Lovely and colorful blooms Charlie - the color of your hellebore is beautiful.

Looking good !

Thanks, Vic, Mike.

Today.




Frustrating: bought this hellebore as 'Peppermint Ruffles'; though is not.

All lovely blooms Charlie and I'm so jealous of your tulips. Difficult to grow them down here because not enough cooling time for them.

Love the variegated tulips also. Nothing like waiting with anticipation to see the wrong flower appear.

Sorry about the tulip situation down your way, Vic.
I don't believe the Dutch hybrid tulips usually last more than a couple of years even here.

Me too, Mike.
Those are species tulips, Tulipa praestans 'Unicum'.
Upsetting, but I guess it's not helpful being too much of a perfectionist.

Today:
Polyanthus type primulas (first picture, Crescendo Series)




That's Corydalis solida.


Hellebore 'Wedding Ruffles'.

Charlie, enjoying your spring since ours is gone. I want to stick my nose in the hyacinth as I love their fragrance. Beautiful photos.

Following our on-again-off-again spring, Vic, it now seems that spring's in a rush.
I'm not usually that conscious of fragrance, but can really smell some of the hyacinth's myself.
So we're thinking, also in light of the longer time of bloom, of planting more hyacinths this fall and having a less extensive planting of crocuses. Rabbits seem to like crocus flowers as well. But, re planting less crocuses, time will tell!

Was at Merlin's Hollow yesterday for an open day. A few pictures (sorry, lighting not so good).

One of my favourites, the spring pea growing in the crushed rock (scree) part of the garden: not fully out.


Marsh marigold.


White marsh marigold and drumstick primula in a bog bed set into the scree. The bog beds are discarded childrens' garden pools filled with muck; water added. There's a skunk cabbage coming up at the back.


David has some fancy (perhaps, rather more elite-type) primulas, but he knows my love of the more common Polyanthus-type. So he pointed this one out to me. Love that plant!

All beautiful blooms Charlie but I love that last photo too - I love visiting Merlin's Hollow online - thank you for the reminder

Nice photos Charlie. Now I gotta check out Merlin's website

Thanks, Vic, Mike.
Do think Merlin's Hollow is an amazing perennial garden.

Today:
Things beginning to fill in.


After this winter, were a few gaps to attend to (e.g. the columbine and two creeping phlox here) .


Get a lot of mileage from the lungworts.
Blue lungwort.


The bumble bees really work the lungworts in spring.
On 'Victorian Brooch'.


Have quite a number of lungwort cultivars in the garden at this stage. However, they crossbreed very readily with the bees' help.
Have to remove most of the hybrids produced, but liking this one. Still will have to be moved. With Primula 'Perth Sunrise'.


Hellebores:
'Peppermint Ruffles' (front) and the one I'm now beginning to follow up on.


Still my favourites.
'Berry Swirl'


and 'Wedding Ruffles'


First of the trilliums to flower. Got a bit muddy in the rain.


Doing very well; the Crescendo series Polyanthus-Type Primulas planted a couple of years ago.

Sweet !

All so colorful and beautiful Charlie - Thank You

I love visiting Merlin's Hollow - even if it is online

Thanks Mike, Vic.
I try to do my little bit to document Merlin's Hollow, Vic.

Today:






I try to keep the colours separated out.
Easy with primulas, especially a year or two after planting (here).


Failing here; no easy task with these tuberous ephemerals (wood anemones).
In my case, it's working the soil that really can spread bits around.
Still they maintain flower colour for a reasonable period of time before they conveniently disappear.

So pretty and colorful Charlie

Vic, thanks. Currently really hot gardening here. Over 90°F at Mrs. L's yesterday. Can only manage around an hour at a time working in sun. Would like to think that it's more comfortable outside for you, but am suspecting not.

Yesterday
Brunnera 'Langtrees' (parent of 'Jack Frost') at back.


Had to dig up and pull apart two Brunnera 'Dawson's White' last Fall (contained reversions back to all green leaves).
Replants in more places; doing fine.


Some of the lungworts are close to the end of flowering.
'Mountain Magic'.


A lot of the primula still look just fine.
Primula (Pr/Prim).


Beginning of the Japanese primulas' bloom; ours are almost all 'Miller's Crimson').


First of the hostas ('Patriot').


First of our few alliums ('Purple Sensation').
(Carol's planting the geraniums (pelargoniums) for the deck).

Good Grief Charlie - you're much hotter than we are. Lots of heat up north this year. Weird. We do, however, have lots of humidity so it feels like a sauna.

Love the dainty and colorful blooms of the lungwort. Your alliums are awesome. I can't seem to grow them. I do have geraniums like yours though

Looking great Charlie. My alliums has doubled from singles planted a few years ago. Currently in the ninties. Cut some grass and rake some of the left overs . Going back out later to try and finish up.

Love the lungworts too, Vic, but find the need to tidy them up (cut off spent-flower stems) after blooming at this time.

Good for you, Mike: our allium put on a nice show but they've got to be a bit on the tall side (leaves flop over lower perennials).

Yesterday:
Polemonium 'Touch of Class'


A Trollius


First peony bloom; 'Paula Fay'


Doesn't seem to be a good year for irises here, but the Iris graminea's doing well as usual.


Today.
Had this long-lived 'Biedermeier' columbine for maybe ten years and have divided it and moved bits around several times.
Interesting, however, it really likes that spot; the other bits, moved elsewhere, only lasted a few years.


A Spring Magic Mix columbine.


Tends to be a lot of summer foliage green (and spring bulb leaf green) in the garden at this time. Though it goes against an intention of having blocks of flower colour, the smattering of self-seeded Japanese primulas is perhaps acting to frame blocks of green.

My peonies haven't even bloomed yet Charlie - lol - all beautiful blooms but those columbines are WOW!