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| Welcome to my Garden! |
Welcome! It has been a windy, cold, rainy April, but that does not stop the flowers from blooming! With some milder days mixed in with temperatures mainly in the 40’s and 50’s and the moderate rain, there are signs of Spring and the garden coming to life everywhere. Join me for a tour of my Long Island, zone 7b garden!
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| Welcoming Committee! |
The welcoming committee stands by with beverage of choice in hand to greet visitors to the garden. Behind them, Spirea Double Play ‘Candy Corn’ adds a touch of brightness to the garden with its outstanding
reddish-pink foliage, which later turns to orange, then to a mixture of light green and yellow with orange highlights, a color resembling that of candy corn; hence, the name. This addition is new to the garden just last year and I am loving it!
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| Hellebore ‘Champion’ |
In the shade border, Hellebore ‘Champion’ is now in full bloom, displaying its pinkish-yellow bracts with pistils and stamens in the center. This evergreen with months of blooms is perfect for early arriving pollinators, with the first bumblebee visitor arriving just the other day.
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| Hellebore ‘Merlin’ |
Also in bloom is Hellebore ‘Merlin’ with its pinkish bracts. It has been blooming for about a month now and continues to please, while in the same shade border is Hellebore ‘Dark & Handsome’.
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| Hellebore ‘Dark & Handsome’ |
I do love all the different varieties of Hellebores and how they bloom at different times throughout the winter, but I think just maybe ‘Dark & Handsome’ could be my favorite! It does point more downward that the other varieties, but the blooms are like no other!
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| Spirea Double Play ‘Candy Corn’ and Stachys (Lamb’s Ear) |
For some more colorful foliage, here is another view of Spirea ‘Candy Corn’ along with Stachys (Lamb’s Ear). The soft white foliage of the Lamb’s Ear has just started wakening up within the past few days.
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| Patio Border |
Hyacinths are also in bloom right now. Here is purple Hyacinth with its fragrant blooms…
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| Patio Garden |
joined by a white cultivar. Both exist right along the main patio within view.
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| Sedum ‘Pure Joy’ |
Sedum ‘Pure Joy’ with its compact, lime-green foliage adds a nice touch to the garden throughout the season in anticipation for its later delicate pale pink blooms. It is also one of the most low maintenance plants in my garden, growing to just under a foot tall.
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| Sedum ‘Angelina’ (Stonecrop) |
Here is Sedum ‘Angelina’ mixed in with a combination of several other varieties of Sedum groundcover along the pool border where it is in full sun all day. Later in the season, various colored blooms including yellow, pink and white will rise above the foliage, depending on which cultivar is blooming.
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| Peony ‘Bartzella’ |
Another bloom to look forward in late May to early June is that of Peony ‘Bartzella’ This hybrid is a mix between the tree form and perennial form of peony, creating a stronger, sturdier plant with large yellow blooms that do not flop over. Springtime is certainly full of anticipation!
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| Pool Border |
Along along the pool border are the forming buds of Allium ‘Globemaster’, which will bloom in early June along with blooms of Daylily ‘Stella D Oro’ to follow.
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| Allium ‘Globemaster’ |
Here are the buds of Allium up close!
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| Pulmonaria ‘Leopard’ |
One of my early spring bloomers in the shade garden is Pulmonaria. This variety is ‘Leopard’ with its deep green foliage that is freckled with white spots and complemented by bluish-purple blooms.
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| Jacob’s Ladder ‘Golden Feathers’ |
Jacob’s Ladder is another shade plant known for its foliage, with blooms to follow.
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| Patio Garden North |
Along the north side of the patio garden, the bright foliage of Nandina ‘Obsession’ continues to please along with Weeping Norway Spruce and Dwarf Cryptomeria. Soon the blooms of Ajuga ‘Black Scallop’ will accompany them.
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| Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar Driveway Border |
While waiting for Liriope (Lilyturf) to start its new season, the trunk of the mature Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar along the driveway is now visible to see. This tree has certainly grown over the years into a huge specimen.
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| Driveway Border |
Here is another view along of the Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar with Golden Skyland’s Oriental Spruce and Coral Bark Maple in the backdrop. There is also the foliage of Boxwood, Japanese Garden Juniper, Blue Star Juniper, Hinoki Cypress and Mugo Pine to accompany them.
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| Dwarf Japanese Andromeda ‘Cavatine’ |
A familiar sight in spring are the blooms of Japanese Andromeda. This is Pieris ‘Cavatine’, a dwarf version of the plant with small, bell-shaped white flowers that somewhat resemble those of Lily of the Valley.
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| Forsythia Blooming! |
And of course it just wouldn’t be spring without the blooms of Forsythia, which can be seen everywhere right now on the island. I planted this one on the street median years ago so that I could watch its early bright yellow display.
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| Thank you for Visiting! |
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Until we Meet Again…Happy Gardening!
Author: Lee @A Guide to Northeastern Gardening, © Copyright 2010-2025. All rights reserved.
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