Wednesday, May 18, 2022

Wednesday Wandering

The new tulips planted last Autumn have not disappointed.  The bulbs were a gift from hubby. For most of our lives together, for one reason or another, we never had much money to give each other gifts on holidays or anniversaries but every once in awhile we found a little money for a surprise gift for no reason. That practice has continued for most of our 48 years together (soon to be 49 years). 

I think the one above is a peony flowered tulip. I can see why! I just love that color! 




Not sure what kind of tulip this one is. It had clusters of flowers. 


This one has black centers and reminds me of poppies. I love the ruffles. 


Oh joy!

The Bleeding Heart has been covered in blooms this year. I meant to take some starts off of this earlier but never got around to it. I'll have to look up if I still can do it. 

I've always called this Bleeding Heart but...

...in an episode of Gardener's World it was also referred to as Lady In The Bath if you look at it this way. Funny! 

I might have missed these Shooting Stars if I didn't know where to look for them. I planted them last year after starting them from seed. I hope they naturalize. 

Most of the lilacs are blooming. I really need to prune the bushes because the flowers are higher up on some of the older bushes. This variegated one used to have dark purple flowers outlined in white. It was hit by lightning and split and started dying. I took a cutting and now I have this one blooming but the flowers are lighter in color. The air is lilac scented and a slight breeze is enough to blow the aroma through the house. 

The Allium is blooming. They are not as big as usual and I don't seem to have as many as usual. I was browsing through a bulb catalog and was amazed by how many different types of allium exist. 

I started Siberian Wallflowers from seed last year and they are back again this year. 



Rabbit or deer ate them down earlier in the year but they came back with a vengeance. 

Aren't they cute? They add a nice dash of color along the pathway in the cottage garden. 

The Lilies of the Valley outside the back door are starting to bloom and they also fill the air with their scent. My father-in-law told me years ago that it was his favorite flower so every time I see them in bloom I think of him. 

The Camassia (Wild Hyacinth or Indian Hyacinth) is starting to bloom. I have a couple of different varieties. Evidently Camassia was a food source for indigenous people and the roasted bulb tastes like a sweet potato. I'm not going to to give that a try unless there is an adult food shortage. It is in the asparagus family. 

The Aquilegia (Columbine or Granny Bonnets) is starting to bloom. I have several different varieties and colors. I fell in love with these many years ago and have grown most of the ones I have from seed. 







The Tree Peonies are in bloom. There are three different types of peonies - herbaceous, tree and intersectional. 

The tree peonies bloom on old wood and last year the deer ate most of the old wood so it was the first time in a long time I had no blooms. I'm thankful I have blooms this year. 





It won't be long before the herbaceous Peonies are in bloom. 

I love my gardens. They are my reason to get up out of bed every day. I can't wait to see what is new each day.  And so it grows...




 

20 comments:

Linda Swanekamp said...

Oh how wonderful all the flowers are. The tulips are spectacular. My watermelon colored tree peony opened yesterday. The pink one not yet. I used to have a magenta one like yours, but a garage addition flattened it. I have a tiny yard and try cramming a lot in. Thank you for sharing such gorgeous photos, just lifted me up!

Quiltdivajulie said...

I just love it when you take us with you on your garden wanderings - you have BEAUTIFUL blooms and your photos really showcase them well. I grew up with peonies, lilacs, and lilies of the valley and, of course, the acres of amazing tulips in Holland MI. You have some real beauties in your assortment!

Pat at Bell Creek Quilts said...

Thanks for taking me on your garden walk! I love flowers but have a terrible brown thumb! I enjoy flowers vicariously through you! :)

Linda said...

What a glorious collection of unusual tulips. Your garden photos reminded me of some memories too. I’ve had my cousin staying for a couple of days, haven’t seen him for 3 or 4 years, mainly due to the pandemic. On Monday we went for a little walk around the neighbourhood and walking past a purple lilac tree reminded me of the purple and white lilacs trees in my parents’s garden which he remembered too. Lily of the valley I associate with my grandparents’s garden.

Juliana said...

What lovely flowers!! I once had a house with a tree peony. I did not know they even existed. Apparently the Chinese emperor from some much earlier era refused to allow anyone to have them, and only he had them in his gardens. Yours are just lovely. (I hope you will laugh when I tell you that when I started scrolling through your photos, I had a huge sneezing fit, lol! I guess even the sight of so much potential pollen triggered my hay fever response, lol!)
Thank you for sharing these wonderful flowers with all of us.

Libby in TN said...

Gorgeous garden and such interesting variety!

Cindy said...

WOW! What a wonderful flower garden!!!!! Such beauties! My fave is the fushia peony. I have no luck with peonies as I have shaded out my yard. So I will have to enjoy yours! And I am IN LOVE with your basket blocks!!!!!

Judy P. said...

Your tulips are indeed glorious! I didn’t realize there are ones that are like that. And the peonies…. Don’t get me started.

KB from Texas said...

Absolutely beautiful. I would love to be able to grow flowers like yours.... thank you so much for sharing.

Laura said...

Thank you for the garden wander! It does such good for the soul to spend time in the garden! Love the new tulips! Your season must be a little bit ahead of mine; my peonies haven't opened yet, but they will soon! :)

MissPat said...

Wow, that first tulip is gorgeous and has such an unusual tulip color. Your spring garden is looking terrific. I had a tree peony that lasted about 7 years, but got some kind of wilting disease. Dwarf irises are in bloom and lilacs and doublefile Viburnum.
Pat

Sharon said...

Oh Cathy! Your flowers are as beautiful as your quilts. I don't know where you find time for everything. I have a lot of the same flowers as you except for the beautiful parrot tulips. Our peonies are budding, but not yet open. We have a gorgeous pink camellia that's been blooming for a month, and the many rhododendrons are just starting. May is a favorite month because of all the flowers. Probably like you, we have to plant enough for the deer and us to enjoy.

Sumac said...

Your garden is exquisite! I love my flower gardens and have been working hard on them this spring. I have a lot of plants that need dividing this year.

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

I love seeing all of these!
The colors are so stunning!!
( we are supposed to get snow Friday???)

Angie said...

Lovely - thanks for sharing! Your flowers are so different than what can grow where I live...it's such a joy to see all the shapes and colors. My mom's favorite is Lily of the Valley, so I'm reminded of her whenever I see them.

Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson said...

I didn't even have buds on my Bleeding Heart when I checked on it last weekend. Now that we have had a little rain again I'll have to check it out again. I love your variety of tulips. I would have thought that the one that looks like a poppy was a poppy until I saw its leaves.
I don't have room to plant a tree peony but I would have one if I had the space.

Anonymous said...

Your garden is beautiful, full of inspiration for colors and percentages of each in quilts! I especially love the Columbine varieties that you have. A plant memory from my youth.

cityquilter grace said...

oh they are all so beautiful...the pink tulip is a fringed tulip i think...

Mystic Quilter said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mystic Quilter said...

Oh Cathy what an absolute treat to catch up on posts and see all these photos of your wonderful garden treasures! The tulip in the first photo is unbelievable, never seen colour like this in any tulip, ever. I love old fashioned garden plants so you can imagine my delight at your collection of aquilegias, your tulips, wallflowers and peonies and your other plantings. Too hot for me to grow lilac here, nor lily of the valley but both have scents which I miss very much.