It’s one of the best known meme’s for garden bloggers – the 15th of each month is given over to photographing (and sharing) what’s blooming in our gardens. Even a foliage lover like me can be seduced by a few flowers now and then. Flowers are fleeting, but foliage is forever (hopefully), and who hasn’t had a perfect, yet fleeting, romance?
I’ve participated in Bloom Day since April 0f 2009. That’s 6 years, or 72 posts, chronicling the blooms in my garden. Again this month I’m writing about what’s currently blooming in my garden over on my personal blog, but I thought it might be fun to take a look here back over some of my favorite blooms from the years. I know you haven’t got all day so I worked really hard to pare it down to just a few (ahem, a few dozen) of my favorites. I’ll keep the words to a minimum…
Abutilon hybrid ‘Fairy Coral Red’ – it was beautiful while it lasted, unfortunately 12F proved to be a too much (or should that be too little?) for it to handle.Acacia baileyana ‘Purpurea’ – this photo is actually more of the bud stage than the bloom stage, but they’re both equally lovely.Are the flowers orange or pink? It depends on the time of day and the amount of sun. Alstroemeria isabellana, it’s a good one.Sadly Anigozanthos ‘Amber Velvet’ is an annual in my garden, but that doesn’t stop me from growing it. Oh and it’s one of the bloomers up top in the header photo.Supposedly Asphodeline lutea is an herbaceous clumping perennial. It bloomed once in my garden and that was the end. I should probably try again.A double feature photo! Melianthus major ‘Antonow’s Blue’ lives on, but has only bloomed the one time. Whereas Callistemon ‘Clemson’ didn’t make it through the winter of 2013/14.Cerinthe major ‘Purpurascens’ is an annual I will never be without, even if it means buying small plants because I forgot to start seeds earlier in the year.Crocosmia orangeade was a gift from fellow blogger Scott Weber. I suspect it’s ruined me for ever looking at another crocosmia.Funny thing about Disporum cantoniense ‘Night Heron’ – it’s one of the first *must have* plants that my plant lust partner Megan introduced me to. She’s got great taste!This one was identified for me as Echinocereus fendleri var. rectispinus and it bloomed last summer, the greedy gardener in me hopes to see a repeat this year.Echinops ‘arctic glow’ – those perfect white orbs, what could be better?Echium russicum, the hardy echium.Echium wildpretti, not hardy but such an amazing foliage rosette that I will keep trying to be successful with this one.I’ve never met an eryngium I didn’t love and E. alpinum is certainly a stellar one.Edgeworthia chrysantha ‘Akebono’ – in the words of our friends at Cistus nursery “Crayon® orange flowers rather than yellow” who doesn’t like orange crayons?I must admit, I’ve lost track. This is either Eucomis comosa ‘Oakhurst’ or E. comosa ‘Sparkling Burgundy’ – either way it’s fantastic.Euphorbia griffithii ‘Fireglow’ – usually more vibrant orange, the blooms have started to fade in this photo.A brief resident in my garden Euphorbia lathyris is reputed to be a bit weedy. I guess it didn’t like it here.So common I don’t even know their botanical name, only the moniker Grape Hyacinth.Grevillea ‘Poorinda Leane’ a hardy and reliable bloomer in my garden.Grevillea ‘Peaches and Cream’ isn’t hardy here in USDA Zone 8 but I’m making it work. Love is like that, it finds a way.Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Early Bright’ – an impulse purchase (haven’t we all?) it continues to impress.Hedychium ‘Tara’ this is one of those plants I still can’t quite believe blooms in my garden. God help me if I ever live in USDA Zone 9!Hesperaloe parviflora, it grows in my brother’s garden in Arizona and my garden in Oregon. Must be a pretty special plant right? It is.It’s a little romantic, a little nostalgic and I love it…Hibiscus syriacus ‘Red Heart’.Lysimachia paridiformis var. stenophylla…just look at it! The flowers are surrounded by leaves arranged like flower petals, J’adore.Magnolia laevifolia, I’d worry this one was getting over exposed since I’ve been writing about it so frequently…but until everyone who can have one in their garden does, I guess my work isn’t done.Ditto for Magnolia macrophylla, ditto.They say all good things must come to an end, and Manfreda undulata ‘Chocolate Chips’ eventually did. Not without sharing it’s crazy-cool bloom first.Musella lasiocarpa, why do you keep leaving me? Your pups should live on after you bloom but I keep losing you. You’re so fabulous that I’ll keep on trying.I’ve lost track of which opuntia this is. I wish I hadn’t but you know what? They’re all good.Passiflora sunburst, I hope to never be without this flower in my garden.With Salvia clevelandii it really is all about the delicious smelling foliage. Still, the flowers are pretty great.An annual in my garden Salvia discolor is just plain dreamy…flower, foliage and form.Another NOID this is still a great representation of Sempervivum flowers in general.Only grown a single year in my garden Tropaeolum peregrinum brings back great memories.Nymphaea ‘Marliacea Chromatella’…I think it successfully overwintered, here’s to more blooms this summer!Last (but never least) is Yucca filamentosa ‘Color Guard’. Tougher than nails, but always a lady.
