The Dawn of Summer, Part I

I'm back in College Town, USA, all moved into my apartment. All my plants made it more or less safely, and I'm really happy with all the space I have. But before I show all that, I'd like to begin an ongoing (for a while) series of posts about the plants I saw thriving at home while I was visiting. I took a long walk around the neighborhood(s) to photograph irises, but I found an even greater aesthetic bounty than I anticipated. So that's what all these "The Dawn of Summer" posts are about. Without further ado, let's get started!

The first thing that stuck out to me when I arrived in town was that honeysuckles were in bloom. I could waste hours sucking on honeysuckles, but in this case I merely snapped a shot of an aggressive honeysuckle bush.

This journey of mine really begins, though, in my backyard, which is where it will end. These hulking bushes are pyracantha (also known as firethorn). When pyracantha aren't fiery, they are sweet as can be, pictured here.

I can see the appeal of these plants. They are the best of both worlds: a dramatic accent in the fall and a subtle delight in the spring and early summer.

Next we have a planter full of Vinca major (better known as periwinkle). I like this bush because it only produces occasional flowers. There is room in this world for knockout roses that are taken over by blooms, but it is nice to see a plant that merely nestles a few in between its leaves. I'm also a fan of the variegated leaves on our periwinkle.

While horticulturally insignificant and often overlooked, clover flowers are as good an announcement of summer's approach as any other.

Down the street a ways are some clematis. Talk about an accent plant. Clematis' blooms are bold and big, and eventually this plant will reach the top of that trellis and then it will steal all the attention.

Next to the clematis is the first blooming hydrangea I've seen this year. Whatever variety this is, it would be perfect in a moonlight garden. Peonies are out too, and they would be perfect as well. You couldn't combine them though. You'd have to choose between them, I guess based on how much you value smell and how tall of a bush you wanted. I have no idea what I'd pick in that instance, as both plants hold a lot of nostalgia for me, and both are valuable plants.

Have you seen any hydrangea blooms yet? What's been stealing the show in your neighborhood?

Next post: my plants' new home.

Wildflowers Ushering in Warmth

While I certainly kept an eye out for yuccas on my walk the other day, I also noticed a lot of wildflowers starting to bloom. They were a welcome sight for eyes bleached by snow after snow. I have identified the ones I could, but if you know the names of any that I couldn't identify, leave a comment so I can post more and more accurate information.

The first flowers I came upon were Houstonia pusilla, also known as tiny bluet, small bluet, or least bluet. These little delights are common around here up through early summer. They certainly break up the monotony of boring old grass.

These bluets find their aesthetic strength in numbers. If you encountered one, you wouldn't see it. But if you happen upon 300, you notice.

Next is another common spring flower: Veronica persica, or Persian speedwell, winter speedwell, or birdeye speedwell. As its scientific and common names suggest, this species is not native to the United States, and it has become invasive in some areas, according to the USDA. However, its tiny, cheery flowers put a smile on my face when I walk past anyway.

Toward the end of my walk, I saw some more of these in a different part of town with (relatively) gigantic blooms. Okay, maybe gigantic is a bit of an exaggeration. Normally these flowers are about 1/4" in diameter. These were just over 1/3" in diameter. It impressed me, anyway.

And here's a closer view.

I am unable to identify this next flower, though it somewhat resembles slender toothwort (aren't plant names fun?). Do you know what it is? I don't recall having seen these before, but they're attractive and all over the place. Also, notice all the fuzzy moss behind these plants. Moss is wonderful.

Sorry for the focus issues on these. I adore the close-up setting on my camera, but it's not perfect, and I'm not perfect.

The next flowers I saw, also common in this area, were Vinca major, or bigleaf periwinkle. These two particular blooms were just happy as could be, despite the recent snow. That's what I find so intriguing about all these wildflowers: they don't seem to have noticed the snow!

Normally there are gobs of tulips in people's yards around this time of year. They're going to be late this year, so I probably won't be around when they come out. I wish I could be. This seems to be what people do to make up for late bulbs:

Almost every other house in town has fake flowers. I don't understand it.

And finally, here are the daffodils we rescued from the impending snow. They seem to have lifted their heads in thanks for the warmth.

Have you been seeing any other wildflowers around? What plants have surprised you with their resilience?

Next post: odds and ends from my travels.