Like the Atamasco Lilies, Sweetbay has been in bloom for a month. If we get much rain this year it will bloom on and off all summer.
The silver-backed leaves are as beautiful as the lemon-scented flowers.
The tiny flowers of Blue Toadflax are covering fields in Johnston County with a fine lavender haze.
I planted Green and Gold 'Eco Laquered Spider' 14 years ago, and two plants now cover a semi-area of approximately 20' by 35' near the old house site. Neither drought nor flooding bothers it, and it would seem the more it's ignored the happier it is. Its only drawback is that the leaves mildew during the humid heat of summer.
Spiderworts are a treasure for their bunches of low-blooming flowers. Given enough moisture Tradescantia virginiana will bloom on and off for the rest of the year. I don't know if it's because I'm too far north for them to be rambunctious, but they are not spreaders in my garden, giving only enough seedlings to spread around where needed.
Spiderwort 'Zwanenburg Blue' with the rugosa 'Foxi Pavement'
Phlox pilosa var. ozarkana quickly makes good-sized drifts.
Phlox 'Minnie Pearl' has filled out nicely this year, creating a big bouquet of perfectly snow-white flowers.
Currently the native stars of the show currently are the Baptisias. They've been beautiful already for a month in their bud and early flower stages. They are both elegant and cottagey at the same time, and look great with irises, roses and foxglove.
In my garden Baptisia australis ranges in color from soft lavender
to blue-violet.
Baptisia alba is so striking with its charcoal gray stems, shown here with Cl. Old Blush.
'Purple Smoke', an offspring of Baptisia alba and B. minor
Baptisia alba and 'Purple Smoke' with rugosa rubra, rugosa alba, Foxi Pavement and white iris.
Thank you Gail for hosting Wildflower Week!
You have amazing gardening skills, getting so many wildflowers to bloom and somehow keeping the weeds from taking over!
ReplyDeleteWonderfully naturalistic! My baptisia alba sits as a single specimen in a border and is nice, but your pictures of this plant with its white church spires rising above a meadowy setting is so natural looking. Very pretty.
ReplyDeleteWonderful pictures! I love wildflowers!
ReplyDeleteWow! Once again your beautiful blooms grab my heart.
ReplyDeleteI love your two colors of spiderworts. I have a light blue. Mine do spread. :-) I just dig them up or cut them off if I don't want them where they come up.
Thanks for showing your lovely wildflowers. You really do have a magical way with your gardens.
FlowerLady
This is just amazing! I love it!
ReplyDeleteYou have so much beauty to see-I totally enjoyed seeing it.The baptisia is beautiful-I don't see any sign of mine yet, I hope it survived the winter.
ReplyDeleteI love the Azealea shots with the butterflies too.
Carolyn
Ahh such beauty with all this blue color..sigh..your Spring garden is bursting with such a charming staement!
ReplyDeleteLove all the phlox - I bet it smells heavenly. :)
ReplyDeleteYour Phlox are so pretty and obviously happy where they are planted. I've killed this plant everytime I've tried to grow it, unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I enjoy your posts so much - your photography is superb and your garden looks so peaceful and dreamy. I love the phlox and the rugosas - you seem to have quite a few varieties of both!
ReplyDeleteYour garden is looking lovely. I, too, love the combination of 'cultivated plants and beautiful wild flowers. All the colours you have look so good together.Wild flowers are often fleeting but they bring such pleasure. I think we underestimate those flowers that are only present for a short time. Christina
ReplyDeleteHello. I have come across your blog via Christina/Gardening in Lazio. What a find!
ReplyDeleteYour photos are beautiful, I can't wait for my garden to start to flower. It is all very green at the moment (despite the lack of rain) but still quite early for us in the UK. Your phlox are lovely.
Please feel free to make a visit to my blog and read my EMOV April.
I will visit you again to see how you are doing!
Regards - Ronnie
Oh those baptisias - they are garden stars indeed. Lovely photos - wish they would do so well for me.
ReplyDeleteYour roses look so good with the wildflowers! A match made in perfection!
ReplyDeleteOh my, how beautiful your gardens are this spring.You have so much color already. So many beautiful purples and blues. I love the rose.
ReplyDeleteThose baptisias are gorgeous indeed. And I love the spiderworts as well. I have them in my garden, too, and haven't had a problem with them spreading.
ReplyDeleteI love my 'Purple Smoke' and it is about 24-48 hours from peak bloom. I only wish it would bloom longer, and I was home more to enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteYour baptisia are awesome! I need to add them to my gardens as you showcase them well for me :-)
ReplyDeleteYour post is the essence of Spring! Gorgeous blooms!
ReplyDeleteAh, so that's a sweetbay.
ReplyDeleteEverything looks wonderfull but I'm particularly taken with the spiderworts.
I bought a couple Baptistas after seeing your collection....that and I have always wanted them! I pulled up a bunch of Toadflax this afternoon...in places it didn't need to be--but I talked to it nicely while I pulled it. :-)
ReplyDeleteWow! Sweetbay your Sweetbay photo is stellar. Stunning bloom. Lovely wildflowers all around.
ReplyDelete