Spring Comes to Maine: GBBD, May 2016
After several days of cool, rainy weather at the beginning of May, the sun came out, temperatures warmed, and spring truly arrived in Maine. The deciduous trees around my house have finished blooming and are beginning to leaf out.
In the garden, plants are growing by leaps and bounds and flower buds are shooting up.
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| Many of the blooms in my garden at this time of year are wildflower volunteers, like these clumps of bluets (Houstonia caerulea), |  |
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… and the moss phlox (Phlox subulata) that has just begun to bloom at the edge of the circular bed, |
and the sweet white violets (Viola blanda) and wild strawberries (Fragaria virginiana) that have installed themselves as groundcovers on the back slope.
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| Here and there, flowers that I actually planted are also beginning to bloom. Along the front of my property, the lilacs (Syringa vulgaris) have just begun to open their flowers.
And in the serenity garden, the bleeding hearts (Lamprocapnos spectabilis ‘Gold Heart’) have begun their glorious display. It’s a time of anticipation for the garden display to come. |
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Garden Bloggers Bloom Day is hosted on the 15th of each month by Carol at May Dreams Gardens. Be sure to visit her blog to see the magic happening during this month for which her blog is named and to see the wonderful blooms from many other gardens in this glorious season.
Jean's Garden 
I love all those delicate spring blooms. The bluets are entirely new to me.
Kris, Bluets are one of those wildflowers that are fairly common east of the Mississippi and not present at all in western states. They love my sandy, acid conditions. One planted itself at the back of the new porch border and I’m thinking of moving others there to see if they can get established as a ground cover plant.
Lovely – particularly enjoyed your sweet white violet!
Cathy, I am smitten by the sweet white violets and think their common name is very apt. This is another plant that I may try to get established as a ground cover in some other flower beds.
I wonder what colour the bluets are in life?
Seems a very gentle suggestion of blue?
Diana, That is right. The bluets range in color from white to a very gentle suggestion of blue. This clump is one of the bluer ones on my property.
Jean, I’m so happy to see spring’s arrival in your garden. Beautiful! While I also enjoy the wildflowers, I have to say your bleeding hearts is eye catching indeed.
Kathy, I love the bleeding hearts. The cultivar ‘Gold Heart’ is especially striking because it combines its pink flowers with chartreuse foliage.
Hello Jean, you’ve already caught up with us with your Bleeding Hearts now in flower, although we’ve been handed a set of cards that spelled a cold Spring with late frosts. I’m just waiting for the weather to gets its act together, realise its moving into summer and do something about it!
Sunil, We have been experiencing a spell of warmer than normal temperatures and plants are bursting into bloom.
Such beautiful flowers Jean…I love seeing your spring blooms….especially the bluets.
Donna, The bluets are lovely, and I’m experimenting with transplanting some of them into flowerbeds as native groundcover plants.
I also have a wild violet that blooms white, and I’ve always wondered about the species. Maybe it is the same as yours. Love the Houstonia – so delicate – and the Bleeding Hearts.