Ah, the end of May – the time of year when much of the garden is, or is about to be, in full bloom. When we have an abundance of choice when it comes to posting pictures of our favourite things in the garden and an over abundance of gardening tasks to get through each day! Here are a few quick things now appearing for me. To see others from around the world, take a look at the comments section of The Propagator’s current blog post.
Fothergilla Mountt Airy – the bottle-brush flowers on this small shrub appeared this year like magic in the midst of a string of unseasonably warm days.
There’s a few hundred stalks of white, re-blooming Iris about to burst open this weekend, but on Thursday these were the first of the taller bearded Iris to bloom in my garden.Prince Edward County is known for the large lilac shrubs lining its roads and byways. This will be the peak weekend for them – a bit later than usual – but with travel restrictions we won’t have the usual hordes gawking. Here’s one of my favourites in my front Island garden – an unknown white variety.
Here’s a new Geranium – a Cambridge Cranesbill, the label says. I purchased it last week and just planted it. I love perennial Geraniums – hope this will be happy here, in a spot that gets full sun until mid day.
My Lemon Magnolia is just starting to bloom. It’s really a cucumber Magnolia – M.acuminata – I started it from seed many years ago and it has survived both flood and drought (with a bit of pampering…) The ‘cucumber’ name comes from the shape of the fruit. I call it my lemon Magnolia because not only are the flowers yellow, they also have a slight citrus fragrance.
Finally – from my kitchen garden, here are the first tomatoes of the year. I started the seeds of three heirloom ‘Costoluto Genovese’ tomatoes (the ones with the pleated shoulders…) nine weeks ago – on March 22. They were more than two feet tall when I planted them on Monday, had been flowering for a few weeks, and bingo! These are supposed to be big boys so I’m not expecting any harvest for a while.
The fothergilla is one of my favorite shrubs here, because the flowering is beautiful and I must say that it’s seen quite rarely in the gardens nearby. I’m very happy to have bought and planted it about twenty years ago
Great to see your first tomatoes !
Fothergilla is a great favourite of mine, would love to have one but my garden is far too small. Very impressed by your baby tomatoes, and a lovely variety, I love the beef steak ones.
I haven’t met fothergilla before, but the flower seems similar to a hebe, from a distance, at least. It must be delightful walking around the lanes near you with all those lilacs in flower.
Well done on growing that magnolia from seed. It’s a lovely colour. The photo of the Fothergilla is beautifully composed. I’m going to have to see if I can fit one in my garden.
Some fabulous photographs. The fothergilla is lovely. I used to have one in a tub, but when I brought it down to Somerset, it got a severe scorching then died. Oh hardy geraniums..’une de mes faiblesse’. We gave a Hardy Geranium section of the HPS in the UK. Their facebook page is open to all, but don’t venture there if you don’t wish to be tempted!
Fothergilla is another plant that we tried to grow in the 1990s, but discontinued because we could not sell enough. No one here knows what it is. It is not exactly ‘Californian’.
County Gardening 
Lovely iris. My next lot are just looking set to flower. Nice little hardy geranium. Good reliable plant.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like reliable!
LikeLike
The fothergilla is one of my favorite shrubs here, because the flowering is beautiful and I must say that it’s seen quite rarely in the gardens nearby. I’m very happy to have bought and planted it about twenty years ago
Great to see your first tomatoes !
LikeLiked by 1 person
And the fothergilla has such brilliant fall colours!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Right ! I forgot that point…
But I think especially in your country…😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Fothergilla is a great favourite of mine, would love to have one but my garden is far too small. Very impressed by your baby tomatoes, and a lovely variety, I love the beef steak ones.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m really looking forward to munching down in August!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Aah fothergilla! I Love that vanilla fragrance. And a lemon magnolia sounds too delicious.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s a fragrant Six isn’t it? 😁
LikeLiked by 1 person
I haven’t met fothergilla before, but the flower seems similar to a hebe, from a distance, at least. It must be delightful walking around the lanes near you with all those lilacs in flower.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow, for both that lilac & the magnolia. Love how the unopened lilac buds are pink tinged, then open white. Does the magnolia get really huge?
LikeLiked by 1 person
No, that type of Magnolia has smallish flowers, for a Magnolia anyway! Maybe 3 or 4 inches….
LikeLike
Well done on growing that magnolia from seed. It’s a lovely colour. The photo of the Fothergilla is beautifully composed. I’m going to have to see if I can fit one in my garden.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! This Fothergilla stays quite small, I think…
LikeLike
Some fabulous photographs. The fothergilla is lovely. I used to have one in a tub, but when I brought it down to Somerset, it got a severe scorching then died. Oh hardy geraniums..’une de mes faiblesse’. We gave a Hardy Geranium section of the HPS in the UK. Their facebook page is open to all, but don’t venture there if you don’t wish to be tempted!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! I’m going to check out HPS page…than you for the warning!
LikeLike
Fothergilla is another plant that we tried to grow in the 1990s, but discontinued because we could not sell enough. No one here knows what it is. It is not exactly ‘Californian’.
LikeLiked by 1 person