Happy Thursday! We’ve had the most beautiful spring weather the last few weeks which has been very agreeable to me and the flowers! Join me for a stroll to see what’s in bloom around the Potting Shed.
Knock-Out Roses have been blooming their hearts out for several weeks now. The double red variety is shockingly bright to the point of requiring sunglasses when you look at it. :)
The peonies are blooming! Peonies are long-lived and easy-care perennials and are deer and rabbit resistant.
‘Sarah Bernhardt’ is one of my favorite peonies with pink double blooms that resemble old-fashioned roses.
Introduced in 1906, ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ is a popular peony that makes a great cut flower with a healthy amount of deep green foliage that adds interest to the garden throughout the season. I didn’t have a ring or support for it so I used a obelisk I already had to help support the large flowers.
I wish I had a ‘scratch and sniff’ feature here, so you could enjoy their wonderful fragrance!
We have a couple of single pink and white peonies that are early blooming varieties, blooming around mid-April here in North Carolina.
Clematis is blooming. . .
‘Cherokee’ Clematis has star-shaped pink blooms with a deeper pink center stripe.
It’s a fast grower and blooms in May to June and again in August to September.
Clematis ‘Bernadine’ is another rebloomer variety, flowering in late spring or early summer and then again in August. Ours has been blooming since the end of April.
I love the contrast of the lavender-blue petals with the magenta stamens.
It’s happy with 4 – 6 hours of sun, although ours probably gets closer to 8 hours. It’s hardy in zones 4 – 9 and is bee and butterfly friendly!
Note for new gardeners: A USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is the standard by which gardeners and growers can determine which plants are most likely to thrive at a location. We’re in zone 7b in our area of North Carolina. Find your garden zone by zipcode, here.
Did you know May was Garden for Wildlife™ Month?
May is the perfect time to make your yard or garden wildlife-friendly! Whether you’re a gardening novice with a small patio or a gardening veteran with a few acres, you can provide for local wildlife by creating a Certified Wildlife Habitat®.
I’m sharing a promo code that wasn’t available when we certified our garden last year!
Certify this May and save 20% when you purchase any Certified Wildlife Habitat sign with promo code GARDEN20 (valid through June 30, 2020).
“My favorite weather is bird chirping weather.”
~Terri Guillemets
*Chirp*
Nesting in the Potting Shed + Bird Chirping Weather
I hope you’re enjoying some bird-chirping weather where you are! ♥
Thank you for your visit, sharing with:
Between Naps on the Porch
Beautiful post Mary. I am always so jealous of your green thumb and the fact that you are at least two weeks ahead of us (in Northwest Ohio). We had frost several nights this week. When I see your spring posts, I know what we have to look forward to.
Your colors and quotes are great inspiration. We just finished our last frost warning 2 days ago so hearing that your roses have been blooming for weeks is somewhat uplifting & somewhat disappointing here in the Midwest. Our day will come & the green and buds are appearing, slowly, slowly. A sign of hope . . . the signs I look for in the garden.
I love May in the garden. Thanks for sharing yours!
Ooh what beauty surrounds your pitting shed, Mary! The peonies and knock outs are stunning and yes, I wish there was scratch and sniff. The clematis are so beautiful. I had one, but sadly, it didn’t make it. Thanks for the wonderful tour this morning. 🌸❤️ 🌸
Thank you for sharing your garden this morning Mary! Spring is late to arrive and you have my palms itching to dig in the dirt! I ordered a Sarah Bernhardt Peony after I saw yours last year. I can hardly wait for it to bloom! 🌸💕
Be still my heart! Your garden is bursting with flowers Mary! That peony is a thing of beauty…wow. Thank you for all the beauty you share and for the flower therapy this morning!
Such a beautiful garden Mary! The peonies, clematis and roses are outstanding! The colors are amazing! Our knockout roses have also been prolific this year. Seeing your peonies is tempting me to give them another try as yours are just gorgeous! The squirrels won’t stay out of my seed planted pots so May is definitely wildlife month! Lol Have a great day! Clara♥️
We have been blessed with a long Spring here in Michigan which has been nice, up until the that last few days with frost and freeze warnings. Some of my plants did get nipped a little and some a lot but I hope they come back. I covered my beloved peonies so I hope they recover. After a beautiful day yesterday, today will be a wash out I think but rain was needed. I love seeing your garden Mary. You are an inspiration. Thank you!
Good morning, Mary “green thumb” 😅
Your post is so beautiful and cheerful.
Think we all needed a great “pick me up” this morning.
Keep up the good work.
It makes our day so much brighter…… 🥰
Just beautiful!
Please someone who knows the answer, I have that same double peony. What is its name and when I pick them I always shake them upside down to try and get the bugs out. Those double ones harbor so many bugs and beetles. Last week I kept getting up to see the ugly looking beetle guy in my sink below the window i had the vase in. Every morning I would crush him and put him down the disposal. Next morning another one. 3 mornings like that, I had checked everything and could not find the source. Finally it dawned on me and I threw the peony out(it was faded). No more beetles. How do you get them out of the flowers. I don’t know how they do bridal flowers except they have to have a ton of chemicals on them or bugs would be crawling all over the guests.
Hi Gail, That ugly beetle is an earwig, they skeeve me out too :) You can either cut your peonies when they’re in the ‘marshmallow’ bud stage to eliminate bringing bugs in or give the blooms a gently ‘swish’ upside down in a bucket of water. That gets rid of any ant hitchhikers too!
ooops I reread the story and it’s Sarah Bernhardt’ but I still want help with the bugs…..
Beyond gorgeous Mary! We have temps in the 80s to look forward to this weekend and you have me wanting to run to my local garden center (with my mask on of course!) to see what’s in stock. Lovin’ all the pretty vibrant pinks, thank you for sharing! Lisa
Your flowers look so healthy, what do you feed them and how often? Here in the northern coast of Florida growing beautiful roses and flowers is a real challenge. I enjoy your post and admire you potting shed.
What a feast for the eyes this morning Mary! I’m always delighted to see what’s blooming (inside and out!) of your Potting Shed.You have such a green thumb, I’m green with envy ;-) Thank you for sharing your photography, gardening, flower-arranging and tablescaping skills with us!
So pretty! Mary, how do you get the ants off of the peonies, and do you ever bring the peonies inside in a cut flower bouquet? I’m always afraid of bringing ants in…thank you.
Hi Sue, You can either cut your peonies when they’re in the ‘marshmallow’ bud stage to eliminate bringing bugs/ants in or give the blooms a gently ‘swish’ upside down in a bucket of water. 🌸🐜
Thank you Mary
Oh I have peony envy Mary! I don’t have a spot to grow any but I’d settle for a bouquet of peonies from Trader Joe’s. Your garden is gorgeous!! Teresa
Your Knock Outs are a knock out! And those peonies, wow. do you have a source for those to share? I’m chomping at the bit to get to the garden center. I think I’ll venture out next week with my mask and treat myself to some annuals for my containers. Thank you for sharing your garden and so much inspiration.
Hi Janet, We planted our SB peony about 4 years ago. I don’t remember where I got the bare root stock. I did a quick search. There are some choices, here, most seem to be available for shipping in the fall.
Mary,
A fabulous feast for the eyes and a hug for the heart. This is a glorious post of beauty and Spring in North Carolina.
I most certainly enjoyed my afternoon visit among your gorgeous gardens and stunning blossoms.
Jemma
Wow and WOW! Each and everyone of your bushes / plants are great performers. They are happy to be in your garden Mary! 😄 You win “Yard of the Year” in my book. My peonies are coming up, about 18″, and I am excited. We are well behind you here in Michigan, just had 4 nights of 28 degree weather and things had to be covered, but hopefully we will continue to get warmer now. Thanks for the beautiful tour. (Oh! I do have an occupant in my birdhouse and I’m almost certain it is a bluebird! She flew out so fast, I was startled and couldn’t be positive, but I think so. I’ll be on the look out now to make sure. Note to self: Need to buy some mealworms! ) 😉
Your blogs always bring joy to our lives! Thank you ;)
So many pretty blooms. I’m in awe of all you have growing, Mary. It must keep you busy every day. Thanks for sharing all the beauty. Happy Month of May!
Mary, I so enjoyed walking around the potting shed and seeing all that is in bloom! The peonies are amazing, I wish I could smell them. I planted peonies last year, beautiful plants this year, but no blooms. I will wait and hope to see some next year. The double knockouts are also stunning. It is always a pleasure to visit your gardens Mary. Wishing you a delightful weekend!
Mary ~ Your flowers are spectacular! Ours here in NW Connecticut not so much as a week ago we actually had snow. Spring just does not want to take hold here !! Hugs, Dorinda Selke
What a feast for the eyes and soul Mary. I too have knockout roses but they don’t bloom as much in my part of the country. I’m on the border in Brownsville, Texas. Your garden is beautiful and inspiring.
Oh Mary, so many gorgeous blooms, and those peonies, *swoon!* I know you’re in heaven enjoying your gorgeous garden {and all your hard work!} These Spring temps have been spoiling us for weeks, we won’t like it when it starts getting hotter! The birdsong this Spring has been amazing…I love the first photo of your bench and the flower sign, do you mind if I try to paint it? I should have asked permission when I painted Garden Gloves, but I couldn’t wait to get started :) Thank you for the incredible garden tour!
Jenna
Thank you Jenna! Paint away and enjoy spring’s last hurrah❣️🎨🌸
Thank you Mary!!
Hi Mary, I’m jealous because we have almost nothing blooming here due to all the frosts and freezes we had and low temperatures…just now getting my annuals in the ground while I have been desperately trying to keep them alive while moving them in and out of the barn…as of yesterday, the weather has finally warmed….soooo, we are hopefully on our way!! Everything of yours looks just beautiful!! My peonies are in the bud stage and the current freezes burned them as it did my Lilac bush and some of my alums..so my spring blooms will not be…thanks for the look see!!
The flowers are so, so pretty. Yes, the roses are blooming their hearts out! You have captured their vibrant colours beautifully…
I can’t say anything more…. ❤️💛🧡💜💚💙🧡TRULY!
Thank you so much. It was a welcome break to see your lovely photos.
Oh, Mary- your gardens are just so amazing. Sigh. I sure would love to see them in person and hear all the birds singing God’s praises! So beautiful.
Where did you get your awesome bird condos??? We want to get one soon.
Thank you for all the beauty and inspiration. Visiting your blog brings me such joy. It has literally rained for the bigger part of two months now. We have had just a few sunny warm days – the rest have been just cold and awful. It has been difficult not only being on quarantine lock down, but having to stay inside too. Whew. Rough. That’s why reading favorite blogs like yours has kept me from going insane.
😍 gorgeous garden