It’s been a sing-y kind of day. I sang two solos at the 8:30 service, with the choir at 11:00, and then at a concert at 3:00. I almost missed Bloom Day! And while the gardens are full of promise, there isn’t a lot blooming today. Storms knocked the lovely magnolia blossoms to the ground where they are turning into brown mulch. And the same storms took out the cherry blossoms. And because the temps have been so cool, I wondered if any bees would find the cherry tree. But, we had several warm and sunny days and the tree vibrated with bees.
The brunnera are still blooming. It was well past 9:00 p.m. when I took these and I could barely see. I had to guess on the focus and it’s obvious I didn’t guess well.
Also blooming are some of the early lilacs. The Esther Staley and the Mme LeMoine are blooming. But the President Grevy has one bloom. It is the tallest of the three bushes and was planted at the same time as the other two, but it has been the most reluctant bloomer. I think I’m going to prune it back and feed it and hope for the best next year.
I broke down and bought annuals this week. So, the front entrance garden has a hot spot of red geranium. And, I planted marigolds along the side and in front of the boxwoods. While I would love to see red in front of the hedge, neither salvia nor red petunias filled in enough to give me the look I wanted. Marigolds have done the job in the past, so marigolds it is this year.
The Bleeding Heart (dicentra) are bl00ming, too. They are a bit late, I think. But spring is late. I always buy pots of purple petunias because they usually have the most wonderful vanilla scent. In the evening, one of my favorite times in the gardens, I can walk past those pots and breathe in that heady scent. I love it.
Garden 337 