Lenten Roses in Bloom

I'm in love with Helleborus 'Pink Frost' in the Rose garden. It needs a few more ;)

They are all under snow now.

But oh! What a lovely start to March! 

Spring Flowers for April ~ GBBD April 2016

Welcome to Havenwood!

It has been such a roller coaster spring, as I am sure you know or have heard from many other eastern US gardeners. We had more buds in January than ever before, as our true cold did not arrive until February. Then a especially mild March, with more snow and cold in the first two weeks of April. And now it is 70 degrees again today.  This is not totally abnormal for our zone 5 garden, but the high temps have been much higher than usual. This has brought the garden further along than it normally is at this time of year.

Many flowers that were doing so well, so soon... too soon... did meet a cruel end with the frost.

The star magnolia blooms were blackened after one day of blooming all around our town. The taller daffodils did not stand up as well to the snow that covered them soon after they were full out, but the shorter ones have stood the test. The pretty star of Bethlehem, that I recently posted, were soon snuffed out with cold. But still, the garden and the gardener marches on...

There are still a few pretties to see today for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day in our western PA garden.

A Few White Spring Flowers...

Lenten rose, Helleborus orientalis, comes in a plethora of beautiful colors and patterns.

We have had some beautiful spring weather! And also some more snow. That is spring here in Pennsylvania, with its immoderate temperature swings and hour by hour changes. But then much of the interior US is like that. Only the coastal areas benefit from the moderating effect of the ocean.

And yet, we can still have beautiful flowers that hold up to these extremes and come out on the mild days. Here are a few beauties I can recommend!

Gardening in Pennsylvania ~ GBBD April 2014

Crocus vernus 'King of the Striped' in a curb garden.

Welcome back to Gilmore Gardens for April GBBD!

Nice weather has finally arrived here in western Pennsylvania, and everyone I see around town has emerged from winter hibernation with a huge grin on their face. After such a long, cold winter, I think we all need some time to soak it all in. My family was able to spend a few hours at our old garden last weekend cleaning up the beds from excess leaves, putting out a bit of compost as mulch, and cutting back perennials and sticks.

I stopped over another evening, just after a rain. I was able to take these photos just as the evening golden hour began...

April showers bring March flowers...

Crocus tommasinianus at Gilmore Gardens April 1st

... at least that is how the song goes for us this year.

We are just now enjoying our crocuses and snowdrops during a few days of warm sun. I hope that those of you in more northern places in North America will feel encouraged to know that your flowers are coming soon as well!

Hellebores in the Shade Path Garden

Pink and spotted Hellebores orientalis hybrid in our Shade Path this week.

I was out with an umbrella yesterday afternoon to get a few photos of the Lenten Roses (Hellebores) blooming in our Pennsylvania,  zone 5 garden. These may be nothing new to the blogging world, but they are are real and beautiful to us!

Flowers in the Cold! ~ GBBD February 2013

Hellebores orientalis in the Shade Path Garden

February is here at Gilmore Gardens in Pennsylvania! There are a few early signs of spring today, though they are shivering at the moment in 32 F (0 C) and will be even colder tonight as it is supposed to get down to 17 F (-8 C). We had snow flurries for Valentine's Day yesterday instead of the 40 F that was predicted. But it is warmer inside with all of the heart garlands hanging about thanks to my daughter Grace.

GBBD April Flowers in Pennsylvania, Zone 5

The Circle Lawn on April 15th, 2012.

 Welcome to GBBD April at Gilmore Gardens in Pennsylvania, Zone 5!

Our garden is still a month ahead of where it normally is in spring.  It looks much more like May from last year than April.  We are located on a corner lot in our little town, so we have lots of passersby with which to share our spring celebration. Our location contains gardens in shade, semi-shade and lots of full sun. See the map of Gilmore Gardens to link these areas together in your mind as you look around.

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day ~ April 2011

Daffodils at Gilmore Gardens!

(Alt. title: No more mowing the curb strip!!!)

  For the past year-and-a-half, I have been hard at work getting rid of the grass monoculture that occupied the wide strip between our sidewalk and the road. (Here is a great article on all the fun you can have in this unappreciated area of your garden.)

  After I lasagna-layered it with cardboard boxes and leaf litter, most of the sod smothered over the previous winter.  Last spring, I intensively planted it - actually my darling husband lent most of the muscle for this root-filled area - with extras from the rest of the yard.  Hemerocallis, artemesia, pachysandra, Sedum 'Acre', hosta, forget-me-nots... anything I could throw at it on a short budget.  Some mulch on top gave it a nicer look. 

   I ended up adding a forsythia that I rooted myself a few years ago when still living in our College Ave. apartment, and the daffs (Narcissus 'Topolino') were added last fall.  And here it is for its first beauty show!

   Narcissus 'Topolino' flanking the walkway to our back entrance.  Everything is already (and purposely) green in the Driveway garden - a trait to be sought after, as suggested by C. Lloyd himself (read more in Succession Planting for Year-Round Pleasure).

   Tulipa 'Ice Stick' is new to the Hill Garden this year. Wonderful to have such an early tulip, especially since we are running behind by a couple of weeks this year. Last year in April we were already enjoying our main tulip show!

    View from the tulips on the Hill Garden to the forsythias and pachysandra in the front of our home.  I love how the little purple in these tulips is picked by by the red barberry stems.
    
   Hellebores orientalis hyb...  a new one to our garden and I really like its soft pink color on the Shade Path.


  

Hellebores orientalis hyb. with it first buttery blooms.

   On to the blues: Scilla siberica in the backyard creates such a fun scene in our little rock garden by the maple tree and in the cracks of the patio.

  Surrounding our Circle Lawn, Anemone 'Blue Shades' is in full bloom now and looks lovely coming up through the loosestrife shoots (Lysimachia punctata 'Alexander').

Thanks to Carol at May Dream's Gardens for hosting 
Garden Blogger's Bloom Day!

Early April Blooms 2011

View down our Shade Path Garden

Iris reticulata 'Cantab' with Galanthus elwesii

With all of the snow last week, we are a little behind our normal spring blooms.

Yet, there still are so many to enjoy when you stop & look... it takes a little patience...
       but really stopping is the way to see and enjoy more of everything 
                 - of life itself.

Hellebores orientalis hyb. blooms just starting...



and two cute pinkies with umbrellas on a rainy day... 

Pretty Anemone blanda 'Blue Shades' coming up through the pink shoots of variegated loosestrife (Lysimachia punctata 'Alexander') and chartreuse Sedum 'Acre' (right & below).

 Scilla siberica in the cracks of the patio and in the rock garden...

One more pretty Crocus for the year.