Bloomday April 2017

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  On the back end of Bloomday this month-I love it when Bloomday falls on the weekend so I can have a leisurely walk about with the camera whatever time of day suits me. Today I was in a frenzy to get my mulch pile reduced and a few new plants installed before it rains (again) tomorrow.Photos taken in haste and I probably missed a few. Spring clean up and weeding has proceeded at a frustratingly slow pace due to the continuing precipitation we are experiencing here. At this point It's likely I will make it well into May before I have to water anything in the ground.

 Last April I featured my roses, but this year there are only a few that have opened

 
 Two flowers have appeared on the floribunda 'Our Lady of Guadalupe' .
 


' Honey Perfume'-which ironically has no detected scent to me-is the only rose that is in full bloom at the present. It's position on the hell-strip with plentiful all day sun is probably a factor.



My beloved Madame Isaac Perrier  has more buds than I can recall in many years, and will be a blackspot mess in a another couple of weeks. But the fragrance !


 Gruss an Auchen




This Geum 'Totally Tangerine' has been blooming since February as I recall. I planted it last summer and will be interested to see how long the bloom continues. Really outstanding so far !


 A full view


Clematis are shifting into high gear-they are loving this rainy spring.

Niobe


 Ramona


 Mystery plant from the late-great Chalk Hill.



 Weigela variegata with Lavender 'Platinum Blonde'


The tag is long lost on this Geranium from Robin Parer. It only blooms once but has great bronze-y foliage as you can see.


The fabulous and unpronounceable Erygium 'Jos Eijking' .



Always excellent Euphorbia 'Ascot Rainbow'



And E. 'Silver Swan'


 My only bearded Iris, noid .



Make sure you pay a visit to Carol at May Dreams Gardens , our hostess for this monthly bloom action.

Comments

  1. Kris PetersonApril 15, 2017 at 7:24 PM

    All lovely selections! Your roses all look perfect to me and that Iris is drop-dead gorgeous. I love that Weigela-lavender combination too. I do wish some of that rain up your way would hold itself together to drift down this way. I see that we've now got a 50% chance of being spit on Monday night but, as the last storm missed us entirely, I'm not laying odds on even that. I hope you get drier weather and sunny skies soon!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ksApril 16, 2017 at 9:48 AM

      Rain off and on the early part of the week here, but clearing up for the weekend thank goodness.

      Delete
  2. SueApril 15, 2017 at 7:24 PM

    Now that I have a bit more sun, I need to try Geums again. Monique has one she really loves. I wonder if it's 'Totally Tangerine'? So many plants here I'd love to grow but know better than to try...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ksApril 16, 2017 at 10:01 AM

      Sue, I got 'Totally Tangerine' from Annies and they say Z4 .

      Delete
  3. organicgardendreamsApril 16, 2017 at 7:50 AM

    Hi KS, I love to see your roses! 'Our Lady of Guadalupe' looks so healthy. Mine has problems with powdery mildew most of the times and for that reason I got rid of two out of three plants already. I am even contemplating to remove the last bush from my garden :-(.
    'Honey Perfume' is such a beautifully saturated yellow orange color. It would look great together with your fabulous geum 'Totally Tangerine'.
    I had 'Mme. Isaac Perierre' at one point, but it died on me. I always wanted to replace it simply because of its outstanding fragrance. I think it is one of the best out there in the rose kingdom.
    Since last year I do have an own-root 'Gruss an Aachen' as well, but it is still a baby. Its last blooms were showing a very pale cream yellow coloration, no pink at all, but very pretty as well. This plant is truly the chameleon under my roses.
    Besides all the other plants I truly love your Erygium 'Jos Eijking'. It has such an outstanding blue color.
    Happy Easter to you and your loved ones!
    Christina

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ksApril 16, 2017 at 10:06 AM

      Christina, mildew is not much of a problem here at all most years, but blackspot is another story ! I have 2 Our Lady of Guadalupe, one on each side of the path that goes to my front door, and she is virtually disease free for me.

      Delete
  4. danger gardenApril 16, 2017 at 10:42 AM

    Ah now you've got me regretting having passed on a Geranium with bronze-y foliage. I had one, it disappeared. I do love that foliage. And your Clematis!!! Wow....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ksApril 17, 2017 at 5:05 PM

      I have a whole laundry list of geraniums I want to try Loree, but where the heck to put them is always the question.

      Delete
  5. Hoover BooApril 19, 2017 at 4:19 PM

    Ah, miss that Chalk Hill Clematis. My 'Perle d'Azur's came from there, one of the best. Yes, funny about 'Honey Perfume' being scentless. It's similar to 'Honey Bouquet', which is the fragrant one!

    Beautiful photos, too. Thanks for the eye candy!

    ReplyDelete
  6. ksApril 19, 2017 at 5:38 PM

    Chalk Hill was reborn as a cut flower farm, but they don't open to the public.They sell cut Clematis stems to florists and designers. Wish they'd open up a few times a year for garden touring.

    ReplyDelete
  7. JasonApril 19, 2017 at 7:19 PM

    Great roses - I LOVE 'Honey Perfume'. Like that orange Geum, too.

    ReplyDelete
  8. DeniseApril 21, 2017 at 8:00 AM

    What a fat and happy garden after all that rain. I've got zip from that geum so far, and I think that's a fair SoCal test, after all that rain, a mild spring, and still no blooms. Turned the drip hoses on today. MIP has a hint of raspberry, right? What a feast. Love that varieg lav. Be sure to let me know if any good garden tours open up there. Not sure about the Mendo/Marin open days. What do you think?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ksApril 22, 2017 at 8:43 PM

      MIP very raspberry Denise. And fat round buds. Blackspot has arrived though-the whole thing will probably be defoliated in a month. I'm doing the GC Mendo gig next weekend and staying over a couple nights for some R and R. There is a nice Marin day in June but it's the same weekend that I am doing a full day photo workshop with Saxon Holt at Western Hills.

      Delete
  9. MDNApril 21, 2017 at 11:30 PM

    Gorgeous roses!Especially the yellow one. I adore roses but growing them in my warm humid climate is always an uphill battle! greetings from Argentina.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ksApril 22, 2017 at 8:49 PM

      Thank you for visiting. I'm grateful that I don't have to contend with humidity-that must be pretty challenging !

      Delete

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