Garden in the First Week of May 2020

It's the beginning of May, 2020

The daffodils are winding down, but still lovely.  We deadheaded the first daffodil on May 2, which is very late!

In March, the neighborhood woodchuck discovered the garden.  We thought we were being so clever, planting tulips, which are delicious, surrounded by daffodils, which are not.  Didn't matter to Mr. Woodchuck!  He ignored the daffodils and gobbled down the tulips. This Red Emperor Tulip was a little slower than the others, so it only had its top nipped a bit.  It was able to bloom!  It's companions were not. . .

The forsythia is still in bloom.

To thwart the ravenous beasts, D caged many plants and much of the entire garden.

His work paid off, and we are enjoying the daffodils and tulips.

These cute daffodils are called tête-à-tête.

Each bloom is smaller than a quarter.

As the red tulips begin to fade, the pinks and yellows are starting.

The dandelions have started.

D has cut the lawn two times already!

One of the plants that was here when we arrived is the pulmonaria (lungwort).

It has speckled leaves, and the flowers look like the kind you made in elementary school by making a cup of a small piece of crepe paper by wrapping it around a pencil top.

They start blooming in pink and then fade to blue.  They like shade.

There are tiny blue flowers in the lawn.

Fritillaria, Crown Imperial, grows from a bulb.

It is one of the earliest blooms, often blooming before the bees are out.

So in order to attract a pollinator, it stinks!  Really!  It smells like skunk.

But at about two feet tall, it is impressive to look at.

If it seems familiar, you may have seen it in a medieval tapestry or illuminated manuscript.

Here's an idea of what is coming.

D ordered a 10 new daylilies.

It was a bargain collection, so there were several roots of each of the ten.

Here they are, sorted on the lawn, waiting to be planted.

This should be interesting in a few months.

There are lots more things getting stronger and ready to bloom, so check back. . . 

Then today, May 9, Mother Nature decided to throw a curve.

We got a couple of inches of snow overnight.

These are the daffodils in the front yard.

We do not have any tender plants out yet, so all should be well.

But our temperatures should be close to 70º, not 30º.

It has been a lovely spring.  We have enjoyed having cut flowers in the house.

Some of the daffodils smell wonderful!