Well, the first and only time that I participated in the famous Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day meme hosted by Carol from May Dreams Gardens on every fifteenth of the month was last year in March. The main reason why I didn't participate more often in this great meme is that for time reasons in general, I have trouble to get a post out on a specific day. This month the fifteenth falls on the Easter weekend on Saturday though, and therefore I have time to blog and thought I will give it another go.
So yesterday I ventured out with my camera into the garden to see what was blooming. In the middle of April my roses usually are reaching their spring flush peak, but this year they are a little bit delayed. I feel the same goes for many perennials, but there are still plenty of blooms of any kind in the garden right now.
Unfortunately, when I was done shooting in the front yard and got into the backyard a fierce wind was flaring up and I couldn't take any more photos, but let's see what I got.
In the front yard, my two 'Climbing Iceberg' roses are in full bloom. Here you see the one on the left side of the garage. In the foreground, salvia 'Amistad', which is new to the garden, is showing off her beautiful large dark purple flowers, which emerge from almost black bracts. All in all a very showy salvia, that is visited by hummingbirds, which is lovely, but I have a feeling that it wants to grow a little bit bigger than I would like.
Looking at the left side of the walkway to the front door. In the foreground rosa 'Old Fashioned Girl', in the middle salvia 'Mystic Spires Blue' has just started to flower, and in the background to the left, you see the same rosa 'Climbing Iceberg' that I showed in my opening photo of this post.
Salvia 'Mystic Spires Blue', here a close-up, is one of my favorite salvias. It stays mannerly in terms of its size, which is a big plus for a small garden and it blooms very prolifically once it is in full swing over a long period of time.
Martha Washington geraniums do exceptionally well in my garden, here you can see the variety 'Regal Elegance Rose Bicolor'...
...which is growing in a container near the front door.
Looking to the other side of the walkway to the front door, rosa 'Our Lady of Guadalupe' is starting to bloom in the foreground. In the middle ground, another salvia 'Mystic Spires Blue' is planted. And in the background rosa 'The Prince' has begun to open his flowers,...
...which are absolutely exquisite at this time of the year. Here a close-up.
Walking back to the front of the house my other rosa 'Climbing Iceberg' comes into view. These two roses have really done fabulously this spring and are completely smothered in blooms.
What is nice with the 'Icebergs' is that their pretty blooms...
Also in the front yard, one of my favorite penstemons 'Pinacolada Violet' is blooming. It is part of a relatively new series of penstemons that have the advantage of an earlier bloom time and a well-branched compact growth habit.
One of my most beloved roses in the front yard is 'Charles Darwin'. If you follow my blog for a while you know that yellow is usually not my favorite color, but I have fallen for this more muted, pale tone. The flowers of 'Charles Darwin' are large and they come with a very delicious and strong fragrance.
Going into the back yard we pass by rosa 'Pierre de Ronsard', which is becoming bigger and bigger each year. Do you see how tall the newest cane from this year in the middle of the rose is? The rose has just come into bloom over the last days.
Here is a close-up of the top flower spray of the longest cane reaching for the sky. The very large and full blooms are just stunning and I am looking particularly forward to them each year. I think this is one of the best roses that the house of Meilland has introduced so far.
Rosa 'Captain Christy' is a weakling in my garden, but oh the subtle coloration of its exquisite blooms...
Ajuga reptans 'Catlin's Giant' is in full bloom right now and showing off its wonderful shade of clear blue flowers. I am amazed how well this plant is doing in my garden. I am not coddling it, as a matter of fact, it is growing in a very difficult shady position and yet it is able to bloom so profusely. For that reason, I intend to spread it around to other areas in the garden this year.
So yesterday I ventured out with my camera into the garden to see what was blooming. In the middle of April my roses usually are reaching their spring flush peak, but this year they are a little bit delayed. I feel the same goes for many perennials, but there are still plenty of blooms of any kind in the garden right now.
Unfortunately, when I was done shooting in the front yard and got into the backyard a fierce wind was flaring up and I couldn't take any more photos, but let's see what I got.
In the front yard, my two 'Climbing Iceberg' roses are in full bloom. Here you see the one on the left side of the garage. In the foreground, salvia 'Amistad', which is new to the garden, is showing off her beautiful large dark purple flowers, which emerge from almost black bracts. All in all a very showy salvia, that is visited by hummingbirds, which is lovely, but I have a feeling that it wants to grow a little bit bigger than I would like.
Looking at the left side of the walkway to the front door. In the foreground rosa 'Old Fashioned Girl', in the middle salvia 'Mystic Spires Blue' has just started to flower, and in the background to the left, you see the same rosa 'Climbing Iceberg' that I showed in my opening photo of this post.
Salvia 'Mystic Spires Blue', here a close-up, is one of my favorite salvias. It stays mannerly in terms of its size, which is a big plus for a small garden and it blooms very prolifically once it is in full swing over a long period of time.
Martha Washington geraniums do exceptionally well in my garden, here you can see the variety 'Regal Elegance Rose Bicolor'...
...which is growing in a container near the front door.
Looking to the other side of the walkway to the front door, rosa 'Our Lady of Guadalupe' is starting to bloom in the foreground. In the middle ground, another salvia 'Mystic Spires Blue' is planted. And in the background rosa 'The Prince' has begun to open his flowers,...
...which are absolutely exquisite at this time of the year. Here a close-up.
Walking back to the front of the house my other rosa 'Climbing Iceberg' comes into view. These two roses have really done fabulously this spring and are completely smothered in blooms.
What is nice with the 'Icebergs' is that their pretty blooms...
...are also offering food for the pollinators because they show their stamens, which many of the modern Hybrid Tea roses don't.
One of my most beloved roses in the front yard is 'Charles Darwin'. If you follow my blog for a while you know that yellow is usually not my favorite color, but I have fallen for this more muted, pale tone. The flowers of 'Charles Darwin' are large and they come with a very delicious and strong fragrance.
Going into the back yard we pass by rosa 'Pierre de Ronsard', which is becoming bigger and bigger each year. Do you see how tall the newest cane from this year in the middle of the rose is? The rose has just come into bloom over the last days.
Here is a close-up of the top flower spray of the longest cane reaching for the sky. The very large and full blooms are just stunning and I am looking particularly forward to them each year. I think this is one of the best roses that the house of Meilland has introduced so far.
Rosa 'Captain Christy' is a weakling in my garden, but oh the subtle coloration of its exquisite blooms...
This photo was taken by my husband.
Ajuga reptans 'Catlin's Giant' is in full bloom right now and showing off its wonderful shade of clear blue flowers. I am amazed how well this plant is doing in my garden. I am not coddling it, as a matter of fact, it is growing in a very difficult shady position and yet it is able to bloom so profusely. For that reason, I intend to spread it around to other areas in the garden this year.
I will conclude with a shot of rosa 'Grandmother's Hat', which is at her spring flush peak right now. If you want to see more close up photos of her beautiful and fragrant blooms or other roses flowering in my garden, please click on my March Roses post.
That was it from my garden for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, please hop over to Carol at May Gardens Dreams after you are done reading this post and see what is blooming in her and other bloggers' gardens around the world on this lovely day.
One more thing: My blog has recently passed the 500.000 pageview mark! Truly a little reason to celebrate! Thank you so much for coming here to visit and comment, please know that I really appreciate it. This blog wouldn't be what it is without YOU!
Wishing you a very happy and sunny Easter!
Christina
I am linking up to
May Dreams Gardens - Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day // Angie The Freckled Rose - Dishing It & Digging It // botanic bleu - Monday Social // Dwellings - The Heart of Your Home - Amaze Me Monday // Between Naps On The Porch - Metamorphosis Monday // Coastal Charm - Show and Share // Cedar Hill Farmhouse - The Scoop // Sweet Sentcations - Celebrate Your Story // Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesdays // A Southern Daydreamer - Outdoor Wednesday // A Delightsome Life - Home and Garden Thursday // Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson - Share Your Cup // 21 Rosemary Lane - Share Your Style // Peonies & Orange Blossoms - Thursday Favorite Things // Rattlebridge Farm - Foodie Friday and Everything Else // French Country Cottage - Feathered Nest Friday // Shabby Art Boutique - Creat, Bake, Grow & Gather // How Sweet The Sound - "Anything Goes" - Pink Saturday // One More Time - Share It One More Time // My Soulful Home - Sundays at Home //
