More of Spring at my Farm
I received so many wonderful comments when I posted 'Springtime at my Farm' last week. It really has been a spectacular spring and we certainly have received sufficient rain. However, I am concerned about how early everything seems to be blooming this year. The flora became quite confused when temperatures reached 90-degrees F last March. That hot spell lasted a few days and really disrupted bloom schedules. Each spring in late May, I host, what I call, my Peony Party. At that time, the peony bed is usually in glorious bloom. This year may be problematic, as the peonies are bursting with energy already. I hope that I don't have to give my party a different name. Take a look and see what I mean.
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- The same flower shot with a macro setting
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- A macro of another alium bud – what looks like a giant water tower in the background is just another alium stalk
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- The pure white spadix, or Jack, is surrounded by a pitcher that is glowing white inside and nearly black on the outside.
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- White bleeding hearts – These old-fashioned plants have puffy heart shaped flowers with little dripping tears.
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- A very beautiful muscari
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- A macro of a strawberry flower
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- A pollinated flower is becoming a strawberry.
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- This is a cluster of currants beginning the ripening process.
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- A water droplet suspended from a red bud bloom
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- White Viridiflora tulips – The term Viridiflora is derived from two Latin words: viridis meaning green and flos meaning flower. All Viridiflora tulips have a streak of green somewhere on each petal.
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- A deep purple tulip
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- The herbaceous peonies are going to bloom much too early this year.
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- The buds are getting larger with each passing day.
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- The three Pomeranian geese came charging.
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- They make quite a racket, hissing and honking, as a warning to stay away.
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- The lupines in the cutting garden catch water beautifully.
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- As do the feathery metasequoia trees – (Dawn redwood)
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- The lilac allee is blooming so much better this year.
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- A puffy white bloom
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- A lilac shade
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- A pale pink variety
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- A brighter lilac shade
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- A double variety
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- Another white
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- Fragrant lilacs for my home
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- A gorgeous single variety
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- The Japanese maple grove planted last summer is thriving. This bright red variety is Acer palmatum ‘Shindeshojo.’
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- Trillium luteum in the woodland garden – The trillium is a simple, graceful perennial that is one of the most familiar and beloved of the spring woodland wildflowers.
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- The mottled leaves look like an expensive piece of silk.
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- Podophyllum peltatum – commonly called Mayapple – another great woodland plant
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- A Japanese maple with bright chartreuse leaves
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- The azaleas are popping in the woodland garden.
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- An amazing two-toned azalea
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- Beneath the allee of lindens, we have alliums growing along with Allegheny pachysandra and leatherwood ferns.
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- These are crab apple trees in full bloom.
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- At this time of year the donkeys only are let outside for 3 to 4 hours each day. The spring grass is very rich and donkeys eat it constantly.
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- This overeating can cause serious health issues, such as a condition called founder and laminitis.
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- Billy must be thinking about all that lush grass outdoors.
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- I really love Alchemilla vulgaris – lady’s mantle – along garden borders. The leaves are very efficient at collecting dew.
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- A tree peony bud opening
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- A yellow tree peony
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- The twine is for staking the peony garden.
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- The bright yellow foliage is dwarf golden barberry. As you can see, it offers an excellent color contrast in the border.
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- This is one of the hundreds of alium we planted last autumn.
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- Huchera Peach Flambe – blinding orange-red in spring turning to peachy-plum in autumn
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- An alium bursting open
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- The sky was very dramatic and changed drastically throughout the day.
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- A lovely single white peony
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- Arisaema sikokianum – Japanese Cobra Lily – an elegant cousin of the Jack in the Pulpit
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- This is the giant leaf of Astilboides tabularis
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- Potted succulents line the terrace.
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- Down in the berry patch, the strawberries are busy blooming.
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- Wilmer emerges from the greenhouse – this time with many packages of twine.
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- Phurba is busy edging the carriage roads.
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- The wisteria is blooming along the pergola.
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- Three long rows of stakes run the length of each bed.
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- It’s kind of a spiderweb pattern, which should work well to keep the peonies from flopping over.
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- The twine is laced through the stakes to form a support for the peonies.
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