May Dreams Garden is in Indiana, USA. It is a Gardening Blog/Diary written by Carol who shares photos and stories about her garden. There are many people throughout the world that do this – that is not unique. However she has introduced something through her site that is unique and I feel is such a brilliant idea.
What grows and flowers where and when – how many books are written on this? However, especially with climate change, stories from real gardeners can be invaluable. Carol has come up with an idea that tells real stories of how plants are thriving, or not, throughout the world. She has invited gardeners to share what is in flower in our own gardens on a particular day of the Month, the 15th, by posting plant lists and photos through Blog/Diaries. This is such a fun idea to see what other gardeners like to grow too – giving ideas to all and sharing valuable info.
To join all you need to do is post your photos and lists of what’s in bloom, perhaps what is in bud and what has just finished. It is up to you – it doesn’t have to be all photos but they are great for everyone to see. You then tell Carol that you have taken part by leaving a comment on her page here. This allows her and others to visit your page from the large list she will have there. If you are not able to take part this time you can still see the photos and plant lists by visiting May Dreams Gardens. Below you will see my contribution for May.
Photos above, from top, ALLIUM Christophii, ALLIUM Purple Sensation, Pink & BLUEBELLS, CIRSIUM Rivulare Atopurpursum, EUPHORBIA (Spurge).The plants above are grown in my front garden with a quartz gravel mulch as they get baked in the sun there. They all grow well through grasses and over rocks.
The Geum above sadly is short lived but I lift and divide it to spread this sunshine orange colour about. My back garden gets more shade. It looks great with the striking pink of the Candelabra primulas and the ornamental grasses.
These plants have some shade growing under my Acer tree and to the side of my pergola. I do love to see them in the early morning as I did today with it dappled upon them.
I was quite surprised to see two lone narcisi in my grass today – all the other bulbs have passed over and at the end of June we will mow over this grass area again. Today the rest of my grass was in need of a trim – but then I would have missed the daisies!
Photo above, BAMBOO Sinarundinaria Nitida (Chinese).
Finally, I would like to wish everyone that drops by this page a Good Bloom Day! I am now looking forward to visiting May Dreams Gardens to see who has been visiting there with garden photos today.
Thanks for participating in Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day. I think you are the first from Scotland. You have so many flowers blooming right now. And I love the bird pictures, too. Keep up your “good blogging”!
Shirl, what a nice show of flowers! You even have a name for what I called my alien flower: SAXIFRAGA variagata. The bird photos are amazing. I especially enjoy the birds in the garden, but just cannot photograph them very well. I do wish the best for the blue tit family. I have one house with a family in it. (but no cam) Paula
Beautiful and interesting blooms. The photographs are so bright and clear, they almost seem three dimensional.
I also love all your photos of the the birds, you’re so lucky to have so many, and I find it amazing that you have a camera in that nest!
Nice contribution for Blooms Day Shirl! It’s fun to see so many of your plants already in flower. As you are in Scotland I shouldn’t be surprised that your wisteria isn’t out yet, but it will be soon by the looks of it.
Come see my contribution to Blooms Day. 🙂
Hi everyone and thanks for visiting – it is good to meet fellow gardeners.
Sorry,
I missed something in my post which may be of interest to you. I have had increasing enquiries to my site about New Zealand Flatworms after posting on them. Many are now coming from the USA. I thought this would be an opportunity to pass on info to anyone concerned about them – see my Label: New Zealand Flatworms.
Hi again, Carol
Thank-you, I enjoyed taking part in Bloom Day.
I hope you get more visitors from Scotland, other parts of the UK and Europe.
May is my favourite month and busiest in the garden. The flowers are looking well and the foliage even better.
Hello Paula
Thanks for your comments. I wondered if I recognised your alien flower. It was late last night when I looked through the sites and I was too tired to make any comments to tell you.
I am only now managing to capture the birds after getting a new camera for my birthday. I am thrilled to be able to take my own photos instead of linking to others.
I began capturing the birds by taking short videos – which is still fun to do. We have really enjoyed this first year of our Camera Nestbox and have been very lucky it was used instead of our Terrace, without camera, that had chicks last year.
Good luck with your Blue Tits too. It is great to see the young birds at the feeders together.
Hello Anna maria
Thanks for you kind comments. I am very lucky to have a small garden space that gives so many photo opportunities. I am learning how to use my camera, capturing activity, and having fun with it.
This is the first year we have had a Camera Nestbox so it is all new to us. I believe that we may have eggs hatching at the weekend or soon after if you would like to visit again to see them.
Hi again, Yolanda
I discovered Blooms Day through yourself so naturally your site was the first I visited. Unfortunately it was late as I perused the sites and decided to make my comments today.
It was lovely to see I had a list myself!
Thank-you for your comment – I am lucky I have flowers and much in bud too. I have to admit I that I have never noted down when my wisteria has flowered – I am just thrilled that it does! Now that I am keeping a diary I will be able to compare year to year. Yes, Scotland is even two weeks behind England when it comes to flowering times.
Shirl, you make a great point about how useful it is to find out when flowers bloom in different parts of the world.
Your flowers are spectacular – you have such an incredible variety. I loved seeing your Columbines, Rhododendron, Bluebells – all your flowers, I should say. They are all beautiful!
Great blog!
Great post, Shirl. Lots blooming in your garden just now. Superb photos too. It’s interesting to see that everything that’s out at the moment in your garden is also blooming in mine.
Re the photos for Bloggers’ Bloom Day…
My blog is about the story of how we created a garden for wildlife, so it’s not a day to day/week to week account of what I’m doing in the garden. But I do have photo blogs at the side, and one of these shows what is in bloom at Barleycorn each week. I just posted what’s out at the moment, which might be of interest to you to compare notes.
Perhaps if you click on my main blog, and notice that I’ve not posted something new, you might like to click on one of the others. I only blog when I feel inspired, rather than feeling that I must write something for the sake of it.
Re birdsong…
I wondered if you’d like to scroll down my page to the 12th April when I posted a little video from my garden which has the Dawn Chorus at Barleycorn on it. I was up at the crack for it! Being a fellow bird-watcher, you might like to guess who’s singing…
Hello Kate,
Thinking further about plants in flower – if you were new to an area of the country or part of the world it would help tremendously in gardening there wouldn’t it?
Thanks so much for your kind comments.
Hello again, Wildlife Gardener
Thanks for your kind comments. Yes, it will be interesting also to see which plants are behind in flower too. I expect they will be mine.
I will enjoy seeing more of your garden photos in your photo blog – this is a thought I am considering too. I have many photos I do not include in posts.
Re birdsong – How lovely it was to listen to and so many different birds too. Hands up though – I really am new to birds it is only in the last nine months that I have been really watching them! I’m sorry I cannot fully identify the birdsong but I believe I heard the Blackbird and perhaps a Dunnock?
Hi, shirl! I can only identify a few of the birds by ear. I recognise the bluetit, robin(who has several variations!), blackbird, thrush, yellowhammer, lark, dunnock, greenfinch, wren, and starling…and that’s after 40 years of birdwatching!
You probably know this info already, so forgive me if you do…there’s a good collection of birdsong on the BBC website. I like to listen from time to time to atune my ears…
Hi Wildlife Gardener
I will check out the birdsong on the BBC Website – thanks for that. I could add links to it with my photos.
I can always identify the goldfinches – to me they sound as I would imagine fairies would sound like! They even twinkle as they fly – I love to hear them.
If I do hear a bird singing I try to see where it is coming from to identify it. I have to say though that I do like to hear the mix of song and chattering.