My Home Garden
in Late May
Seasonal Tips for Flowers and Vegetables
Today is a little different and maybe a little more personal. I’m pulling photos from my camera roll, and we are just going to stroll through to see what’s happening. I have a few looks back, a few previews of what’s to come, and LOTS of flowers!
Ok. Let’s get started!
The Stock Tank Pool is Filled
The Stock Tank Pool is now full and is warming up for the season. This is one of my greatest joys of the summer — and it is one of the easiest and cheapest DIY projects you can imagine! Huge impact — small budget! I have a whole guide for setting up a Stock Tank Pool, too. Everything you need and step-by-step instructions. Plus all the things you don’t need to do (like painting it). You’ll find it all here:
Sneak Peek: Porch Pots!
In the coming days I will have a post all about porch pots. I have these gorgeous self-watering pots from Crescent Garden that are fabulous, and I’m going to show you how I fill them with different combinations of plants. I love a good pot, and I long all winter for the softness and punchy color that potted plants bring to our deck. So stay tuned for that!
Still More Peonies!
If you’ve been around this spring you know that my first peonies bloomed in the first week of April! I mean, really! And they are STILL blooming! All of that racing around to save those blooms from frost and freezes and snows — well, it paid off big time. I think I still have 2-3 more weeks of peonies to go. I have NEVER had such a long season.
So I guess that’s the payoff for our warm and impossibly dry winter?
I am thankful for every blossom, frankly!
The Roses are Blooming!
And here come the roses! Right now I have a few blooms on a few plants. The last frost we had nipped more than a few buds. So I suspect we will have a later flush of roses than usual — and my climber that only blooms once may not really bloom at all. We will see! But many of the shrub roses are already putting on a show. And Bolero has clearly come into its own this year! I planted two plants four years ago, and they are fuller and loaded with buds. Very exciting!
In the last few days, my favorite climber, Darlow’s Enigma, burst into bloom as well. It’s such a gorgeous and reliable rose, and I love how it is covering this fence. It’s VERY vigorous, but it also rewards you with so many flowers all summer long. The bees love it, too!
Wondering about roses? I have a whole guide to the roses in my garden and tips for pruning and rose care, too:
Also Blooming: Kintzley’s Ghost
Last year I wrote about Kintzley’s Ghost — this mysteriously cool native North American honeysuckle. It’s soooo cool, and it is clearly having its own Happy Plant Summer over here! I planted it against the south side of the Shade House — hoping it will provide even more shade in the summer. It clearly got the message!
And now that the flowers are beginning to open, the bumblebees are drunk and happy every evening. Seriously! The buzzing is amazing as they bumble along from flower to flower. In a week it will be Coachella over here, and I am here for it!
For more about Kintzley’s Ghost:
Dahlia Check-In
So I uncovered the dahlias in mid-April. I overwinter them in the ground here despite the fact that I am in Zone 5/6. This is the third winter I have done this, and I’m delighted to say that they all survived and are thriving!
Want to know the secret? Here:
When I uncover them, the succulent foliage is irresistable to rabbits, so I cover them with these cheap metal trash cans. So easy!
But today I pulled off the trash cans! They are happy and healthy enough to manage a little nibbling if it happens. Plus, there’s more for the rabbits to eat now, so they aren’t quite as destructive.
Now I just have to get the posts in and supports for the dahlias as they grow!
Coming Soon: All About Clematis
Somehow I hadn’t planted any clematis in this garden yet. I fixed that this year, and I’ll have a guide in the coming weeks with ideas for supports, the varieties I chose, and a very personal story about why clematis is the flower of my first teaching job in Minnesota.
I am thrilled to have some lovely plants in the ground.
Remember that Easter Table?
I chose the plants for my Spring/Easter Table because they would be happy planted out into my flower beds this spring. And they are! I got them into the ground a few weeks ago, and they are all blooming and enjoying their new homes. They had clearly outgrown their big pots, but that’s ok. It was time to move them on anyway.
That tablesetting was up for nearly two months, though, and I still have a few pieces of it on the dining room table. I’m not quite ready to move on to summer — but soon!
Not sure what I am talking about? Check this out:
Hardy Geraniums: I was Influenced!
Sometime in the depths of the winter that wasn’t, someone here on Substack wrote about hardy geraniums and the best varieties for your gardens. It might have been Jo Thompson or Pollyanna Wilkinson or maybe… I just don’t know. If you do know, please drop it in the comments! I just remember a lovely list of multiple hardy geranium varieties from which Boom Chocolatta stood out. And in a midnight shopping fury, I ordered several.
Well, here they are — and I love them! The nearly-iridescent blooms stand out against all of the greens, and their dark foliage creates a purply shadow. Gorgeous!
I mean — look at them over there in the left bed. They are stunning even amongst all of the other plants. I love it when a plant recommendation lives up to the hype!
Coming Soon: Italian Courtyard Reveal!
You know those ugly pieces of a garden that you just kind of ignore because you don’t know what to do with them? I’m assuming you’re like me and have one of those… maybe you don’t. But I sure do — or did! Another project we’ve been working on is what I am calling the Italian Courtyard. It’s been a staging area for projects and a hot mess for a LONG time. And in the last few weeks it got an easy glow up. And now it is… magic!
Just wait! I love a good glow up, and this one is GOOD! Stay tuned!
at the close…
I’m still slow with my knee — lots of relaxing on the couch outside with an ice pack on my knee. But I do have a garden stool which I am moving around the garden to work.
This week in my garden | Colorado Zone 5|6:
What I’m Planting: TOMATOES! The soil is warm enough, and I’ve got tomato starts to get in the ground this week. Looking for tomato growing tips? I’ve got you! Click here for my Guide to Growing Tomatoes!
What’s Blooming: So much! But I am loving this combination: Centranthus ruber | Jupiter’s Beard and Scabiosa 'Butterfly Blue’. They both have been blooming for a few weeks. They are drought tolerant. And the bees love them both! I am loving how they are looking together, too. I have grown them both before, but this is the first time I’ve put them together. It will be interesting to see what that iris in the middle will bring to the party, too!
Coming Soon: all about pots and containers. I’m getting everything potted up, and I’ll have plant combinations and tips for keeping your pots happy and healthy all summer long, too!
Here’s to a fabulous week for you all!
If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask!
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Happy Gardening!
Angela
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