May was a glorious bouquet. Stroll with me through my May garden, admiring God’s palette and glimpsing his smile in the petals.
The peonies bloomed . . . soft, billowy pillows my eyes like to rest upon! I once met a woman in Alabama who claimed to have a garden full of peonies. “My garden,” she said, nodding with pride and with wistfulness, “oh, my garden!”
Butterfly weed: This perennial is both a host plant and a food source for monarchs. Come soon, winged friends!
Rain lilies! Spring and summer rains awaken these happy pink petals.
Jackmanii clematis: My husband recently told me that this is one of his favorites! It does draw attention to itself when it paints the fence purple! This year I planted cheery cosmos in front of it and let it climb its way through the neighboring ‘Rina Hugo’ rose.
Stella de Oro daylily: This plant is commonly seen, and it is easy to understand why. Almost as soon as its leaves die in the late fall, new green growth pushes up underneath. A gardener simply has to lift the old leaves away to reveal the coming of spring!
Hardy Amaryllis/St. Joseph’s Lily (hippeastrum johnsonii): Hooray! After years of trying to grow this plant, it bloomed this month . . . twice! Sometimes it takes a lot of trial and error to find a plant’s perfect home, but this amaryllis is worth the trouble. 🙂
Balloon Flower: The bud “balloons” don’t pop. Rather, they unfold into captivating blue flowers.
Black and Blue salvia: This plant is useful for growing in the soggiest section of your yard. Beware . . . it spreads quickly!
Autumn sage: Hardy and dependable!
Because of the roses, the garden was a wonder this month!
Two fun annuals: Supertunias (top) and golden shrimp plant (bottom right)
My eight-year-old planted pumpkin seeds in his garden this spring. People keep warning me that the vines will take over the yard, but aren’t pumpkin flowers beautiful?!!!
A Children's Book World 