As we were walking by Patty's garden the other day, I happened to notice she has two Bleeding Heart plants, growing right up next to the house.  

 

They like filtered shade, and she has them nestled in behind the Hellebores.  Perfect!!!  

 

So glad I saw them; they always remind me of the back porch on Bolling Ave.  Little pink and white hearts hiding in the shade.  They are so sweet.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!

 

 

 

Flowers for YOU!!!!

 

Have you noticed that glorious aroma in the air when you're walking up Five Forks Drive?  

 

Just across from Cheryl and Bob's house, there is a huge wild rose in bloom.  When the wind is right, we can smell it long before we can see it.  Don't you just love this time of year?  Me too!!!

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

I noticed that the Tulip trees have started blooming.  There are lots in our neighborhood; just look up.  You can see the large orange and green flowers covering the branches.  They look just like tulips.  BTW:  the leaves even look like tulips:  with four lobes.

 

Even though it is called Tulip Poplar, it isn't related to tulips or Poplars at all.  It is a relative of the Magnolia.  Remember the Saucer Magnolia?  Look how similar the flowers are.  Same family, different genera.

 

Here's another botanical name I remember from Horticulture School (1973):  Liriodendron tulipifera.  Love saying that!!  I also love seeing these trees in bloom.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

 

 

While I was looking at the Sweet Shrub flowers, Jon noticed this Cicada.  Look at the red eyes!!!!

 

I put the Seek app on it and it said Pharaoh Cicada, Magicicada septendecim.  It is sometimes called the 17 year locust.  It is native to Canada and the United States, and is a periodical cicada with a 17-year life cycle.  We've heard that this is their year for emerging.  

 

I guess we'll know soon enough.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

I thought you would like to see the Mayapple in bloom.  The nodding flower is coming out between two leaves.  Single leaves don't bear flowers.  

 

This flower will turn into a mayapple in a couple months, and when they are ripe, they are edible.  But not before then.  All parts of the plant are toxic, except for the RIPE yellow mayapple.  I've never tasted one, but maybe this year I will taste one, and let you know.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

I know I have shown you this Cinnamon fern several times lately, but...JUST LOOK AT IT!!!!!  

 

It gets prettier every day, and I don't want you to miss a minute of it.  It's about 3 and a half feet tall now, and still not fully opened.  

 

The deer have tasted a few of the fronds, but haven't come back to wipe it out.  Hopefully, it tasted too bad, and they will leave it alone.  

 

I LOVE IT!!!!

 

Last time we were at Meeks Park we checked on the Grape Mahonia, and look at all the berries turning blue!!!

 

On March 2, 2021, I wrote about Grape Mahonia.  You can access the article through the Archives.  I told you that some years the flowers get burned, and we get no berries.  Well, this year the Mahonia got lucky, and the cold spell didn't wipe out the flowers and subsequent berries.  Now the berries are ripening.  We should be able to taste them this summer.   I'll try it first, then let you know if they killed me or not.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

 

On our walks around the mountain, we have seen lots of Irises in bloom.  They are so pretty!!!

 

We have seen white, yellow, lavender, dark purple, and variegated ones like these.  Oh, and they smell so good!!!  I think this is my favorite display of Irises:  I love the mass planting;  it is so dramatic.  I'm sure Nancy and Jim would be glad to share some of these with you;  they have about a zillion.  

 

Irises are interesting to plant and grow.  You just lay the rhizomous roots on the ground and put a little soil (very little) on top.  Make sure they are in a sunny location, then, stand back and be impressed with their beauty.  

 

I have a good bulb catalog, if you want to see all the different varieties available.  Go to https://brentandbeckysbulbs.com   You might even want to get on their mailing list, they publish two catalogs a year:  Fall Planted and Summer-Flowering.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Nancy's Trumpet Honeysuckle has started blooming.  You can see it from the road, just across from her little garden shed.  It has been growing there for more than ten years, and has gotten big and really pretty.  I just took a close up picture for you to see its beautiful details, but this plant is eight feet tall and has hundreds of blossoms.  Gorgeous.  

 

This honeysuckle is an evergreen vine, and it blooms from April-August.  The hummingbirds love the bright red trumpet flowers.  My Field Guide to Wildflowers says that its natural habitat is woods and thickets.  Not sure if I've ever seen this in the wild;  I'd probably faint if I ran across it growing in the woods, but maybe...

 

I'LL KEEP LOOKING!!!

 

The blackberries are blooming, and you know what that could mean:  Blackberry Winter.  Let's hope NOT!!!  Often this time of year, when the Dogwoods and Blackberries bloom, we get one last frost.  Unfortunately, we have all planted stuff in our gardens.  

 

It is so hard to wait until May 15; (that is our frost date) but we really should.  It's fun planting once, but twice?  Not so much!!!

 

FINGERS CROSSED!!!!