.

    That yellow poppy is gorgeous. We have a difficult time getting poppies to grow. -sigh-

    Your weather is much warmer than ours, now. Spring is just beginning here. But we will catch up.

    Enjoy!

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    1. I really feel for anyone who has allergies, I suffered terribly as a child but have grown out of them somewhat, though I do still get them from time to time. I think weeds can be as pretty as flowers. I remember picking handfuls of dandelions as a child and proudly presenting them to my mum to put in a vase. We've had some gorgeous weather just lately, it isn't usually like this, I just hope that this isn't our summer and that we get some more good weather over the months to come.

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  11. Beautiful flowers, you have captured the blooms and flowers so well, I´m sure your garden is a picture. At the farm we had a lilac hedge all along the top of the garden, the scent and colours were so lovely xcx

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    1. I can just imagine a lilac hedge, how pretty that must have been when it was in bloom. It's a wonderful time of year with so much colour around.

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  12. I am certainly envious of the lilac. Lots of beautiful plants.

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    1. I was really pleased when we moved here and I found we had a lilac tree in the garden, it's so beautiful.

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  13. If I have to choose a favourite, it'd be the daisies. They're just such a lovely wee flower. Your garden is much further on than ours. My chives are barely showing never mind any of the flowers. I'll just have to be patient! :o)

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    1. Daisies are so pretty. I think the good weather must have brought everything on, though you'll still have all your flowers to enjoy once mine have passed.

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  14. We have many similar flowers. Lilac and lily of the valley are reminiscent of my childhood. I’d love to be able to grow lily of the valley.

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    1. We had a lilac tree in our garden when I was a child so I was pleased to find one in this garden when we moved here. I've persevered with lily of the valley, it's been in the garden a few years and only now has it put on a little growth, not that I'm complaining, I don't want it to take over as it does in some gardens.

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  15. The lilacs remind me of a neighbour's garden from my childhood. It was a really pretty cottage garden, beautiful in it's organised chaos.
    How can lily of the valley be a thug, it's so pretty! My dad liked that flower. More good memories.
    Lisa x

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    1. The lilac is putting on a fantastic show at the moment, I just love the colour. The lily of the valley is behaving itself so far in my garden but it does tend to take over sometimes, I'm watching it closely.

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  16. I just planted a lilac, I hope that one day it will look as gorgeous as yours! I love all things colourful, the more the merrier. Our garden is behind yours by maybe week or two, still waiting for my Lily of the Valley to flower.

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    1. You won't be disappointed with your lilac, it's a plant I'd have in any garden, they have so much to offer. Your lily of the valley is definitely worth the wait, such a pretty little flower.

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  17. I am surprised at dandelion's strong hold on life, too. Have a nice weekend.

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    1. They're definitely not easy to get rid of.

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  18. Such beautiful blooms in your garden - those lilacs are glorious!! I planted a couple of new varieties in the west border and they are leafing out now, but no blooms yet. There is always so much anticipation the first year after you get a perennial or shrub into the ground and this year I have several that I'm really looking forward to seeing come to life.

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    1. I'm such a big fan of lilacs. It's always exciting when you plant new things in the garden and it seems a long wait until they flower but well worth it. It's amazing how quickly they establish themselves though, I've made the mistake of putting small specimens in small spaces and then having to relocate them in no time at all once they've put on a bit of growth.

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  19. Everything is so gorgeous. Lilacs are my favorite, we can't grow them here in Florida and I miss them so much.

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    1. It's such a shame when you can't grow a flower you're fond of. You do have lots of other lovely blooms which make up for it though.

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  20. Lilacs first and then probably the Lily-of-the-Valley, but really they are ALL beautiful.

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    1. I must admit that I love my lilac tree, I wait for it coming into bloom every year and it never disappoints me.

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  21. Wonderful photographs, Jo. Nice to see what's blooming in your garden. Love the delicate color of the columbine. P x

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    1. The aquilegia is gorgeous, the sun shines right through it. I'm just waiting on a beautiful pale yellow to flower now, the plant's got buds on but no flowers as yet.

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  22. I just love this time of year, nature is wonderful and provides such a variety of trees, plants, flowers and wonderful colours.
    Your photographs look lovely Jo, thanks for sharing them here.

    All the best Jan

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    1. It's a wonderful time of year, especially when the sun is shining as it has been lately. It makes the flowers zing.

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  23. Beautiful photos! There were quite a few dandelions in our garden too... they went to seed before I could do anything about them.

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    1. Oh dear, I fear your lawn will be like mine if you didn't catch the flowers quickly enough.

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  24. Some beautiful blooms here, oh, that poppy seedhead IS so tactile! I wish Lily of the Valley was a thug here, I really struggle to grow it. The smell of lilac is to die for!! xxx

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    1. I look forward to the lilac blooming every year, I absolutely love it. My lily of the valley has taken a few years to get going but I think it's finally settled down.

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  25. I love lilac, we have large bush in our garden and although it doesn't last well in a vase i can't resist bringing some inside every year.
    You have lots of colour in your garden, it mus be very pretty.

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    1. I never bring lilac into the house but it's one of my favourite plants, the scent is just delicious. I have so many more plants flowering now, they're enjoying this sunshine.

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