Around The Potting Shed: May Garden Blooms

I hope you’re having a good week!

We’re warming up to the mid 80s with the humidity creeping up,

but we’ve had the most gorgeous spring weather until recently

with cool crisp mornings and highs in the low to mid 70s . . .

Otherwise known as bird-chirping weather!

I’ve been MIA online lately, spending all my time in the garden

 buzzing around the flowers . . .

. . .Weeding, mulching, planting and potting!

And I’m sharing what’s in bloom around The Potting Shed.

Note: This is a photo heavy post, so grab a drink and get comfy!

We planted an Amethyst Falls American Wisteria vine a few years ago

to climb one of the posts of the Potting Shed.

The American wisteria is better suited for smaller spaces,

growing at about a third of the rate of Asian wisteria.

The twining stems quickly reach 8 to 10 feet long and over time may reach 30 feet.

The lightly fragrant purple blooms are heaviest in late spring,

repeating lightly in summer in full to partial sun.

It grows in USDA zones 5 – 9 (we’re 7b here in North Carolina).

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.

You can look up your hardiness zone by zipcode, here.

We planted blue / violet flowers specifically for the bees as

they see color in the blue-violet spectrum better than other hues.

Salvia ‘May Night’ is an easy-to-grow perennial that thrives in full sun!

The deep purple flower spikes attract bees and butterflies and are deer resistant.

Deadheading and a little extra watering help ensure re-blooming.

You can see the pollen basket on the female bumble bee in the above photo

which are exclusive to female / worker bees.

Workers and queens have two pollen baskets, one each on the outside surface of each hind leg.

The pollen basket when empty is a large, flat shiny area with spiky hairs around the edge,

but appears yellow, orange or red, when filled with pollen.

This is our third year for Clematis ‘Diamantina’ to bloom.

I was smitten with the purple-blue, double flowers when I spied them at the garden center!

The blooms start out more pinkish-purple in color, with the flowers unfurling from a tight central ball

to multi-layered pom-pom, fading to a bluish-purple.

Clematis ‘Diamantina’ prefers full sun to part shade and is hardy in USDA zones 4 – 9.

For best results keep consistently watered, especially during blooming.

‘Diamantina’ is a Group 2B clematis and can be pruned in late winter or early spring before

new growth begins.

Deadhead spent blooms and prune right after first flush of blooms

to encourage a second bloom in late summer to early fall,

pruning back some stems one-third to one-half by cutting to large buds

or a strong side shoot immediately below the spent blooms.

Popcorn Drift Rose starts out yellow and fades to creamy white, reminiscent of buttery popcorn.

Drift roses are comparable to the family of Knock Out Roses in disease resistance and low-maintenance,

 but smaller in size, so ideal for small gardens or containers.

The first bloom of Pink Double Knock Out Rose is the most floriferous!

They’re fast-growing, long-blooming and drought and heat tolerant.

While Rose Rosette Disease (RRD) can infect Knock Out Roses,

they themselves did not spread it. You can read about it here.

I always eagerly await peony season which is usually early to mid-May in our zone 7b garden,

 in North Carolina.

Peonies like the cold winters in USDA zones 3 through 7.

Common white and pink single petal peonies are the first varieties to bloom.

Single peonies are open and bees can more easily access the pollen.

‘Sarah Bernhardt’ is one of my favorite peony varieties with pink

double blooms that resemble old-fashioned roses.

Peonies can thrive and bloom for 100 years if planted properly.

 Most newly planted peonies take at least 3 years to produce a good show of flowers.

Peonies don’t like to be moved, so choose a location with care;

avoiding planting them under large trees or shrubs, which compete for nutrients and water.

Plant them where they can get at least six hours of full sun a day.

They’ll also appreciate some afternoon shade in the hot and sunny southern US.

Removing the spent blooms on the peonies and seed pods to help the plant

put more energy into root development for next year’s flowers.

A little 5-10-5 fertilizer sprinkled around the base of the plant after deadheading will help too.

When cutting peonies in the garden, resist the urge to cut them all.

You want to leave as much foliage as possible on the plant and limit your bouquet

to one-fourth to one-third of the stems in bloom,

as peonies rely on their foliage to replenish food stores for their blooms the following year.

The window boxes were planted with an assortment of sun-loving annuals after our frost date in mid April.

They’re filled with petunias, pentas, Blackie sweet potato vine and coleus.

The colorful foliage of the coleus will be showy through late summer

and into fall when the flowers fade.

Japanese Privet blooms here in early May.

Japanese privet is considered invasive in the southern U.S.

 and springs up from seeds carried by birds that spread the plant.

Privet preceded us and was already established when we bought our property 20 years ago.

 I haven’t noticed it spreading over the years, but I still wouldn’t go out and buy it to plant.

Cutting the privet flowers helps eliminate potential reseeding.

In the plus column, privet has a sweet fragrance and the bees love it.

Last but not least, Mother of Pearl Rose is a type of Grandiflora rose,

introduced in the United States in 2007.

Its winter hardiness and high resistance to black spot make

it a popular rose for both cooler and hot and humid climates.

. The buds open to peachy-pink blooms approximately 3.5” in diameter,

with medium to large, full petals.

Mother of Pearl Rose was planted in 2016, received as a gift from friends in memory

of my mother-in-law, Betty, when she passed away.

 { Monday Morning Garden Blooms and Mother of Pearl Rose }

A beautiful and timely reminder as it blooms around Mother’s Day every year.

May is Garden for Wildlife Month.

Whether you’re a gardening novice with a small balcony or a gardening veteran

with a few acres, you can provide for local wildlife by planting with purpose.

Found out more, HERE.

“The kiss of the sun for pardon,

The song of the birds for mirth,

One is nearer God’s heart in a garden

Than anywhere else on earth.”

~ Dorothy Frances Gurney

What’s blooming in your garden?

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 Between Naps on the Porch