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 Flowers, Floral Fridays, Mosaic Monday at Lavender Cottage, I Heart Macro, Macro 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