Sunday, May 15, 2016

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day & Foliage Follow-Up May 2016: Emerging Color and Foliage!

May 2016 Garden
May is one of the most amazing months of the year when it comes to gardening.  Once the temperatures start to warm the garden awakes from a long rest and there is a sudden emergence of color and foliage.  The landscape bursts into a colorful display, which never ceases to amaze me. After a very chilly April and start of May, the temperatures are finally reaching into the 60's and 70's and spring is on full speed ahead.  It's time for another Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day and Foliage Follow-Up, which means a stroll in the May garden is in order. Since the blooms are waiting, come join with me in a walk through my May Long Island garden!
Ajuga Burgundy Glow
We start off the tour with Ajuga Burgundy Glow, which is one of the first of the purple blooms in the garden. It serves as a lovely ground cover, especially scattered about at the base of decorative boulders.
Allium Globemaster Bud
Here is Allium Globemaster, which is going onto its second season in the garden and is forming double buds for each bulb this year...the more blooms the merrier!
Gerard's Azalea 
Azalea is always a sure sign of spring as this Gerard's Azalea shows its vibrant colors in the back gardens.
Back Side Bed
Let's take a closer look at the back gardens.  Around the bend are Nepeta Walker's Low, hosta, Goldmound Spirea, Heuchera Palace Purple, Gerard's Azalea and Rhododendron in front of an Arborvitae backdrop.
Back Garden Azalea and Spirea Goldmound
 New spring foliage is always so vibrant in color...
Blue Globe Montgomery Spruce
and even the new growth on evergreens is at its best in May. Here are the new needles forming on my blue globe spruce, which give it even more interest.
Cherry Laurel Otto Luyken
On the broad-leaved evergreens such as Cherry Laurel, delicate flower buds form in early to mid-May.
Heuchera Caramel and Salvia
Besides blooms, foliage combinations are a key element in the garden. The new growth on 'Caramel' Heuchera in the backdrop is especially vibrant at this time of year and this perennial has definitely become one of my all-time favorites.
Driveway Bed
Around to the driveway garden bed there is a combination of evergreens along with Dwarf Ornamental Grasses, Coreopsis and Nepeta.  The grasses have been taking their time getting going this season, probably because of the cooler than usual April and May up until this week. There is a little green coming up from the bottom. 
Driveway Left Bed
The Heuchera Palace Purple is on time displaying all its new burgundy foliage...
Weeping Japanese Maple
and the Weeping Japanese Maple on the front lawn is finally all leafed out.
Hosta Patriot
As we look deeper into the gardens there are some more foliage combinations including that of Patriot Hosta and Japanese Forest Grass.
Hakonechloa macra (Japanese Forest Grass)
Even the Mugo Pine is sporting its foliage with some new "candles".
Mugo Pine
This particular variety of Mugo is a dwarf, so it has kept pretty compact over the years.
Bartella Itoh Peony and Hosta Foliage
Around towards the perennial border there is a foliage combination of the finger-shaped burgundy-green leaves of Peony with the broad variegated green and white leaves of hosta, which you can see here.
Perennial Border
Speaking of the perennial border...it is probably one of the most changing areas of the garden with perennials kicking in for each month from spring until fall, At the moment the highlights are the new growth of Lamb's Ear and the anticipation of the Allium Mont Blanc which is now forming its flower buds.
Hemerocallis Foliage 
There was a gentle rain this morning and there is nothing like raindrops on foliage, so I had to capture it to show along with my garden.
Weeping Japanese Maple (Red)

Here is the second Weeping Japanese Maple on the front lawn which is adjacent to the green variety. It had suffered some limb damage from a snow storm two years ago, but has now gotten its fullness back and is catching up to the size of its partner. 
Saliva May Night
As we come back around to the backyard, one of my favorite perennials, May Night Salvia is getting ready to break into bloom for the end of May.  The flowers open a little more with each passing day.
Crimson Azalea
Although the time has passed for blooms for these two plants, the Plum Tree in the back gardens had a wonderful display this year about two weeks ago (between Bloom Day posts)...
Plum Tree Blossoms 
and the fragrant viburnum just got finished with its display. There are a few flowers left on it to enjoy.
Fragrant Viburnum
As the month of May rolls along there will be more blooms and foliage and as a gardener I am in my glory this time of year.   
Succulent Planter (New Addition!)

May 2016 Garden

I  hope you enjoyed the stroll through my May garden. Special thanks go out to our hostesses Carol at May Dreams Gardens, who makes it possible to see blooms on the 15th of every month with her meme Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day and Pam at Digging for hosting Foliage Follow-Up.  I am also linking with some other wonderful hosts and hostesses at Today's FlowersFloral FridaysMosaic Monday at Lavender Cottage, I Heart MacroMacro Monday 2, and Nature Notes at Rambling Woods.  Also check out What's Blooming This Week Garden Update.

If you haven't gotten the chance to check out my book A Guide to Northeastern Gardening: Journeys of a Garden Designer (Gardening in Zones 3-9), please be sure to check it out! You can view it here on Amazon


As Always...Happy Gardening!

Author: Lee@A Guide to Northeastern Gardening, © Copyright 2016. All rights reserved



33 comments:

  1. Lee, what a treat to see your flowering garden. I especially loved Blue Globe Montgomery Spruce and Weeping Japanese Maple. Yes they need much space but they are wonderful!

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    1. Thanks so much Nadezda! I enjoyed viewing your gardens as well...and congratulations on your article being published!

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  2. Beautiful flowers and foliage plants, too!
    Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!

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    1. Thank you Lea. Even though we are in the same zone, you are so much ahead of us as far as roses blooming. Yours are just gorgeous!

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  3. Your garden looks absolutely fantastic! The blooms are lovely but I'm particularly in awe of all that wonderful foliage. Happy Bloom Day.

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    1. Thanks you for your kind words Dorothy. There's nothing like that first spring foliage...so vibrant and alive. It's one of the things I love most about the month of May...so much green!

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  4. With the cold wind blowing outside, touring your garden from the comfort of my computer was so warming. Love your azaleas, your raindrop photo (I agree) and your photos in general. Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com

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    1. I appreciate your kind words and thank you for visiting Alana. It has been an unusually cool spring here as well.

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  5. Lee, I am always amazed at NE gardens. They just pack a punch in the spring, whereas our in the PNW...meander along. The dwarf mugo pine has such an attractive shape.

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    1. We get that punch due to the cold winter temperatures. It seems that the colder the winter the better the perennial bloom the following year. I have seen some of your PNW gardens and they are beautiful...I enjoyed visiting your garden...so lovely and inviting!

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  6. I couldn't agree more....but for me the time is June for big blooms...May is too changeable and especially this year...another freeze warning tonight.

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    1. Oh no...I feel your pain! It took a long time to warm up here too, but now we are underway. I will look forward to your June blooms!

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  7. Your foliage is as wonderful as your flowers, what a lovely wander round your garden, I really enjoyed it. You have an amazing selection of plants and they all add up to a very interesting garden.

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    1. Thank you for your kind words Pauline. I am so glad you enjoyed the visit, Have a great week!

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  8. Stunning! Here in Ontario, Canada we are experiencing a cold spell so Growth is slow.

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    1. It will warm up for you soon. It was a slow start here too. Thank you for visiting and for your kind words. I will be by to check out your blog.

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  9. It looks like you are in good shape for foliage follow up. Very nice arrangements in the landscape.
    Ray

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    1. Thank you Ray. As a designer I enjoy coming up with as many combinations of foliage as I can to add interest to the garden!

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  10. What a beautiful garden you have! The Japanese maples are stunning!

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    1. Thank you for your kind words Rose. The Japanese Maples were planted as young trees a long time ago and now reach to a height of about eight feet and span to six feet wide.

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  11. I did enjoy the stroll through your garden - thank you! I particularly love the Salvia - and the rain on the Hemerocallis foliage is delightful! Our Hemerocallis foliage has got stumpy ends - the rabbits nibbled off all the points. It really isn't a thing of beauty!

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    1. Thank you for visiting and commenting Sarah. We have a family of bunnies that have been seen visiting our property. They are adorable and I am hoping they only look and don't touch!

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  12. It is always such a pleasure to visit your garden Lee, and I always find a plant or two to put on my very long wish-list! But today I actually had to scroll all the way down to the Japanese Forest Grass before I found something I don’t already have in my garden….I think we have quite similar taste in plants :-)
    Would love to add Hakonechloa macra for my Japanese inspired bed, I already had it on my wish-list, I hope it will be happy in a large container as nothing can be planted in the ground in that bed. Would also like to add a couple of pines in containers but I am still dithering about which ones to choose – they need to look spectacular, with nice colours and amazing cones, no more than 3-4 ft after 15-20 years. A tall order :-)
    Thanks for the stroll in your lovely garden, as always I enjoyed seeing your weeping acers more than anything else, they are stunning!

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    1. Thank you Helene! You always make my day with your kind words. Dwarf evergreens are also a favorite of mine. The dwarf white pine is spectacular as well as dwarf mugo pine, dwarf cryptomeria and blue globe spruce. I am on my way over to your garden...have been SO busy and just getting around to blog posts now.

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  13. Thank you so much for posting some distance shots. I love the closeups of the flowers, but I'm always eager to see large arrangements. Absolutely wonderful!! Happy GBBD!

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    1. I enjoy seeing long distance shots of other gardener's blogs to get the full picture so I try to do that on my own blog as well. Thank you for noticing! Have a great day!

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  14. All these photos are marvelous Lee, and each flower is stunning. Love the collage too. Thank you for sharing with Today's Flowers and happy weekend to you :)

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  15. I love the Bloom Day posts and your photos are just spectacular. I hope to be back on the Bloom Day list in June!

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    1. Thank you so much for visiting and commenting. I am glad you enjoyed the photos!

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  16. Wonderful shots, Lee! Gardens and flowers are such a joy!
    Many thanks for joining Floral Friday Fotos, I look forward to your next contribution!

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    1. Thanks so much for hosting Nick. It's always a pleasure visiting your site.

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Thank you for visiting. I love reading your comments and knowing you have been here, and will try to reciprocate on your blog. If you have any questions I will try my very best to answer them. As always...HAPPY GARDENING!