Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - May 2019

Late April and May have been a hectic time for me and not in a good way since it involved health problems for both my husband and myself. His was definitely the more serious of the two since he had heart bypass surgery on April 29. He's at home and well into his convalescence and I have learned a new respect for nurses!

Unfortunately, my function as a nurse has not left much time for gardening and my garden shows it. In short, it's a mess and that mess hasn't been helped by the near monsoon rains we've had recently. But even amid the neglect and the mess, many of my tough old plants just keep on blooming. Here is some of what I found on a walk through the garden today.

If it is May, there must be magnolias, of course. This is the month when their beauty makes us forgive them their untidiness throughout the year.

 My hydrangeas are just beginning to bloom.

Likewise, the oleanders. Many oleanders around town are in full and glorious bloom already, but mine are literally late bloomers.

These are some of my reblooming chrysanthemums. They bloom in the spring and again in the fall.

I have them in several colors, including this rust.

And also this red one which is not quite in full bloom yet.

You might think this is white plumbago, but, in fact, it is blue. The color is almost impossible to capture in bright sunlight.

The Philippine lilies have bloomed gloriously but this is the only one left and it is a bit worse for wear from all the rain. They are beautiful while they last.

Blue salvia.

 Turk's cap.

The 4 o'clocks are in bloom late in the day as their name suggests.

 The yarrow just keeps on going month after month after...

 And so do these little violas. They don't seem to realize their season is past.

This is a wildflower with the weird name of purple-head sneezeweed. I have a few of the plants scattered around the garden. I like wildflowers and so do the native pollinators.

This is another wild plant that has introduced itself into my garden. It is elderberry, the fruit of which is much loved by birds. It grows behind my garden shed.


 Pomegranate.

 Yellow cestrum.

 Salvia greggii - aka autumn sage.

 This is Duranta erecta - golden dewberry plant.

This is the only variety of daylily that I have in bloom so far. Its proper name is long forgotten.

 The groundcover wedelia.

Mrs. Lui's cannas. I don't know their real name but I call them that because my neighbor, Mrs. Lui, was the one who gave me my start of them long ago.

 This is 'Wendy's Wish' salvia. It has been a real winner in my garden.

 Justicia 'Orange Flame.'

'Peggy Martin' rose just keeps on blooming her heart out for the fifth consecutive month now.

 This is the 'Caldwell Pink' antique rose.

 And this is 'Julia Child.'

 'Belinda's Dream.'

But the real star of the rose garden this month has been 'Lady of Shalott' which has been covered in these large cushy blooms for weeks now.

I'm glad you decided to drop by my garden this month and I hope to visit yours in turn. I'll also be visiting the garden of our host Carol of May Dreams Gardens. She always has plenty to show us.

Happy Bloom Day!

Comments

  1. I send wishes for quick healing for your husband. You have a beautiful garden, and the sunlight was perfect for some of those photos.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for the good wishes. The recovery is going well, but it can't be rushed, so I'll be head nurse for a while longer. Meanwhile, I'm glad at least parts of my garden continue without me.

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  2. I adore magnolias! Happy Bloom Day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I adore mine in May. Some of the newer varieties have had some of the messiness bred out of them, but mine is an old tree, planted in the '70s and I spend much of the year cursing it for all the detritus it produces.

      Delete
  3. You certainly have had a hard and worrying time. I wish you and your husband good health - and delights wandering through your garden. It is absolutely gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It has been difficult, but I'm mended and he's on the mend and at some point I hope my garden will be, too!

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  4. Beautiful blooms!
    Glad your husband's recovery is going well.
    Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!

    ReplyDelete
  5. You captured the beauty without showing the mess! Good job. Isn't it great that nature carries on while we are busy with other things?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nature is omnipotent and probably would prefer that we just get out of her way and let her do her thing.

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  6. I love the blooms with little touch of sunlight on them...loved every bit of your blooms specially Magnolias ...We are into peak of summer with scorching heatwaves blowing everyday ....hope your husband have speedy recovery and God bless you both ..
    Have a great week ahead.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Summer is sneaking over the window sill here, with temperatures already in the low 90s F. In another month, high summer will be with us. Thank you for your good wishes, Arun.

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  7. If it's a mess it's a delightful mess!
    For different reasons my garden is also a mess and I understand how difficult it is to look at it. Best wishes to you both and I'm glad your husband's recovery is going well. You'll be back out there before you know it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. From what I have seen of your garden, it is always beautiful regardless of the status of your renovations or whatever else is going on in your life. But perhaps like me when you look at your own garden you can only see what's wrong with it.

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  8. Your garden is thriving despite the abundant rains.

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  9. So many beautiful flowers! I am obsessed with salvias! Praying for a speedy recovery for you and your husband.

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    Replies
    1. Salvias always seem to be winners in the garden. Thanks for your good wishes. I'm happy to report that the recovery is on schedule and going well.

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