May GBBD

Always a day late for me.....with chasing squirrels off the bird feeders, bunnies off the hostas and chipmunks out of my pots, who has the time?  I'm just thankful my suburban garden does not have deer.
Happy (belated) Bloom Day, everyone!  Here in Central Illinois, zone 5b, the weather has mostly been beautiful.  A nice Spring....until just a few days ago.  We are in the middle of cold snap and back to wearing heavy clothes and cold toes.  We've had a few days of rain, so it is too soggy and cold to plant anything right now.  But, I can admire the colors with a warm cup of coffee.

One of my favorite additions are my 3 Magic Carpet Spireas.  This is my first Spring with them, and I think they are just showing off.

'Magic Carpet 'Spirea with Zebra grass and 'Silver Dragon' Lirirope Muscari May 2016 

Zebra grass and 'Magic Carpet' Spirea

The Flower buds make the leaves look electric

Spirea Flower buds

I added more Alliums to the beds last fall.  They pop up here and there.  They are lovely, but I need to find some plants to cover the base.  I like them so much better when they are mixed with companions, instead of out there all on their own.  I was reading Hayfield Gardens blog about plant pairings and was inspired to make some changes.  She has lots of great ideas....Makes me want to buy her book!

Globemaster giant Allium

These Giant Alliums showed up a little little later than my others, maybe the variety, or maybe because it's their first year?  Their leaf base is much more compact and close to the ground.  I should have photographed that..

Globe master Giant Allium with variegated Hosta and 'Rainbows End' Alberta Spruce

So, I literally took this small space out of a Fine Gardening Magazine.  A tipped pot with a flowering plant spilling out.  Thought it would look great.  The creeping phlox are creeping and spilling, but just not flowering.  They get a lot of sun.  I am confused.  Let it be known, they are on the chopping block.  Just one more Spring.

'Red Wings' Creeping Phlox

This is a my monster Japanese maple that I've cut down majorly twice.  It's a bad photo, but I needed to put it in my official report anyway.  It's too big.  It's a cry for help.

Japanese Maple hovering over 'Sum & Substance Hosta and Azalea bushes

Tiger Eye Sumac

 Another one that has not been documented yet.
This is my Tiger Eye Sumac, and this is its 3rd
year in the spot.  It looks very pretty with the sun shining through it.   This is the front of my lot close to the street.  It's finally large enough to demand a bit of attention.

A week ago I transplanted this Purple Smokebush into the ground.  It survived all last year in a pot because I had forgotten to plant it, the year before. It had over wintered in a forgotten spot and was holding on my a leaf.  I thought it was a goner, but I put it in the sun in a large pot, and it recovered rather well

Royal Purple Purple Smokebush

This is 'Blue N' Gold' Spiderwort.  I've referred to this as the Monster.  It's sloppy habit is hard for me to deal with, but the flower are so very pretty!  The vibrant leaves reverted from the hybrid glowing green, to it's original green.  That happened in a matter of 2 seasons.  To replace it or not???

Sweet little delicate blue Columbine.  First Spring here in the Appleton Shade Bed

'Origami Bleu & White' Columbine

'Origami Bleu & White' Columbine flower

The Astilbes are about to start, everyone please take your seats.

'Fanal' Astilbe with a nosy Solomon's Seal poking through

The Shade bed is filling in and sporting their shades of green

Ferns, hostas, Brunneria, 'Cintronella' heuchera

I'm liking these pairings

Hostas, Heuchera and 'White Nancy' Lamium

Ferns and hosta

In case you couldn't tell, I'm a nerd.  And the proof is in the hostas.  This is Enterprise Hosta.  Vulcan and Capt Kirk did not make the photo journal this time.

Enterprise Hosta

Some of early Springs fading flowers

Bleeding Heart, False-Forget-Me-Nots and Fern

Bleeding Heart

Signs of mini demons feasting....

Bunny ravaged Hosta

I know it's BLOOM day, and so far there are few blooms, but I'm working on it.  I have a few blooms coming up.  I need to remember what it looks like all around so I'll know where to add color.  This one, is just so cute.  It's put on a few inches already this year.  Pinus Stobus...something.  I lost the tag

moppy conifer who is nameless until I find the tag

We turn to the right, away from the shade bed and to the back of the house which receives significantly more sun.  This is where my blooms get better, mostly because I've been working on this area longer.

Bearded Iris.  A gift from Cora's garden

I am enthralled with the many shades of this Ninebark shrub.  It is a non stop show every season!  This was worth every penny.  I'm finally starting to see some blooms.  I read these can easily become unruly (and we can have none of that), unless one is diligent with pruning.  I have been almost diligent, but enough to prune my out of the spring blooms.  So, I've left it alone so I can see it's petals.  When they are gone, we will go in for some...augmentation.

'Center Glow' Ninebark Spring flowers with it's Rusty brown leaves

'Ernest Markham' Clematis

'Ernest Markham' Clematis

This Siberian Iris surprised me last year, and it was so vibrant that I took a small section and moved it behind my blue water fountain pot.  I thought the bright purple and the robins-egg-blue would play nicely.  It has some maturing to do, and is not yet in full swing.  Hopefully I can have a before and after pic next Spring

'Rubies N' Gold' Weigela with 'Frosty Morn' Sedum

'Black Lace' Elderberry (Sambucas nigra)

Another Reason I am glad I was introduced to Shrubs.  My BlackLace Elderberry is a delight.  Also, one that I have tinkered with at the wrong times and robbed it of it's bloom cycle.  I saw a photo in a magazine that made me realize, it was more than a pretty blackish shrub.
[hand smacking forehead - DUH]
With some other magazine ideas (please tell me I'm not the only one with stacks of Gardening Magazines next to each sitting area around the house) and ideas from last years garden walks, I planted at the base of this shrub, light pink yarrow, purple salvia, bright poppies, lambs ear and some Dianthus.  But...nothing is blooming yet, save the Salvia.  ******Anticipation*******
I trimmed this back in the late winter to prevent it from becoming leggy.  This is a picture this year April and May.

Black Lace Elderberry pruned in February, pictured on left on April 15 and on right May 15

I am just enthralled with the dark simple leaf and the delicate frothy flower. Love. Love. Love

'Black Lace' Elderberry Spring Flower.  Just one so far, near the bottom of the shrub

The Salvia (planted late last summer) in front of the Elderberry

'Blue Hill' Salvia just starting it's blooms May

The Clematis above is about to burst onto the seen.  The buds are ripe, but taking their time.  The blooms were lack luster last Spring and Summer.  I did some hard pruning to try and revive them.  Fingers crossed

'Jack Mani' Clematis buds in mid May

'Moonshine' Achilla communing with the rather bossy Lambs Ear 

Lambs Ear preparing it's blooms

Bright 'Blackberry Ice' Heuchera paired with the spikey 'Orange matrix' Asiatic Lily and the taller and more aggressive 'Fireworks' Oenothera fruticosa AKA SUNDROPS 

The bloomed out 'Chocolate Chip' Ajuga, in front of 'Caramel' Heuchera and 'Shasta Daisy' Leucanthemum superb in the background looms 'Golden Jubilee' Agastache 

In a month, maybe 2 there will be no empty space here.  I love to note the stage in May and look back on it in July and August.  It's a simple reminder to me that things happen on their own.  They don't meet hurrying them along.  I do the work, set the stage and the rest is out of my control.

Rooster bed bending into the Cottage bed.  Flanked by 'Emerald Green' Arborvatie set as sentinels, 'Golden Jubilee' Agastache and 'Black Eyed Susan' Rudbeckia fulgida (Goldtrum) May 2016 

Where can I put more Baptisa?  I had no idea they would get this big.  The show is so very short though...

'Lemon Merigue' Baptisa Hybrid May 2016 

I am always so thankful for the host of Garden Blogger's Bloom Day.  I encourage you to visit her site, take in her blooms and visit the other GBBDers.  Enjoy.