Early May In The Garden

In Seekonk the beginning of May has been gray and rainy. And though the constant rain has wreaked havoc with my professional schedule,the gardens here are looking particularly lush. The farm pond in particular, now in it's second year, has filled in beautifully.



I'm particularly pleased with this combination of Hosta "Sum & Substance", Primula Japonica "Apple Blossom",Iris Pseudacorus Variegatus (variegated yellow flag iris), and the Rheum Palmatum, which since my last posting has become simply enormous.

I'm also enjoying the dark blue flowers of Camassia, a bulb I mentioned in my last post, backed by the red toned leaves of Ligularia "Desdemona", and the green and gold foliage of Glyceria Maxima "Variegata", though the latter's invasive tendencies have made it a challenge to contain.



The blue and white garden always looks lovely this time of year. The last of the tulips are still holding on and the azaleas, white wisteria, and polemonium are just about to burst into bloom.



Even though I spend hours every Spring making sure that the bark-mulch walkways are perfectly straight, I encourage the plantings to spill out of the beds, softening their contours. I find that people often shy away from designs based on squares or rectangles, fearing that straight lines and right angles will appear rigid and uninviting. I would argue, however, that a precise geometry can provide a particularly flattering foil for lush plantings.



By the way, did you know that you can enlarge the individual pictures by clicking on them.?



Happy Mother's Day :-)