Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - May 2014

Lily of the Valley, Convallaria majalis

Welcome to Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day for May 2014.

Here in my USDA Hardiness Zone 6b garden in central Indiana, I am delighted with each bloom, each leaf, each sprout that returns after one of the coldest winters on record. I do believe our snow cover saved many a plant.

There is a general sense, too, that those plants that survived the winter are greener, have more blooms and seem stronger for the experience.

The blooms are still just a tiny bit behind past years, but considering what they went through, I am happy to wait for each and every bloom.

I noticed walking through the garden that I like flowers with bell-shapes. I cannot imagine ringing in spring without Lily of the Valley, Convallaria majalis. It's an old favorite, going all the way back to when I was a kid and picked them in my grandma's garden.

Other "bells" almost blooming include variegated Solomon's Seal, Polygonatum odoratum var. pluriflorum 'Variegatum'.

Solomon's Seal, Polygonatum odoratum var. pluriflorum 'Variegatum'

and of course, Bleeding Heart, Lamprocapnos spectabilis.  (Love those new botanical names, don't you?)

Lamprocapnos spectabilis

I still think columbine, Aquilegia sp., are some of the prettiest flowers around.

Aquilegia sp.

I could show you dozens of pictures of single and double flowering columbine in bloom now, but I think I'll just stick to this diminutive columbine.  I bought it years ago and am working on getting it to self-sow in the garden.

Elsewhere in the garden, the first of the clematis is blooming.

Clematis with gillyflowers

I'm sorry I don't know which Clematis it is. I do now the flower below is Dianthus gratianopolitanus 'Bath's Pink'. I like calling dianthus by their very English common name, gillyflowers. They smell fabulous, by the way.

One would think from the pictures so far that my garden is awash with whites, pinks and purples and it is.  I do have some blues mixed in, including Spanish bluebells, Hyacinthoides hispanica.

Spanish bluebells, Hyacinthoides hispanica

Just down that path, there is also a touch of yellow from some jonquils.

Jonquils

My guess is that these jonquils are the variety 'Baby Moon'.

What else is blooming in my garden? How about lilacs and Amsonia, Carolina allspice and Deutzia, Alliums and strawberries, plus my big old-fashioned snowball bush, Viburnum opulus 'Sterile'.

Viburnum opulus 'Sterile'

I love this big shrub. It provides great cover for birds, bunnies, and garden fairies and reminds me of my grandmothers who had similar shrubs in their gardens.

How about your garden? I'm sure you have all kinds of blooms in the month of May. We'd love to have you share them with us! It’s easy to join in for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. Just post on your own blog about what's blooming in your garden right now, outdoors or indoors. You can include pictures, lists, common names, botanical names, whatever you’d like to do to showcase your blooms.

Then leave a comment and put your name and a link back to your bloom day post in the Mr. Linky widget below. (This month, I'm using a different version which should prompt you to upload a thumbnail image from your blog post. Use that to showcase your best bloom and further entice us to come and virtually visit your garden.)

Happy Bloom Day!

“We can have flowers nearly every month of the year.” ~ Elizabeth Lawrence