Bloom Day April 2011
I took these pictures yesterday morning, on April 15 – Gardener Blogger’s Bloom Day. I didn’t get them posted in time to actually participate in the bloggers bloom day, but I’ll show you anyway. Since today is a rainy day, you may find them especially appealing.
Above is the flowering quince, Chaenomeles japonica ‘Texas Scarlet’. Behind it is a forsythia, just finishing it’s bloom period.
Another of my favorite spring blooming shrubs, Kerria japonica ‘Supurba’, is shown above. It usually blooms for a long time throughout spring and summer. The interesting foliage in the lower left corner of the image is Arum italicum. The pretty, marbled leaves are up all winter. Soon they will die back. Then, in late summer, stalks of orange berries will emerge naked from the ground. Strange!
Next to it is one of my few shade-loving perennials, Brunnera ‘Jack Frost’, below. The white variegations on the foliage really brighten up a shady corner.
In another part of the back garden, the sweet-smelling Koreanspice Viburnum, Viburnum carlesii, is now blooming. It is a pretty shrub, with an amazing fragrance!
The redbud trees, Cercis canadensis, are also blooming. Did you know that the flowers of the redbud are edible? They have a pea-like flavor, and can be used in salads or sprinkled on top of steamed vegetables. Yumm!
Behind the redbud is a serviceberry tree, Amelanchier x grandiflora ‘Autumn Brilliance’, just about finished with its beautiful white blooms. This is one of my favorite small trees, with tiny edible fruits that the birds (and people) love, and fall color that is, as the name says, brilliant!
The saucer magnolia adjacent to the back patio, Magnolia ‘Ann’, is a bit past her prime, but still looks kind of pretty. This small tree will have a few scattered flowers throughout the summer, too.
And the apple and plum trees are in bloom, while the cherries are just starting to think about it. These blossoms are on a ‘Grimes Golden’ heirloom apple cultivar.
That’s it for the mid-April flower show from the Trusty garden! Happy Gardening!
Sue
A very nice visit to your spring garden, Sue. You are a little bit ahead of where we are in Central Indiana…not much, just a little. I’m glad the temps have dropped a bit here to prolong the season.
Thanks, Jo Ellen! I think it’s usually a few degrees warmer here than in my home town, Indianapolis.
[...] show you a few of the showiest or more unusual spring blooms, or those that I didn’t show last April. Oh, that’s right – those plants finished blooming weeks [...]