Mona and Bodhi got their summer trims.  They are loving the outside time that comes with warmer weather.

I was happy to see that one of the seedling Abutilon shrubs has white flowers.  They are smaller than the lavender ones, but still great.

Another view.

More photos of the giant Coelogyne cristata blooming in the GH.  I was ready to sell this plant because it had so few flowers, but look at it this year!

Another view.

This Rhipsalis is a fairly new acquisition.  Leon grabbed some cuttings from a friend.  I didn’t expect it to really grow, and especially not to bloom, but the cuttings rooted quickly and are apparently very happy.  The flowers are showier than I would have thought.

Another shot of the flowers from below.

The peas in the raised beds are soaring up Leon’s trellis.  They are nearing 5′ high and just started blooming.

The flowers are almost as showy as sweet peas.

Blue-eyed grass “Devon Skies” blooming in the Armando garden.  This little plant is a delight.

Here is the habit.

Centaurea blooming in the Doug fir bed.

Brunnera and Hesperis in the Doug fir bed.

All of the Hesperis started out as white, but the lavender ones are creeping in more and more.  Luckily, they look great together!

 

 

This Rhody came with the house and has been disappointing in years past, but this year it is magnificent!

May is the best month for the foundation planting.

Lathyrus niger blooming near the driveway.  This hardy perennial is close to 20 years old.  It gets loads of amazing black seed pods.

The iris are blooming madly near the driveway–more flowers than ever before.

Despite there once being ten different cultivars in the iris bed, the only one blooming this year is this old fashioned one.  It smells good, too.

 

This poppy is 20+ years old.  It is one of the Pizzicato series grown from seed when we first moved in.

Poppy with iris behind.

The real poppy show is being provided by Papaver bracteatum in the front bed near the raspberries.

This is a peek a boo shot through the berries from the orchard garden.

This Rhody belongs to the neighbors but several flowering branches grace the edges of the orchard garden.

Polemonium blooming in the orchard garden.  Despite a short season, these cheerful flowers are

This Abutilon in the orchard garden is full of flowers.  Sadly, it is leaning over so much, it is tough to see.  I will prune and stake these plants next spring to avoid this problem.

One of the David Austen roses in the orchard garden.  This is Olivia.

I am extremely pleased with this seedling Iris sibirica.  I planted the seeds for this beauty four years ago and this is the first time it has bloomed.

Another view.  I really love the color and the markings.

This photo gives an idea of the plant’s habit.  It bloomed pretty well for about two weeks.

We have two of these Rhody shrubs that are outsized foundation plants.  The flowers are an interesting purply pink and they provide a nice frame to the living room window.

Clematis montana bloomed bright on the back patio fence and spread a sweet smell.

Another view…

You can get an idea how mnay flowers tehre were here–loads of them.

The flowers just photograph really well, so I can’t help myself!

This is a Tillandsia in the greenhouse.

Coelogyne cristata in the greenhouse–this is a massive orchid that bloomed really well this year.

A closer view of the Coelogyne flowers.  I was trying really hard not to get water on the flowers to keep them pristine.  In past years, they came down with brown spots that ruined them.  They have lasted 10 days or more this year and are spot-free!  But the plant itself and nearby plants were suffering without water, so I’ve started sprinkling all the plants carefully around the orchid.

Closer view of the flowers.  They are usually fragrant, but I can’t smell them this year–maybe at night?

One of the dozens of iris blooms in the driveway bed.

My favorite poppy that I’ve ever grown, this is Papaver bracteatum, growing on the street side of the raspberries in the orchard bed.  Started from seed over 20 years ago, there are several of these that have persisted all this time.  The show they put on this year was the best ever.

Another poppy pic.  Interestingly, a neighbor came by who didn’t speak English that well.  She appeared to be from India.  She said that they had poppies like this growing up and they would pluck the

Another view…

The petals of these flowers are natrually very satiny, which makes photography a bit of a challenge.

More poppies.

Abutilon flowers in the sun.  I went a little photo crazy with these because I started them from seed and this is the first year they are living up to their potential.

 

I appear to have walked past the Siberian iris again and couldn’t resist a few more pics.