what's in bloom
- To: "'perennials'" <perennials@mallorn.com>
- Subject: what's in bloom
- From: S* C* <c*@ntx1.cso.uiuc.edu>
- Date: Thu, 2 Apr 1998 11:30:28 -0600
It looks as though spring has finally come to east central
Illinois after several false starts. Except for the crocus, which were
devoured by squirrels and rabbits, most plants are doing well in the
scree beds, shade beds, and perennial borders.
In scree beds, the very early white thlaspi is still blooming
with the last of the blue iris reticulata flowers. The tiny yellow
drabas are in full bloom, along with the pink and white arabis, the pink
and purple aubrietas, and the miniature iberis (white candytuft
flowers). Species tulips have done well in these raised beds, and so
far the turkestanica and the pulchella violacea are in full flower.
Pulsatillas are just starting to open, one a very rich deep red.
In the borders, there are yellow and white and pink daffodils of
all personalities, kaufmanniana (waterlily) tulips, praestans fusilier
tulips with their brillant red-orange, yellow Emperor tulips. Hyacinthas
are open in containers next to the glider. In this el nino year, the
forsythia are actually in bloom.
In the shade beds are fritillaria meleagris, anemone blanda,
some winter aconite finishing up (snowdrops just finished), erythronium
budding, tiny blue forget-me-not flowers of brunnera macrophylla, buds
on the bergenia, hellebores in full bloom white, purple, and purplish
pink, bloodroot, corydalis solida, cyclamen coum, wonderful pulmonarias
in white, pink, and blue with their speckled foliage, and tiny white and
purple violets. The small young pieris has tiny white lily-of-the-valley
type blooms, and the rhododendrons are in bud.
In the lawn, there's siberian squill in white and blue and the
charming white-striped pale blue of the puskinia squill, and chionodoxa
in blue and pink.
It's that time of year when it's hard to go into the office (how
many sick days do I have left?) because every afternoon something new
opens up in the garden!
Susan Campanini
in east central Illinois
zone 5b, min temp -15F×
e-mail: campanin@ntx1.cso.uiuc.edu
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