Bloom Day: Almost Ready For My Close Up

     As of this Bloom Day I have only 3 days to finish getting my garden ready for a tour this Saturday.  I have been working off and on in my garden all winter and spring, but everything can't be done ahead of time, and there will be lots of last minute tweaking, deadheading and weeding. Though bloom-wise I am in a minor May gap, there should still be plenty of things for the group to see including some new plants.  I spent yesterday planting my purchases from the annual plant sale at the botanical garden.  I worked the sale all three days, plus spent the week before getting it ready, so I knew exactly what I wanted when the registers opened.

     One of the things I bought was Cuphea ignea 'David Verity'.  I had it several years ago, but it just up and died during the middle of the summer.  Smitten, I will try again.

      I also bought a potential plant replacement. One of my oldest perennials is Jerusalem sage (Phlomis fruticosa), and it is in a slow decline.  I planted my Phlomis-in-waiting at the base of the older one, just in case.

     Right next to the Phlomis is one of my favorite native perennials, Amsonia hubrichtii (Blue Star).  Truth be told, I really can't stand its skim milk blue flower color, I grow it for the foliage texture and fall color.

Cestrum aurantiaum 'Orange Zest'

Gaillardia x grandiflora 'Goblin'

Rosa x 'Pat Austin'

Rosa x 'Betty Boop'

Tradescantia x 'Blue and Gold'

     Several years ago I bought some Ruellia at a different plant sale, and tagging along in the pot was a rain lily and this unidentified Tradescantia.

Iris siberica

Allium christophii (Star of Persia)

Portulaca x 'Happy Hour Mix'

Baptisia 'Purple Smoke'

     Quite unintentionally, the color of the Baptisia is a good match with the pansies (Viola x 'Persian Medley') blooming at its base.  It has not yet been hot enough to make the pansies melt out.

     I do not want to show another close up of my Hime quince (Chaenomeles x 'Hime'), which has been flowering since November, so you get its neighbor, Hydrangea quercifolia 'Little Honey'.

     Little Honey is only one of many plants I have with gold or chartreuse foliage, and looking around the garden yesterday I realized I might be a chrysophilist.  Case in point, this tree is Robinia pseudoacacia ‘Frisia’ (Frisia Black Locust), which I grow for the foliage, but the sweetly scented flowers are nice as well.

     If you would like to see what is blooming in other blogger's gardens, then you should visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens, after all, it is the month of May.