So much is almost in bloom - but not quite. I was hoping to show you my tomato and pepper blooms, but they need a day or two more to open. The only flower actually open in my fruit or vegetable garden is the blueberry flowers. Sadly they are getting eaten by some caterpillar. Next year if I'm still in this house, I'm going to get some BT to save them. Is it the winter moths? It might be. They are so heavy in the trees right now I coudn't take a photo of my blooming lily-of-the-valley and have it look pretty. Too much caterpillar poop is raining on the gardens.
But on to prettier things. My Johnny-Jump-Ups are taking over the mint pot. The mints are much slower to grow in the spring. Next spring will be a great year for Johnny. I have little seedlings jumping up all over my garden. I try to be very careful and weed around the little things.
Though my variegated dogwood is blooming, the leaves are still showier than the blooms.
The creeping phlox is always a show stopper in the spring. I need to cut it back after it blooms because it just keep creeping.
The bluets are tiny little things that love to pop up in the grass in the woods. When I first got here there was a single plant near a tree that my dog liked to pee on. I moved it and tried to encourage it. It has spread quite a bit over the years.
One plant that I've had a love hate relationship with is my ajuga. When I first got here I tried to eradicate it. I was unsuccessful, but it has grown on me over the years, in more ways than one. Now we have an understanding. I leave it alone and it grows where it wants to. It used to just have the dark purple blooms, this year the lavender blooms have popped up and are getting more numerous.
Who can't love a bleeding heart when it is in bloom. I do love it, but it blocks the way to the perennial border. It is hard to step over, so I'm never very unhappy when its branches finally die down for the summer.
The last of the photos but hardly the least are my azaleas. Two of them are in full bloom in the back yard. I love the azaleas for their mass of color, but they are also stunning close up when you can see all their details.
If you want to join GBBD go visit Carol over at May Dream Gardens.
the caterpillars sound like a tough prob. you might contact your county extension agent, he could give you some ideas about how to get rid of them. Ajuga can be a bully, can't it? I have some in a relatively dry bed, and it spreads at a manageable rate there.
ReplyDeleteSpring finally arrived at your place! Johnny Jump Ups are a fav here. I always think of azalea pink as the color of early spring.
ReplyDeleteLook at all the great blooms and flowers in your garden! I planted some blueberries this year, and so far, no bugs have gotten to them or started to eat them.
ReplyDeleteHow do you protect blueberry blooms from insects? What is BT?
So pretty! I really need to get more flowers planted. Unfortunately, the two dogs love to unplant as fast as I can plant. It would be rather unsightly to enclose all my flower beds with 2' high fencing :-) I am incorporating more flowers in with my veggies this year.
ReplyDeleteMumm, I'm sure BT will get them next year. This year I'm not worried. I'm not supposed to let them bloom this year anyway, so the caterpillars saved me from my own impatience.
ReplyDeleteNellJean, Yes finally! It took so long.
DP Nguyen, Bt is Bacillus thuringiensis, a bacteria that is specific to caterpillars and kills them. It isn't toxic to humans and doesn't kill other insects in the garden. To protect the blooms I would spray it in the spring every week or after each rain.
Annie's Granny, my dog likes to dig around the foundation of the house. I think she almost killed my rhododendron this last year. I'm hoping it survives.
The bleeding heart are really special, Daphne. Great that you and the ajuga have agreed to co-exist - it's pretty. Sorry to hear about the caterpillar poop, but everything here looks fantastic.
ReplyDeleteOh, drool, Daphne, how totally exquisite from first to last! I love Johnny jump-ups too. And I've never heard of anything eating blueberry blossoms! If you find out what it is, let us know. As for the caterpillar poop, well, er, try to think of it as free organic fertilizer!
ReplyDeleteThose azalea blossoms are stunning! And your bleeding heart is beautiful; a much, much better photo than mine:) I've got a love/hate relationship with certain "weeds," too; I've decided as long as they stay in their place and don't try to take over, I'll leave them along.
ReplyDeleteI hope the caterpillar poop means lots of butterflies for you this summer!
Your photos are delicious. I have never been able to capture the essence of bleeding heart as you have...and the dogwood: so graphic, so artistic! I will definitely be back. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteNice blooms Daphne. I always forget about GBBD. Bit of a shame as I have lots of spring blooming plants.
ReplyDeleteHappy bloom day! Great photos, and I appreciate your love-hate relationship with some of the plants ;-> Kind of like kids, sometimes...
ReplyDeleteThose bluets are beautiful! I think I want some in my own garden.
ReplyDeleteI love violas, my favorite flowers. Your johnnies are cute.