Deb's Garden, April 2017
Sunday, April 2, 2017 at 10:45PM April has always been one of the prettiest months in my garden. We are shaking off effects of last year's severe drought and a couple of mid-March freezes and moving forward. Here are views of Deb's Garden today:
The lawn is bordered by the front garden. The Japanese maple on the left is our 'marriage tree,' purchased soon after Lou and I married 41 years ago:
This view of the front garden was taken near the patio:
Here is a red Japanese maple with a flowering dogwood, Cornus florida, in the background. This is one of our older dogwoods that survived last year's drought:
A few days ago we purchased Cornus florida 'Cherokee Brave,' a new variety of pink flowering dogwood bred for vigor and disease resistance. But how many dead dogwoods have we cut down? We plan to buy another Cherokee Brave this week. That makes two, a small beginning, but we are grateful that a number of our dogwoods still survive, including some younger ones.
On the left is one of our original white flowering dogwoods. On the left is our new 'Cherokee Brave.'
If you follow my blog, you know how much I love Japanese maples! Japanese maple 'Aconitifolium' is one of my favorite green ones:
Here are views of assorted other Japanese maples growing in the garden:
Japanese maple 'Waterfall' grows in the woodland garden:
The blue bridge image is one of my favorite views of the woodland garden through the seasons. Here is April, 2017:
As I walked in the woodland garden today I noticed several butterflies. This Eastern Black Swallowtail was preoccupied with a native azalea and did not mind me taking its photo:
Also in the woodland garden today was an anole lizard resting on the side of a green watering can:
Here are assorted flowers currently blooming in the garden:
Top row: Camellia japonica 'Gunsmoke'; Ajuga. Middle row: Fothergilla; Pink Columbine. Bottom row: Bloodroot; Hellebores.
Clockwise from top left: A white Encore Azalea; White double petunia; Variegated Solomon's Seal; Philadelphus (Mock Orange).I hope you enjoyed the tour! Have a great week! Deb
Reader Comments (18)
Your April garden is lovely, as always! My ajuga is really putting on a show this year - I had no idea it bloomed when I planted it originally. Imagine my surprise!
Magnifique! I love the way you continue to find infinite beauty on a relatively small property (I forgot how large but I know it's not acres and acres). Your photos are fabulous. Enjoy your early southern spring. Here in New York we are only up to crocuses.
Deb your garden is beautiful! I love the green anoles. The Cuban anoles are taking over in my garden. Not sure if they kill the green ones or simply out-breed them but I am seeing less and less of the beautiful green ones.
Despite your recent weather challenges, your April garden is a feast for the eyes, Deb! I love all your Japanese maples, especially your "marriage tree," which is think is a wonderful way to mark your union. Your anoles are charming and seemingly quite content to pose - my western fence lizards are generally more skittish, yet very, very plentiful at the moment.
April is a pretty month with al the fresh new growth. Your garden is so beautiful Deb!. And that butterfly is magnificent. I love the Japanese maples. The bumblebees love the maple flowers in my garden.
I'm so glad you decided to get a pink dogwood. Great photos of the butterfly!
Hi Deb, your garden is simply lovely in spring! The tapestry of colors is wonderful and so soothing for the eyes and the soul.
Your photos of the Eastern Black Swallowtail are stunning. That is a butterfly that I have never seen in person.
You probably know by now that I love white flowering plants so the last set of photos really spoke to me. I especially like the white double petunia, a variety that I haven't seen around here.
Enjoy spring as long as it lasts!
Warm regards,
Christina
Butterflies and anoles and camellias, oh my! Three of my favorite things! I can't have anoles and camellias up here in the north, so I have to enjoy them on blogs like yours and when I travel. But butterflies! I just saw the first one of the season in my garden this past weekend, and I'm so excited to see more! Your garden is such a haven! You must pinch yourself every time you look out at all that beauty. :)
Great photo of the butterfly on the azalea, Deb!
I've seen quite a few butterflies here this spring too. More than in previous years, I think. Maybe the mild winter helped? Or maybe (I like to think) the garden is becoming a better butterfly habitat?
Camellia and fothergilla are blooming here too. In fact, I think I've had camellia in one form or the other (sasanqua and now japonica) blooming for about 6 or 7 months now. Gosh, I love camellias. Wish I could grow more of them, but the two that I have doing well here are on just about the most sheltered and warmest places on the property. When I tried growing some in slightly colder and more exposed locations, they suffered severe winter damage and I ended up removing them. Sniff.
As for the ajuga, it does look pretty when it blooms, but I decided it was too thuggish, not native and not pulling its weight the rest of the year. I tried taking it out over the winter. Ha! It came back. Vigorously. I'm now on round 2 of trying to remove it. I anticipate there will be a round 3 and maybe (yikes) a round 4?
PS - Like Kris P., I think your marriage tree is a sweet idea!
Yes, I did enjoy the tour. Your garden is looking so pretty, in spite of your drought. Love all your Acers, they are such beautiful trees, ours are just coming into leaf now, we are a bit behind you at the moment.
Beautiful! I wish I had more room for Japanese maples. There are so many choices and so popular here. I was just contemplating getting 'Orange Dream' a few days ago. I am not sure where it would go though. :(
Great picture of the Swallowtail on the Azalea. The Flowering Dogwood id beautiful with the Japanese Maple. I think I prefer the white dogwoods.
Your photos are very beautiful. I enjoyed seeing your woodland garden--a climate with plants so very different from my own. Your Dogwoods and Acers look healthy and happy--good luck with the new Dogwoods, and have a beautiful spring.
Beautiful. From the perspective of snowy Maine, where patches of brown showing through the melting snow are the exciting promise of spring, all that green and the colorful flowers are just dazzling!
So beautiful, Deb. We had a severe drought even in spring last year. This year is starting off with seasonal rain. I wonder what the summer will bring? Hopefully not the drought and high heat again.
Of course I did enjoy my tour through Deb's Garden, I always do! You have a knack of making "mosaics" in your garden, with many colors and textures all seen at once. (note the second photo down) How delightful to find a swallowtail that doesn't mind posing for you. They haven't quite arrived up here yet. So far I've only seen cabbage whites. Time to think about breaking out the hummingbird feeder too, they're on their way!
Your garden is inspirational!!! Especially the blue bridge. I'm thinking of putting one in my woodland garden. Wish we could grow Japanese maples in central Florida...typical case of zone envy.
BEAUTIFUL..I love every single thing about your garden.
My favorite is the Japanese maple and the blue bridge, so refreshing.