As winter ended, I was down to ransacking my house for something - anything, that was blooming, just to save myself from blogging shame. I dreamed for May to please come. I would finally have outdoor flowers. I would be able to fill my Garden Bloggers Bloom Day post with daffodils and tulips and all sorts of spring flowers.
Or would I? Well, like all gardeners in the Northeast, we don't quite know what hit us in the last 10 days or so. Welcome to Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, hosted the 15th of each month by Carol at May Dreams Gardens in Indiana.
We had a late April snowfall here in the Binghamton area of upstate New York (zone 5b). Then, the temperature suddenly rose into the 80's. Instead of spring flowers blooming in an organized manner, spring was kicked in the rear end and ran down the street, shedding flowers as she passed. Last Friday, I saw a forsythia blooming side by side with an early lilac. The Bradford pears came and went in a flash. The crabapples went by in an even shorter flash.
I took pictures of Bradfords on May 5. Magnolias in full bloom on May 6. Crabapples on May 7. A chokecherry on May 8. Some lilacs in full bloom by May 12. I took pictures of dogwoods in bloom yesterday. I have buds on my bearded irises. Main season azalea blooms are opening in neighborhoods.
Then, suddenly, we were under a frost advisory yesterday morning. We did escape a frost, and, right now, it is 45 degrees. (7.2 Celsius).
But there are more "normal" things blooming in my garden, too.
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| Pansies and violas |
Daffodils? In a sheltered location, the last of my late daffodils barely made it to GBBD.
Another euphorbia.
Before you go off to see what else is blooming all over the world, ponder what Carol at May Dreams Gardens has to say about May:
"All year I dream of the days of May when the sun is warm, the sky is blue, the grass is green, and the garden is all new again!"
What's blooming for you today?
Wow, you've certainly had some interesting weather conditions lately. Thankfully you still have lots of fabulous colour in the garden. So many beautiful blooms, and of course things I would never see in gardens here. Loved the Lilac, Daffodils and Primroses.
ReplyDeleteYou've had a strange spring after a hard winter, but, obviously, things are looking up now that May is here. Happy Bloom Day.
ReplyDeleteOur flowers are just starting to bloom, but it looks to be a colorful year!
ReplyDeleteHi Alana,
ReplyDeleteMy favorite time of spring is when the lilacs bloom as well :) Love the smell all over my house too!
Thanks for sharing your experiences with spring and the beautiful pics of all the blooming flowers :)
Enjoyed your post!
I love the smell of lilacs too. You have a beautiful mix of flowers in your garden.
ReplyDeleteMy daffs are long gone, but I have Lily of the Valley (too much), violets (which I never planted), the last of the crabapple blooms, and some limp bleeding heart that got nipped by that cold the other night. But I know come the first of July my yard will be AMAZING. I hope.
ReplyDeleteIt's an odd weather year. Let's hope it's just an outlier and not an omen of things to come.
ReplyDeleteYes, what to make of the weird weather? I must say, though, that hot period did give some of my slowpokes a good boost! Glad it was short-lived, though. We didn't get a frost here, but I know some people just a mile away had a light coating. Your Brunnera picture looks a lot like mine! Pretty primroses and euphorbia! And I envy your lilacs. I have a bush that just does not reliably do well.
ReplyDeleteLove that variegated euphorbia. Believe it or not I bought a pot of daffodils today. That has to be a first for May!
ReplyDeleteIt got cold here, too. But, no damage. Wish I could grow lilacs, but it's tough here with powdery mildew issues in hot humid summers.
ReplyDeleteRay
Right there with you, regarding crazy weather!
ReplyDeleteI love the fragrance of lilacs; they were my Mom's favorite flower and we have one lilac tree in our yard. I also like pansies - they look like happy little faces. :-)
Hi it is my first time here. My information about NY gardens are from Donna of gardenwalkgardentalk blog. So at least i've seen already some of your plants because i am in a tropical climate and we can't grow temperate plants. Pansies are always my fancy!
ReplyDeleteI totally understand about the crazy whirlwind spring. We didn't have the late April snow, and we've escaped any May frost, but the soaring temperatures here certainly made spring rush by all too soon as well. Pretty geraniums, and I like the euphorbia. Hope summer gives you more time to enjoy your garden.
ReplyDelete