Beautiful April Garden
Sunday, April 24, 2016 at 9:40PM April may be the prettiest month in my garden.
I recently had a garden party for the ladies in my church; over 90 people came! (Yes, we managed parking for everybody, and the garden came through completely undisturbed.) The weather was perfect, and we all had a great time. Everyone loves a beautiful garden. Would you like a brief tour? I will cover the woodland garden in my next post. Here are a few views around the patio and front garden:
Yes, that white flower in the front is Erigeron, also called Fleabane, a wildflower that is known as a common weed, though a very pretty one!
The following two images are of my first peony bloom, 'Shirley Temple.' I shot the top picture soon after the peony bud opened, after a heavy rain. The second photo is a few days later. Peonies are new to my garden this year, but not new to my heart, for I have loved them since childhood.
Columbine, purple salvia, Dianthus 'Bath's Pink' and a succulent called 'Blue Chalk Fingers.'
Penelope Rose is one of my favorites.
Romantica rose 'Orchid Romance.' I bought it because of its name!
This Voodoo Lily bloom did not open till the day after the garden party. Thankfully! The bloom smells exactly like a rotting corpse, and I was afraid it would spoil the party.
Foxglove 'Camelot'
Top row: Two views of Calibrachoa. Middle row: Blue Eyed African Daisy; Violas. Bottom row: Hybrid Columbine; Pink Dianthus.
I hope you enjoyed the tour. May you have a beautiful week! Deb
Reader Comments (21)
Does your columbine self-sow everywhere? Or do you deadhead it before it sets seeds?
Mine rivals love-in-a-mist as one of the most rampant self-seeders in my garden. I've ripped out countless volunteers and am on the brink of banishing columbine from my garden altogether. Although the native one is supposed to attract hummingbirds, I don't think I've ever seen a single pollinator on a columbine blossom.
Hi Aaron! My columbine that is in the front garden does self-sow, but it has never been weedy. I always wish there were more! I usually get between a half dozen to a dozen plants each year. Most of them come up in the mulched path, and I move them to where I want. And the pollinators love it! It's one of their favorite blooms in the garden. I can't tell you what variety I have; long ago I found a half dozen plants that had come down through the years from the original owner of our home. They are not the native columbine, which I also have (in the woodland garden) but those have not done as well. I wish you the best! Deb
Gorgeous doesn't begin to describe... I have peonies for the first time this year, too! I'm not holding out hope for blooms this year, though, as my starts were tiny and only have 1 eye. They are growing!
So happy your voodoo lily waited on that bloom! Talk about crashing the party! Hope you have a fabulous week ahead! xo
Hey Deb! I find it endlessly fascinating how a certain flower (columbine, in this case) can be a pollinator magnet in one garden (yours) and completely ignored by pollinators in another (mine).
Maybe you just have a larger pollinator population in general? It seems like you have quite a large property with varied environments, whereas I am a small island of biodiversity (just a few beds) in a sea (for the most part) of lawns and exotic foundation plantings.
As I've written on my blog, I've seen very few pollinators in general this year. Plants like redbud, crabapple and ajuga that were covered in pollinators last year had very few visitors this year. I don't think I've seen a single bee on the ajuga this year, whereas last year the flower spikes often had bumblebee (or carpenter bee?) visitors. But even in a year like last year where there were lots of pollinators flitting around, I don't think I saw any of them visit the columbine - either the native or the exotic hybrid.
Also interesting how columbine seems to be so much more rampant up here than it is a few hundred miles further south!
Hello, Aaron,
Perhaps your weather is a bit more favorable for the columbine seeds? I do have a lot of biodiversity in my 3.5 acres. I also am surrounded by woods, which separate me from a nearby subdivision. I am blessed with many species of birds, as well as endless numbers of other critters. I am actually seeing more pollinators here this year. I suspect your neighbors use of plants treated with systemic pesticides and other chemicals is responsible for the drop in your pollinator population. Deb
Your April garden is exquisite, as are your pictures. Your blog is always helpful and inspirational. My garden,on the Eastern Shore of VA, is slowly awakening after a couple of late frosts we had here. Your pictures give me hope.
The first word that comes to mind when I see your garden is calming. I just love the blues and greens with splashes of warm colors. I think your bright blue bench looks so rich against the greens in the landscape. Just makes you want to sit a spell. I think you are so brave to have that many people in your garden at the same time. I think I would panic.
I wish a had been one of your party Deb, a walk around your stunningly beautiful garden must have made the ladies from your church very happy. Have a lovely week.
Oh, how I wish I could have joined your garden tour in person, Deb! The garden looks glorious. Congratulations on the peony bloom too! I'm very envious...
Loving all your flowers and garden accents. The foxgloves are so artsy looking.You have a special way of capturing what you see. That blue bench is crazy cool...not too much but adds just enough punch to any picture to get your attention.
Ninety people sounds terrifying - but they surely all enjoyed your garden!
Everything looks perfect! Isn't April wonderful?
Thank you for the tour Deb. Your garden looks very cheerful. Perfect for a party!
Your garden is beautiful at any time of year, Deb. April is sure pretty with all you have in bloom. We are just starting to get into bloom time. My garden still has the bulbs in bloom. I suspect a lot will be blooming at once this year, rather than being staggered like usual. The winter came very late and looks like it finally has left.
Beautiful indeed! Luscious with its emerald greens, colorful blooms and lovely blue accents!
What a luscious garden! I'm sure your guests were awestruck. I like how you use the Fleabane, the line between a weed and an garden flower is often a fuzzy one. Also I like your birdhouse.
Deb, I knew your garden would be breathtaking in spring! So much loveliness! I really liked the new peony and the Penelope rose too. Also that beautiful Camelot foxglove is wonderful - I have tried to grow them here without much success. I guess it is just too warm for them? It must have been such a treat for everyone to tour your garden - they probably didn't want to leave! Thank you for giving us a tour too!
- Kate xx
My goodness Deb, spring is fabulous where you live! So many colors, so many blooms. Sure wish I could see it in person.
It's a joy to see all your April flowers. It's interesting to follow the bloom season north. Your garden is at its prettiest in April; Carol at May Dreams Gardens considers her midwest garden at its best in May; my Maine garden doesn't peak until July.
I enjoyed seeing the different vignettes -- beautiful! I am especially smitten with the first picture. It's so lovely.
Your pinks look very happy. Did they spread or did you divide them and spread them around?
The members of your church must have really enjoyed seeing your garden!
Oh Deb I must agree...spring may be just the prettiest and your garden among the loveliest I have ever seen.