Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - March 2016

It's finally (almost) Spring here in central Indiana! I'm pleased to report that I do have blooms on Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day for March 2016. The 15th of every month, bloggers gather at May Dreams Gardens to celebrate and exchange links to what's blooming or interesting in their gardens.

This month, I'm bursting with purple crocus blooms...

Gorgeous purple crocus sprinkled with water droplets

March 2016 purple crocus blooming

I also have flowers on my new addition, a Japanese Andromeda (Pieris japonica 'Passion') - I'm always hesitant to post store-bought blooms on Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day because these were probably forced to bloom early to look nicer in the garden center. Who knows if they would actually be blooming right now. I guess I'll find out next year.

Pieris japonica 'Passion'

Finally, I'll mention my new addition just because I happened to put them in on the 15th and I haven't blogged about them yet. I got some resurrection lily aka surprise lily aka magic lily aka naked lady (Lycoris squamigera) from my grandpa's yard. You're not supposed to transplant them while they are growing like this, but I'll take what I can get, especially for free.

I heard they don't like to be moved, so who knows if they will even bloom this year, but I spread them around to different parts of the yard to see if they like a certain area over another. I did a mass planting in the side yard, a couple on the other side, and two clumps in the full sun back yard bed along the back. On second thought, I don't think I planted them deep enough. We'll see!

Free bucket of Lycoris squamigera - we'll see if any come up this year, I hear they are a bit picky about being disturbed

Mass planting of magic lily (Lycoris squamigera) on my side bed but toward the edge to get more sun

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - November 2015

The grasses are turning yellow and I can't wait to see them against a blanket of snow. I fluffed up my mulch, trimmed my melting hostas, and was getting ready for a long winter's nap. September we had gorgeous purple in every part of the yard, and by October things were really starting to slow down. I didn't think it was going to be a very interesting Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day this month (the 15th of ever month).

But what's this? This fleabane next to my house, Erigeron speciosus 'Darkest of All' is still blooming.

Erigeron speciosus 'Darkest of All'

I noticed new buds just beginning to open on October 30th, and I figured when the first frost came they would wilt away. We've had several very frosty mornings here in central Indiana since then, and these flowers are still opening.

Photo taken on October 30, 2015

I wonder if it has to do with the fact that it's near the house which is warmer, or because this plant was new in the Spring and might be giving it a last 'hoorah' after establishing some roots.

I also wanted to give Little Henry an honorable mention (Itea virginica 'Sprich' Little Henry) for putting out nice fall color its first year. Although my expectations were high "If burning bush has good fall color then this plant is a wildfire!" - it was still able to produce a nice deep red in full sun and is holding its leaves longer than anything else in my yard.

Itea virginica 'Sprich' Little Henry

This should be the last of the blooms until Spring for me, but I think next month I'll highlight some of my winter interest items, like dried hydrangea flowers, red juvenile river birch bark, and golden Northwind switch grass.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - October 2015

I've still got some color on this gorgeous Fall day! The weather has been dry and sunny, not as wet as last year. That means more watering to be done for the trees and relatively new lawn, and nice clear nights for stargazing.

It's the day after Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, so I thought I'd submit my day-late post since I have the day off on this beautiful Friday.

Let's see what we have today... My hardy pampas grass in the corner of the yard is doing great in its first full growing season. It put up one massive stalk with a wonderful feathery plume on top, and there are 2 more much shorter stalks going up. One of the smaller ones bloomed just the other day. It's odd to see one 9 foot and two 4 foot stalks, but I guess it just couldn't muster the energy to make these as tall as the first.

Smaller bloom on Erianthus ravennae 'Hardy Pampas Grass', see taller one here

Next, the all-star of my Fall garden has been the New England aster 'Purple Dome' - the flowers are maturing and drying up a bit, but from a distance the purple color is still a nice touch. I noticed the pollinators started arriving once the flowers had matured a bit rather than right when they opened.

Aster novae-angliae 'Purple Dome'

Other honorable mentions to go Armeria maritima 'Dusseldorf Pride' for blooming for a second time in their first year (I just put them in this Spring). And Salvia sylvestris 'Little Night' that has been sputtering out but still holding color after dead-heading a few rounds of earlier blooms.

Finally, my Russian sage 'Little Spire' is doing a great job hiding the utility box in the front yard, but also provides a great hiding place for rabbits - so I have mixed feelings at this point. At least the purple flowers add some color to what is becoming a big messy brush patch.

Russian sage 'Little Spire' getting a little brushy

It's also worth mentioning that my linden tree out front still has a good amount of yellow leaves on it. This time last year it was completely bare. After 1.5 years of no growth, I'm hoping to see some action this Spring since it will have had plenty of time to get its roots in order.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - September 2015

'Purple Dome' indeed, these New England asters seem to be peaking right now. I can't believe they grew from little tiny 2 inch plugs back in early Spring. They've grown into nice globular shapes and they're covered in purple daisy-like flowers. I've heard they have problems with powdery mildew - I treated them with neem oil and so far haven't seen any signs of it.

They're absolutely bursting! From the looks of it, there are plenty more waiting to open, so hopefully I have these wonderful purple blooms for weeks.

Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day for September 2015! This might be the last of the flowers, but I'll definitely have some grasses blooming next month. My hardy pampas grass is already taller than I am!

One last hoorah from the Armeria maritima 'Dusseldorf Pride'

My collection of purple late-summer blooms: 'Purple Dome' aster, variegated liriope, 'Wee One' dwarf lavender, 'Little Night' salvia, and 'Little Spire' Russian sage

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - May 2015

Happy 15th of the month and Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day! It's so nice to have a monthly check-in that I've created a Bloom Day tab in the navigation bar. I don't plan to use this day each month as an inventory of every single plant in my yard, but I would like to highlight the ones that have got my attention.

This Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day is also extra special because I have a Ruby Falls weeping redbud arriving by UPS this afternoon! I've had my eye on this tree for a long time and I can't wait to give it a home (and hopefully it likes clay soil more than my poor Japanese maple).

Lavandula angustifolia 'Wee One'

My dwarf lavender "Wee One" is blooming. I have two of them, both ordered from High Country Gardens. One is doing great and the other is just okay - it's still alive and putting up new shoots but had about half the stems die back. It'll be fine!

Next up, my Armeria maritima 'Dusseldorf Pride' is doing amazing! I've been dead-heading the old flowers and it's putting up so many more! They just keep coming! It's amazing especially because they come out of this little lump of what looks like grass, it's like magic - how many blooms are hiding in there?

Armeria maritima 'Dusseldorf Pride'

Salvia sylvestris 'Little Night'

Itea virginica 'Sprich' Little Henry

Lilium 'After Eight'

Ok, so I like to note that all of the things I have in bloom above were bought and planted this Spring, so they are not growing from the ground up. Everything below, however, was planted last year and has grown from the ground - which gives a much better indicator of true bloom time here in Indiana.

Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle' - plants are now above the knee and have buds forming!

Hosta ‘Sum and Substance’

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - April 2015

It's been a big month for my yard and since my Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day post in March. It's time for a monthly check-in! A month ago I was still awaiting my first crocus blooms. Now in April, they've come and gone, and other much bigger perennials are waking up and taking off quickly. I only have a couple plants blooming - and they are both new additions that were already in bloom at the store, so that's kinda cheating.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, April 2015 - Phlox subulata 'Drummond's Pink'

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, April 2015 - Armeria maritima 'Dusseldorf Pride'

Other than blooms, I have a lot of progress with other plants emerging. Not just a tiny sprout here and there, but actual growth and some real movement! My much anticipated Hosta 'Sum and Substance' are finally waking up too - I guess the bigger varieties sleep a little longer because 'Patriot' has been emerging for a while now.

Now emerging - Hosta 'Patriot'

A little slow to start - Hosta 'Sum and Substance'

Moving on up - Siberian Iris

Finally awake - Echinacea prpureua 'PowWow Wild Berry'

Really accelerating now, woohoo! -  Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle'

Crocus Vigil Day 10: Green Busting Through

I'm a day late for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day this month (always the 15th of the month), but since nothing is really blooming I think that's okay. Here's my first Bloom Day post!

These things are going way slower than I thought. Once I saw the little sprouts peaking through, I thought I would have blooms within a week. Spring is taking its time, and I'm learning more about how these tiny bulbs emerge. They're my first bulbs in my first yard in my first spring in my house!



It starts with a pale yellow-white bullet point that pierces through the soil, and then the bullet breaks open releasing strings of slender green leaves.

Day 10 of my Spring Crocus Watch