Really, there's not much blooming right now, except geum 'Mango Lasi'

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... and geum 'Fireball'

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(you know if you ask about blooms, I have to show pictures, LOL)

There are a lot of things getting ready to bloom though. There are buds on the gaillardia 'Burgandy' and gaillardia 'Oranges & Lemons', and on the penstemon pinifolius 'Compactum', and the asclepias tuberosa 'Gay Butterflies'. The dianthus knappii, and all of the yarrows look like they're getting pretty close too. Last year, the gaillardia 'Goblin's were blooming already, but they were slower to come up this year. And as I mentioned on the "deer" (not dear) thread, the columbines were about to bloom, but now they are ... not.

Bonnie

The side yard of my house is all lavender and hot pink this time of year... I've got bearded iris, purple and pink cranesbill, catmint, coral bells and at the end the lilacs just starting. Looks like the hot pink peonies won't be far behind.

Elsewhere I've got lamiastrum galeobdolon flowering like a bright-yellow carpet, and I've got some salvia flowering. I see some buds on the roses, which will be the start of the real summer color.

White wild rose (can't remember the name) has a bud opening and other roses have buds forming. Ice plant has a bud. Butterfly bush has buds forming.

Blooming - Speedwell, Snow in Summer, Baby's Breath (groundcover), Sweet Woodruff, Mouse Ears & Pussytoes, Dianthus, Pansy that won't die is covered in flowers, petunias, wallflower, Ajuga, and Candytuft. My Burnett has flowers that I've been cutting back.

My tulips formed buds that never opened and faded. Am I right in thinking it's because they're not getting enough sun and should move them to a sunnier spot after they fade completely?

No flowers on the lilac this year, but I'm pretty sure I missed that narrow window of pruning time and it doesn't get nearly the amount of sun that it should. Last year there were only two flowers.

Highalt - I love that "mango" geum and may have to look for some.

I have bloomers and foliage!! I took photos but can't find my cord that connects to the computer :(

I finally have:
daffodils
pansies
a couple small strawberry blossoms
and some teeny, tiny sprouts of leaves on the aspens
Yippy for privacy foliage!!

I have to agree, that mango geum is absolutely gorgeous! How nice it would look next to the Morden Sunrise rose...

Right now I'm starting to learn what the prior owners planted around our new home. It's like visiting the island of misfit toys - some interesting plants, but in the wierdest places. A single, random red columbine is in full flower on the north side of the house. Next to the front door, facing southwest, she set duchman's pipe and wisteria against each other on a single trellis - they're now completely intertwined, and both in flower. (I think the dutchman's pipe may get spade pruned in the near future.) Grapes and blackberries are planted on the _north_ side of a 6' wood fence.

The nicest flowers so far are on a very healthy Harison's Yellow rose, which has come into bloom in the last couple of days. It is, of course, tucked in a completely invisible corner around the side from the front door. It will probably get moved out front in the fall. Several other massive roses are budding out in the back yard, but I have the feeling I may be dealing with rootstock gone wild. Well, at least I have some materials to work with!

Ian

Wow on the geum! Where did you get it? Did you grow it from seed?

Yes, crane's bill and Harison's Yellow are popping a few flowers. Forgot to mention the allium. It's blooming like mad.

Dafy, you are only pruning your lilacs after they bloom, right? I spring pruned mine for a few years before I read to prune after they bloom. :-) The deer pruned some of my new lilac cultivars for me over winter so I didn't get blooms on all of the new ones... Assessipi didn't get eaten and it really put on a show. I think it's going to be a really nice one. I'd like to plant a few more this year - Tinkerbelle and Superba - if I can find them!

Cheers,
Michelle

Irises are blooming for the first time since I planted them 2 years ago. Creeping phlox, and lilacs. Everything has taken longer this year (out here in Kiowa). Honeysuckle is getting ready to bloom, and my raspberries and strawberries are flowering.

Bleeding hearts and columbines in the shaded areas . . . Mountain bluet & iris in the sunny spots . . .

Anticipating their blooms - - I'm needing to "miracle gro" the Sweet Williams again or they are going to be short, short. And, I'd better do that with the Shasta daisies and Canterbury bells. Then get some trellis over 'em or they are going to fall over . . .

digitS'

Michelle, the 'Mango Lasi' came from Big Dipper Farm, and 'Fireball' I picked up during Park's Wholesale's clearance last year, which I discovered was open to the public. I think Lazy S'S Farm also carries the 'Mango Lasi'. I've never seen any geums for sale locally.

The only geums that I have ever seen seeds for are 'Mrs. Bradshaw', 'Blazing Sunset' (which are both red), and 'Lady Stratheden' (which is yellow). I wintersowed 'Blazing Sunset' this year, and have a few tiny sprouts, but they are not big enough to plant out yet.

Bonnie

Lets see, I have a clematis that I forgot the name of thats blooming on the west side of the house, and the first peony on the south side is open, and bind weed.

Love those geums. What are the water/soil requirements? It would go great with Morden Sunrise or Austrian Copper.

Bind weed. :-( Milkweed and mustard weed is blooming here, too. I have my shovel ready, it waves the white or yellow flag and OFF WITH ITS HEAD before it can reseed.

The new rascally heifers are doing a number on the bind weed in pasture. :-) GO BOSSY AND CLARABELLE!

Cheers,
Michelle

Dafygardennut, I'm also having trouble with my tulips and lilacs. Several of the tulips put forth buds, but then the buds dried up without blooming. I'm thinking, not enough fertlizer? Of the ones I planted two years ago, I only got one bloom.

And the one lilac that budded out, which is actually an outgrowth of my neighbor's lilac that found its way under my fence, withered without blooming. None of my other lilacs is big enough to bloom.

Little luck on the irises. I have a couple dozen irises, and they're tall and healthy looking, but so far only two have sent up flower stalks -- Mesmerizer and Laced Cotton. I don't know what happened to the rest. Most of them bloomed last year.

In front, my dianthus are beginning to bloom, and I have one clump of pink flowers that are in bloom. I have no idea what they are, but they're pretty.

A month ago, my next door neighbor cut my roses in front down to the ground. I was devastated! But I guess she knew what she was doing because they all came back and a couple have rose buds on them.

And one of my two year old peonies has a flower bud.

Tulip, iris, lilac don't really need fertilizer to bloom. Too much and they won't bloom.

http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extnews/hortiscope/shrub/lilac.htm

Cheers,
Michelle

ps. I just noticed orange globe mallow blooming - both the multitude of wild ones and the garden variety :-)

Nope, I pruned the lilac at the end of summer. I'm probably going to prune it this weekend since I really have to control the height. If it gets too tall it blocks the motion sensor on the porch light :-) I usually sprinkle some 10-10-10 over all of the beds before anything starts coming up or putting out new growth in the early spring. I did put a little compost around all of the tulips after they started forming blooms.

Dianthus is now covered in flowers and I think I see some flowers on the grape vine.

I just got the pictures I took today downloaded, so hereÂs the latest things I have blooming. (Click any to enlarge)

Blue flax, Linum perenne  from last yearÂs Spring SwapÂI think from Azura

ÂWaterperryÂ, my favorite creeping veronica, is getting close to done now.

White Anemone sylvestris, blue forget-me-nots, red/pink saxifrage, and purple johnny-jump-ups. Lower right corner, thereÂs a yellow Trollius thatÂs now almost all the way open, but no pic yet. There are two orange Trolliuses (sp?) behind the planter that are further behind the yellow one! IÂll definitely post pics somewhere when they bloom! One of my favorite things!

Not showy, but the SolomonÂs seal is blooming!

Red columbine from last yearÂs Spring SwapÂI think from Yago

Anacyclus pyrethrum var. depressus ÂGarden GnomeÂ, Mt. Atlas or Mat Daisy. They close up when the sunÂs not shining on them and reveal a red reverse visible on only one flower in this pic in the top right corner.

Coreopsis auriculata ÂNanaÂ

Yes! ItÂs blooming! ItÂs a volunteer Euphorbia that was a seedling when I moved in hereÂthat I almost pulled out several timesÂbut it seemed to fit in where it was, so I left it there! The second one is a close up of the flowers!

And the ÂPink Pewter Lamium is blooming for the first time, but I cut it back mid-spring, so itÂs not looking real great yet, till it fills in more again.

And this is last yearÂs pic since I havenÂt had a chance to get out to take a new one when the sunÂs out and the flowers are open, but itÂs looking even better this year! Delosperma basuticum ÂWhite NuggetÂ

This is the fourth summer IÂve been in this house, and itÂs FINALLY starting to look like a real perennial garden. Plenty more to do, but I am SO happy with the yard this year! ItÂs fun to see all the work pay off.

ItÂs gonna be a GOOD yearÂfor all of us! I can...

Blooming now...
.tree peony Shima Diajin is covered in bloom
.iris
.lamium (pink, purple, and yellow)
.solomon seal
.columbine
.a few very late tulips
.white muscari (grape hycinth)
.old fashioned purple things that I have no idea what they are :)
.the rose bands that just arrived from CA mailorder nursery:
-William Shakespear
-Illusion
-Constance Spry
-Ferdinand Prichard
-Cecile Brunner...there were others but the rabbits nipped them off.
.my newly planted 'wine & roses' wegiela

Ooh! and my face as I think about the sod being delivered on Friday....5th year of the landscape project and I'm finally getting rid of some mud!

Done for the year:
-daffodils
-early tulips
-early iris
-lilacs
-flowering almond
-trillium
-lily of the valley

Showing buds & blooming soon:
-salvia
-more peony
-more iris
-one of my new daylilies 'brown witch'
-poppy

I'm near Canon City now in a new garden! The previous owner was a gardener, so this year is full of discovery.

+All of the spring bulbs are long since done blooming
+Spring flush on the many roses has just started. Unfortunately, he didn't label any of the roses so I'm going to spend some time trying to ID them
+My year-old Sidonie rose, just planted this year, is already blooming!
+bearded irises and columbines are about 1/2 done with their show
+daphne is just finishing up
+Weigelia (???) is in full swing
+tomatoes are blooming and already forming fruit
+native gaillardia are blooming now
+lilacs are done

All in all, I like the climate in Canon City CO MUCH more than in Monument CO!!

Nancy

Nancy, I wanted to say the Isphahan and Moore's Striped you traded me last year are doing great. Isp is getting ready to bloom, and it's next to a small Mme. Plantier which is also ready to bloom. I put Great Maiden's Blush on the other side - should be fantastic when it's all established!

If you want to trade any roses this year, I can try some rooting in June or so when I have the mist frame going.

Cheers,
Michelle

Does anyone have anything that is fuschia or a darker pink blooming right now or in the last two weeks? My main bed is too purple right now. I am taking notes on all of your awesome yellows but I need some ideas for pink.
Thank you in advance for your ideas!

There are some darker pink perennial geranium. I'd like to try this one:

Tiny Monster Geranium

And some great pink delosperma:

Pink Delosperma

Cheers,
Michelle

My Callirhoe is just starting to bloom for this year, but it needs a LOT of room to spread out.

Skybird

I need to try callirhoe again. My two copies died. Not sure if I overwatered or ???

Firewitch dianthus is blooming, too. Bright pink and nice silvery foliage. I have had some growing in a pot for several years now. Good pot specimen, as the foliage is nice when its not in bloom. And it's fully hardy over winter outside in a pot.

Firewitch

Cheers,
Michelle

Thank you for your suggestions!
I bought 2 callirhoe today! They are in gallon pots so I hope they will bloom towards the end of May like yours, Skybird. Ive noticed that most plants in my garden bloom 5-7 days after yours.
Bonnie, I looked high and low for that gorgeous geum 'Mango Lasi' but the nurseries I looked at had the plain yellow, red and orange. Did you cut yours down to try and get a second bloom out of them this season? I will have to grow some from seed next year.
They also didnt have the tiny monster geranium you mention Michelle but it is on my wish list now. I love Firewitch but I am trying to limit the silver foliage in the very front of my border. I am sorely tempted to pop some in a container thanks to your suggestion. If I see one, it might find itself wandering home with me.
Thank you for all of your suggestions. One day, I just might have the color scheme perfect.

Azura, I'm getting ready to cut back the 'Mango Lasi' since it is just about done blooming, but the 'Fireball' started blooming a little later, and is still going strong.

There are a tons of things that are covered with buds, so I should have a lot more blooming soon, assuming they survive these winds. My achillea and dianthus were leaning pretty bad this morning, but none of the branches appeared to be broken.

Bonnie

Lots and lots of salvia May Night and something lighter blue. Pale blue double-flower Clematis iforgotthename putting on a real show. Jackmani just opening up. First Linda Campbell roses.

The last of the dandelions. Bind weed in full splendorous array, and that tall one with the snarky leaves and yellow flowers that grows everywhere, and I mean everywhere, in the east border and by the gate and is usually covered with aphids. Ragweed, and something else thats making me sneeze.