Bloom Day May 15, 2009

Dandelions and violets in the flowery mead are still blooming.

Johnny jump ups are scattered everywhere. Where do they all come from? I wonder what a johnny jump up seed looks like flying on the wind. I’m not sounding like much of a gardener so far.

Many of the daffodils are starting to wind down, but others like this pheasant eye daff (Poeticus) bloom late. When I visited the daffodils at Tower Hill Botanic Garden last year I learned that all the shades of pink in pink daffodils come from the red genes in the pheasant eye.

How is it that I never noticed this low growing cotoneaster bloomed? Is this really the first year? Name lost.

Lilac season is just beginning. This is the ancient white lilac that was here when we bought our house in 1979. There is a hedge of white lilacs melding into a row of the old lavender lilacs. I’ve added a Beauty of Moscow whose beautiful pink buds open to white, Miss Willmott who won’t bloom until at least next year, deep purple Ludwig Spaeth, and the pretty pink Miss Canada who will not bloom until a bit later.

We’ve got a couple of semi-dwarf plum trees, and sometimes we get plums. When there are extras I can them and I think they are just beautiful in their juice.

We planted a sour cherry years ago. Any cherries that develop go to the birds. I was racing the rain when I took this photo.

We have apple trees in bloom – at the edge of the lawn, along the drive (actually the town road), in the fields, next to the vegetable garden and

most spectacularly, the Sargent Crabapple in the center of the Sunken Garden.

For more beatiful blooms go to May Dreams Gardens. And thank you Carol for giving us this great way of seeing what is going on all across the country.

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A Celebratory Bloom Day These late daffodils have just started to bloom, but all the others are pretty well...
Bloom Day September 2009 I almost forgot it was Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day! I made a mad dash out...
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Tags: Bloom Day, Fruit Trees

Bloom Day, Fruit Trees, Plants | Pat May 15, 2009

16 Comments

By Helen/patientgardener, May 15, 2009 @ 7:29 am

Hi – you seem to be about a month behind us here in the UK. Gorgeous blossom
By Jen, May 15, 2009 @ 8:23 am

Love your cotoneaster and lilac. Hope you get some plums, too. The blossoms look promising.
By Cathy, May 15, 2009 @ 8:58 am

Beautiful flowers! yeah don’t you just love the abundance of weeds? we never seem to be without it.
Happy GBBD! Thanks for the visit!
By LINDA from EACH LITTLE WORLD, May 15, 2009 @ 9:25 am

I love your flowery mead! The rule at our house is that you are supposed to pull out 50 dandelions each day before you can do any fun garden chores!
By Nell Jean -- seedscatterer, May 15, 2009 @ 9:27 am

Your flowery mead is much more well-behaved than mine.
By admin, May 15, 2009 @ 11:03 am

Helen – I think the UK has a much longer gentler spring with more flowers.
Jen – I always hope for plums. The cotoneaster was a stunning surprise.
Cathy – I’m perfectly happy to have those weedy violets, and there is just no help for the dandelions – the commonest weed.
Linda and Nell Jean – The flowery mead changes through all the seasons with hawkweeds and clover. Some perennnials have snuck in too, like blue eyed grass and ajuga.
Pat
By Yvonne Cunnington, May 15, 2009 @ 1:54 pm

Isn’t spring the best? Happy GBBD. Cheers/Yvonne
By Mr. McGregor's Daughter, May 15, 2009 @ 2:56 pm

I was just reading in Ken Druse’s “Planthropology” how Violets eject seed from the capsules as well as drop some down around the plant’s feet. I imagine the little seeds as miniature cannonballs of DNA hurtling toward a better place to grow. I love the charm of Johnny Jump Ups, but I can’t get them to reseed in my garden.
Your Cotoneaster flowers look a lot like Flowering Quince (Chaenomeles sp.). I wonder if they are related.
Your trees are so beautiful in white and pink. I bet they smell wonderful. (Well, at least the Apple & the Crabapple.)
By Frances, May 15, 2009 @ 5:23 pm

Hi Pat, I had to laugh at your not sounding much like a gardener remark! HA That is the first time I ever heard about the pinks in the daffs coming from that gene too, thanks. Apple trees in bloom are simply divine and the Sargeant is spectacular! Great bloom day post.
Frances
By Linette, May 15, 2009 @ 6:39 pm

I was going to include a photo of my violets, but totally forgot. Your garden is just behind mine. My lilacs, daffodils, and fruit blossoms were going crazy a couple weeks ago, but they’re all done now. They don’t understand about timing their blooms for Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day;-)
By admin, May 15, 2009 @ 6:55 pm

Yvonne – spring is the best. I just spent the afternoon preparing a wonderful array of perennials for a fund raising plant sale.
MMD – thank you – and Ken Druse – for solving the mystery of prolific violets. Seeds dispersion is a whole wonderful topic in itself.
Frances – A trip to a botanical garden can be counted on to teach at least one fact. But there are more reasons than facts to go.
Linette – It is frustrating sometimes – the best blooms seem to come just before or after Bloom Day. Fortunately, we can post blooms anytime.
Pat
By Rose, May 15, 2009 @ 10:35 pm

It’s interesting to see the variance in times of blooms across the country. My lilacs, flowering crabs, and daffodils gave out a few weeks ago. I’m in agreement with you and Linette–my best blooms come right after Bloom Day:)

Interesting info about the pink daffodils. I can only imagine the careful work that must go into breeding new hybrids.
By Gail, May 16, 2009 @ 6:55 am

Good morning~~I love your sunny Mead…Is that your lawn or is it a sunny meadow when summer arrives? I was so excited the other day to find little seeds still clinging to the viola pods! No shots had been fired yet! I hope they make nice offspring. Your garden is lovely and I thoroughly enjoyed the lilac and the Sargeant crab! Have a good weekend~~gail
By admin, May 16, 2009 @ 6:36 pm

Gail – The flowery mead is our lawn. Fine turf is not within our reach, but there are advantages – flowers!
Pat
By Paula, June 2, 2009 @ 8:13 am

I’d love to be in the running for the Sundial.

Thanks for your help Pat
By admin, June 2, 2009 @ 6:33 pm

Paula, it looks like you took a long stroll through the blog. I’m so glad. And you are in the d rawing.
Pat