What Else is Blooming....

Jim McKenney jimmckenney@starpower.net
Fri, 05 May 2006 09:26:17 PDT
Here's where we are in Maryland, USA:

Evansia irises (I. cristata, I. gracilipes, I. tectorum)  in general are
blooming. I. verna is over. 

Does anyone know when Iris minutoaurea should bloom? There is a nice clump
in the garden, but I don't see buds. 

Iris graminea is blooming in a nearby garden, but still in bud here. 

Iris pseudacorus is in advanced bud.

Regeliocyclus hybrid 'Dardanus' is blooming freely. Garden tall bearded iris
are just beginning to open. 

Dutch iris 'Eye of the Tiger' and 'Bronze Queen' are opening.

Single late tulip 'Black Diamond' is blooming next to Papaver atlanticum
today: what a wonderful color combination! Also in bloom: the sweetly
scented old parrot tulip 'Orange Favorite'. 

Calochortus unflorus 'Cupido' is nearing its end, as is C. tolmiei. C.
'Symphony' may open today; others (venustus, superbus, Golden Orb, others)
are coming into bud rapidly.

Muscari in general are over, but M. comosum and its variant 'plumosum' are
just hitting their stride. Muscari argaei album in not quite yet in bloom. 

The big floral ball Allium are beginning to bloom in mumbers and variety:
elatum, rosenbachianum (or whatever), cristophii, nevskianum,  Globemaster,
Round n Purple, Glory of Pamir, Gladiator, Mars...some of these (and there
are others not named here) look an awful lot alike! Later blooming sorts
such as A. caeruleum and A. sphaerocephalum are just putting up budded
scapes. A. zebdanense is just about over for the year, as is A. paradoxum. 

Dichelostemma volubile and Brodiaea terrestris are in bloom. Dichelostemma
volubile snaked itself up about a yard into some nearby plants. The
inflorescence of Brodiaea terrestris sits right on the ground. Bloomera
crocea is producing an inflorescence. 

Hybrid herbaceous peonies and early lactiflora cultivars are opening.
Japanese suffruticosa peonies are about over, some lutea hybrids are still
on the way although 'Thunderbolt' (presumably a delavayi hybrid)  is in full
bloom. 

Some garden lilies show buds already and some of the big ones are already
four and five feet high! Lilium hansonii will probably be the first lily to
bloom this year. 

Fritillaria in general are over, although a few blooms of F. biflora
'grayana' and F. acmopetala hang on. 

Erythronium are over for the year, but various Trillium continue. 

Ornithogalum umbellatum is in full bloom, O. magnum is putting up an
inflorescence the size of a fat culinary asparagus. This is a great plant. 

An Ornithogalum which seems to be intermediate between O. umbellatum and O.
nutans appeared in the lawn this year. It is shorter than the other two, and
bloomed earlier. The flowers looked like those of O. nutans but were
out-facing or upright. Does this sound familiar to anyone? More than likely,
it came with some (presumably wild collected) snowdrops years ago. 

Hyacinthoides hispanica is in full bloom. Camassia leichtlinii is over.

Crinum are well up (into the three foot range) , but I don't see flower
buds.

Deciduous trees are rapidly leafing out; the next week or so will see a
great change in the light level in areas under trees.

I see the first water lily flower buds!  

Jim McKenney
Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7, where it's still very dry and
things are going quickly. Wood thrushes and parula warblers sing continually
now, and hummingbirds visit the honeysuckles and columbines. The gardener is
in a state of besotted enchantment and doesn't get anything done.  





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