First half of June

June 14 - I'm posting pretty close to the real date of these pictures.  They were all taken between June 1 and June 12.

So much rain - everything is growing like crazy.

The Blue-eyed Grass has finally settled in after 5 years or so and looks great.  It works well against the bronze of the Heuchera and the Lyre-leaved Sage.

I put in some Coreopsis 'Nana' last year.  I keep trying Coreopsis but most of them fade out after a couple years.  This one came back well.  The tag said it could take part-shade, so maybe it will last better.

The Coreopsis with Christmas Fern and another Heuchera variety.

After many years (8-10) the native Campanula has finally also really settled in and filled out. This year, it grew really tall.  Here with Eastern Columbine and Beardtongue (Penstamon).

Penstamons.  They re-seed a lot and have filled up some space.

May catch-up

Another new one this year, Birds' Foot Violet. It's one of the ones I got at the Boston Flower Show in March.

Somehow, I'm always surprised that the Jack in the Pulpit keeps coming back.  It's such a woodland plant and my yard is not exactly a woodland. But it seems happy in the shaded corner by the shed.

Chrysoganum (Green and Gold) doing well this year.

Wild Blue Phlox - another one of my spring favorites.

A small forest of Eastern Columbine.  They grow so tall in my garden.  In the woods, they are much smaller.

Blue Flag Iris starting up, along with Amsonia and Wild Geranium

Crested Iris and the creeping form of Foam Flower

The Creeping Foam Flower up close.  It has done really well.  True to its name, it has spread well.

Earlier in May - the Moss Phlox provides early color

A new one this year - Bishop's Cap. 

April catch-up

The odd little spikes of Allegheny Spurge.  It took a few years for these to get going but now they are doing well.

Spring Beauty

Hooray - Trout Lily!!  I planted some years ago and this is the first time I've seen a flower.

Wood Poppy - I threw fallen branches in a pile over the winter but the Wood Poppy behaved like a good woodland plant and emerged right through them.

Dutchman's Breeches.  This was such a great find a couple years ago.  I didn't plant it; it just showed up. I think there must have been seed or a bit of root in a plant I bought.  It's in a perfect spot.

Variegated Solomon's Seal emerging.

Trout Lily open in the sun. 

A small set back for spring.

My first year for Bloodroot - someone gave me it last fall.  When closed up, the flowers look like tiny tulips.

Bloodroot open.  When open, they're a bit like eggs.

The emerging spikes of Crested Iris.

early May bloomers

I love those Virginia bluebells.  Can't beat that vibrant blue.

I put in some Trillium the fall before last.  The leaves came up last spring but there wasn't any flower.  This year it looks like I'll get some flowers.

I'm still behind.  I've got some April pictures that belong between the last post and this one.  I'll have to add them later. The problem with a blog is that you can't fake it.  When I posted on a web page, I could put the pictures in chronological order regardless of the current date.

watching spring arrive

I love watching plants come up in the early spring.  Something new shows signs of life every day. 

(I'm already behind on my garden blog.  These pictures were taken April 12.)

Bloodroot showing its furled leaves and little tulip-like buds.  This is the first year I've had bloodroot, and at first I couldn't remember what it was.

Eastern Columbine with drops of dew.

Hepatica emerges with these fuzzy silver leaves.

Hepatica, April 7

The newly planted Hepatica are doing well.  The one from previous years is not yet in bloom, but it gets a lot of shade.

Starting my 2014 garden (native plant) chronicle

In 2011, I made a web site for my backyard garden, which I've developed with native plants to create bird and butterfly habitat.  Each week or so from April through November, I posted pictures and commentary on what was new in the garden.  You can see those web pages here:

http://home.ptd.net/~bcmalt/garden/april.html 

In 2012 and 2013, I didn't do any updates, mainly because my spare time was taken up with working on the revised edition of Birds of the Lehigh Valley and Vicinity.  (Now taking orders!  All proceeds benefit educational activities of the Lehigh Valley Audubon Society, a non-profit organization.  See http://tinyurl.com/bolvv-2nd  for ordering info.  )  

Now that the book is off to press, I'm going to try to do some 2014 updates throughout the growing season.

Here's the first!  The weekend of March 15, I was in Boston for a conference and had a chance to spend a few hours at the Boston Flower Show.  I bought several native plants there, bareroot.  The seller told me to keep them for a week in the fridge and then plant them.  I missed the window of opportunity when it was nice on Saturday the 22nd, so I decided to wait another week.  Then it was so rainy this weekend I thought I'd wait some more.  But I took a look at the bag in the fridge, and I found that the Hepaticas were putting out shoots and even some blossoms!!!  in the fridge, in the dark - and, as it turned out, with slightly frozen roots. That goes to show you what these early spring bloomers can handle. I went out and planted them in the cold, windy rain. Pretty miserable, but hoping it gives them a smooth transition to the warmer temps arriving soon.