I confess, I have been delinquent in putting up new photos for the last, oops, two months. I have been taking the pictures, but I was gone for almost three weeks in April on a trip to Italy, and then I worked on narrowing down the more than 900 pictures do a manageable 375 and post them on Shutterfly. So, looking back at April, here is what I can show you.
This photo actually dates to before April, when the leaves on the Katsura Heronswood Globe were just emerging. I wanted to document the progression in color and overall appearance of the leaves on this tree over the first few weeks in Spring. I know there is international interest in the Heronswood Globe because one of the most frequently viewed picture on this blog is one I took of that tree.
When the leaves are first emerging, there is this interesting blend of light yellow green and burgundy red, making a short term display.
As the foliage matures over the next 3-4 weeks, the green color deepens into the tone on the right. However, the leaves on the tips still retain that burgundy color as a light coating on portions of the leaves. Many websites talk about the foliage color in the fall, but fail to mention this transition in spring. Some places describe the foliage as a blue-green, which doesn't fit what I have seen. This specimen is in a full-sun situation, and combined with our high temperatures and high humidity in July and August, that may shift the color away from any really blue cast?
This is an early shot of Cotinus coggygria, the variety Young Lady, which is very slow growing. There are already pictures, which I will post later, that show it in full bloom, and it is spectacular this year. It had been in another, prime location in the front of the labyrinth for many years, but never performed well enough to earn its visibility. So, we moved it a year ago, and put the standard dwarf cedar in its place. Maybe it is shy and needed a more modest spot, because this year it looks the best it has ever looked.
You will see water on the next few shots, because I was out early in the morning after a light rain. Those drops of water always sparkle on the flowers and foliage. On the smoke bush, they bead up dramatically.
The next shot of a rosebud growing in front of the fence in the Secret Garden flouts its water drops in a spectacular way. It just looks so fresh and inviting. This bush out-performed what it had done any previous years, with dozens of flowers over some weeks of time. The problem with traveling in April is not being able to enjoy them every day. After the first flush of warm weather, things cooled back down enough that many flowers lasted far longer than usual.
Moving onto the peonies. This one, a Kopper Kettle, bloomed for the first time in the three years it has been in the garden! It had about a dozen flowers. Curiously, some formed on woody stems above ground, and some on new foliage that emerged from the ground. As an inter-species variety, with both tree and herbaceous peony parentage, I think each side was showing off! I took several pictures of this plant, and this one is the most representative of them all. But I have to say, there were surprising variations - one had bright streaks of magenta on its petals.
This white peony is what I call a "classic" because it traces its heritage to plants growing on the farm my parents bought in 1964 in Pleasant Valley, New York. I have kept bringing new divisions of it to each garden I have made over the years, and I hope to have one growing nearby into my old age. These flowers have a strong, spicy fragrance, and a bouquet of 6-8 will fill a room with their heady power. I have no idea what variety this might be, or where to find that information. It is tough, lives where ever it is put, and makes me very happy when it is blooming.
I will close with this picture of a soggy common sage plant growing near the front steps. I am glad we have it there, so I really do notice it blooming. I would not normally recommend sage for its flowers, but these are worth a front row spot. This is an area where the previous owner of the house put in a deep layer of gravel, with little soil, and it gets baked in the hot sun during the summer. If we can get herbs established here, they usually adore the conditions, and we get rich flavors for cooking.
I have lots of pictures from May that I am working on, and will put them up soon.
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