On the fifteenth of every month,
May Dream Gardens sponsors Garden Blogger's Bloom Day where we get to document which plants are blooming in our gardens. Though I have several pictures, in reality the flowers are just beginning to appear - and to see the majority of them, you have to get up close & personal with the plant. But it certainly holds promise for the coming month.
Established Plants
Missouri Violet (
Viola missouriensis) has started to produce a few tiny blossoms.
Pink Shamrock (
Oxalis crassipes 'Rosea') has just begun to show a few blooms.
Chocolate Chip Ajuga (
Ajuga reptans 'Valfredda') flowers spikes are just beginning to rise, presently most are under a half inch in height.
With only a couple of bloom stalks rising up, the Catlin's Giant Ajuga (
Ajuga reptans 'Catlin's Giant') is at its very initial bloom stages.
Reifler's Dwarf Viburnum (
Viburnum obovatum 'Reifler Dwarf') only has a couple of florets - I'm hoping more are coming, but I am unable to locate any.
The blooms of the Dwarf Buford Holly (
Ilex cornuta 'Burfordii Nana') are inconspicuous (though not to bees!), but hold the promise of red berries for the next winter.
Though damaged by our extreme winter, the surviving Friendship Plants (
Billbergia nutans) have produced a few flowers.
New Plants in the Garden
Purchased and planted already in bloom, the Gopher Plant (
Euphorbia rigida) shows off its bright yellow colors.
Potted Plants
Pulled out from winter storage, the Ox Tongue (
Gasteria liliputana) surprised me by already being in bloom.
The one Ground Orchid (
Spathoglottis plicata) that started blooming prior to the winter and was brought inside for protection, has kept its flowers throughout.
Covered in flower buds, the Formosa Red Azalea (
Azalea indica 'Formosa Red') only has a couple of blooms presently open - but it holds the promise for quite a show in the not-so-distant future.
Indoor Plants
Almost all of my Moth Orchids (
Phalaenopsis sp.) are either in bloom or producing bloom stalks.
Flower Wannabes
Beloved by Mockingbirds, the Mahonia (
Mahonia aquifolium) berries are slowly ripening.
Berries of the Nandina (
Nandina domestica) seem to last forever, their vibrant red colors brightening the garden.
Almost hidden from view, the black berries of the Liriope (
Liriope spicata) shimmer when the sunlight reaches them.
As the leaves of the Possumhaw (
Ilex decidua) begin to sprout and grow, its berries are slowly getting hidden away amongst the foliage - though the birds will certainly be hunting them.
Dwarf Chinese Holly (
Ilex cornuta 'Rotunda') berries have started to fade, but a few still decorate the spiny leaves.
Tardies
Lady Tulips (
Tulipa clusiana) flower buds have begun to rise from the ground, but none of mine have opened.
My Texas Betony (
Stachys coccinea) have several flower buds at their branch tips, but none have produced their bright red flowers yet.
The recently added 'Mrs. Pollock' Geranium (
Pelargonium x hortorum 'Mrs. Pollock') has yet to open a flower, though a few bloom stalks have risen.
Looking like some brightly-colored horror picture monster, the Texas Gold Columbine (
Aquilegia chrysantha var. hinckleyana) has several flowers that have not quite opened.
This will be the first spring for my Mexican Buckeye (
Ungnadia speciosa) - so I'm hoping the hint of reddish color on the stems is the beginning of its beautiful bloom cycle.
After being severely trimmed back, the old-fashioned Rose (species unknown) has responded by putting out a lot of growth - most new shoots ending in an unopened flower bud.
Be sure to visit
May Dream Gardens to see what is blooming in gardens around the world.