Friday In The Garden

 

Another week has whizzed right by and we here in Ohio are glad to see such a wet week behind us.
Our hearts and prayers go out to those states and families where devastating tornadoes have wrecked havoc on homes and have taken so many lives.
I pray all our gardening friends are safe.

This week the Ajuga reptans  ‘Burgundy Glow’  a Carpet Bugleweed started blooming. This is the first year that it has bloomed for me so I am still trying to decided whether I like this tint of  blue flowers against its burgundy variegated foliage.

It is good to use in shadier beds and is hardy in zones  3 to 10.  In some areas I am told it may be invasive but it is a groundcover so should be considered as such when you plant it in your garden.

Some of the Alliums ‘Purple Sensation’ or Flowering Onion are also starting to open some of their blooms. They are some of the earliest blooming alliums so they opening just in time as the tulips petals are blowing off in the wind. When the blooms are open all the way the blooms run from 4 to 5 inches across and the stems are about 30 inches tall.

 Dicentra spectabilis  Alba Bleeding Hearts are blooming in the Shade Garden now.

Since there is no bleeding of colors on these white hearts it is sometimes called “White Pantaloons”. I am not certain I like this name for them at all but like to see them as just hearts. LOL!

 
The Iberis white Candytuft continues to spread and fill in with those pretty white blooms along a section of the front walkway. It is an evergreen spreading shrub that ranges from 9 to 12 inches tall and is used as a border plant. It is hardy to zones 3 to 9 and can be grown in full sun to part shade.
It is partly shaded here along the Shade Garden walkway and is doing well but I am certain it would do better in more sun.
I like it for its early spring blooms which brightens the shady area  and its evergreen foliage.

Clematis ‘Silver Moon’ is getting buds and is one of my earliest blooming of the clematis vines in my garden. It has very large 6 to 7 inch lavender-silver blooms. It is a type 2 clematis and grows in zones 4 to 10.

For those of you who have been looking for this one it can be found at Bluestone Perennials.

Some of the earlier blooming tulips have lost their blooms now but a few later blooming tulips are now opening.

One the one sunny day we had this week the “Queen of the Night’ tulips did get to open up.

 
The deep burgundy blooms look almost black when they are closed.

 

Is everyone tired of seeing tulips already? I hope not because I am enjoying every little bloom after the long winter we had and just refuses to get the hint and leave already.

   Tiarella  ‘Spring Symphony” Foamflower is just gorgeous now in the Shade Garden. I love its pink feathery blooms.

Tiarella is an early bloomer and is a bright spot in any shade garden. The plant grows from 12 to 18 inches tall and is hardy in zones 4 to 9. The foliage is a great addition to the shade garden until freezin’ season.

The high winds and rains have now knocked off most of the petals from the Magnolia  ‘Jane’ now. Her blooms gone too soon this spring.

But the Pulmonaria blooms are still going strong and the leaves of ‘Diana Clare’ are losing their spots and are growing longer and getting  their solid silver-green look that lasts throughout the growing season. Even without the blooms this plant lights up a shade garden with  just its foliage alone.

The vinca minor, or Periwinkle, or Creeping Myrtle, which has as many names as it has plaques, is blooming prettily.
This is the one of the most invasive groundcovers next to Crownvetch so never, ever plant it anywhere else but a problem area in your yard. I have it on the slope behind the garage that wanted to wash away . As a new gardener I planted some in a bed between the house and the garage and now I pull it up by the handfuls all summer and still cannot get rid of it because of its spreading root system. It will take over your flower bed and choke out your flowers . I have noticed in the parks around here that the wild periwinkle is  even threatening to take over other native plants and flowers that grow near it. It is an evergreen groundcover.

Vinca minor variegata has bigger leaves and does died back after a freeze but it comes back again in the spring. It is a little invasive but can be more manageable. I dig some out and use it in hanging baskets and containers for the summer.
Be aware that if it touches the ground it will root in and start growing.

I think this is wild mustard plants that are growing along the Woodland Garden.??? I know someone will know what its true name is.

The Sorbet peony is getting its buds also but I have not seen any ants yet. LOL!

So the gardens are really growing and blooming right now and my gardeners little heart could not be happier.
I am joining with Tootsie at “Tootsie Time” for Fertilizer Friday. Why not join with us and “Flaunt Your Flowers”.

Everyone have a wonderful weekend in the garden and
Happy Gardening,
Lona

 

Technorati Tags: Tulips,Pulmonaria,Ajuga,Magnolia,Tiarella,Clematis,Allium,Shade Garden