June Blooms of Redwoodshire

The various "June Blooms" that we've discovered around Redwoodshire are amazing than we could have imagined.  We love plants, and it often feels as though we have at least one of everything growing here. As I strolled around the property this afternoon,  I snapped a few photos to share some of the beautiful plants in full bloom .

Bright Pink PEONY & White ROSE

I have been watching and waiting for the Peonies, Roses and Poppies to bloom.  Each day, Lady genevieve and I take a tour of the grounds, talking about each of the plants we see. It felt like they were blooming before my very eyes.  When we checked the Peonies in the morning they were still a bright pink ball.  By afternoon, the flower looked like the above photo!  It was amazing!  All of a sudden we had flowers.

Orange POPPY

Any ideas what these pink flowers are beside the Violet foliage?

 Pink RHODODENDRON & Deep Red CLEMATIS

The Rhododendron did not look very healthy at the end of winter, and we were unsure whether or not it would produce flowers or thrive.  It came through and survived the harsh winter, and produced bunches of beautiful blooms.  Clematis are one of the Laird's many favorites.  One of his goals is to learn how to propagate it into more plants.

Lambs Ear-
The Laird grew up calling this the "Toilet Paper Plant"

 

Varieties of HOSTA

Our interest in different varieties of Hosta began while we were learning how to build a "shade garden" at our old house.  One summer, we made it our goal to buy every different variety of Hosta that we found at garden sales.  With them we started a Hosta Garden (see below).

Hosta Garden at our former house

The wonderful thing about Hostas, is that they are able to be split and spread every few years.  They grow wonderfully in shade or partial sun, and create wonderful borders in every garden.  In mid-summer they bloom with beautiful purple flowers.  The various textures and shades/colors are complimentary to other plants growing in your garden.  They are so easy to grow!  We are delighted to have discovered a few different varieties growing around Redwoodshire.

We are so delighted to have such an amazing collection of plants already established here at Redwoodshire.  We have the opportunity to build upon a great foundation of gardening. This is our "Year of Discovery", as we watch everything spring to life for the first time.  

QUIZ- Perennials of Redwoodshire- Spring

Over the past few years, our love of plants has increased, and we've grown in our identification of different plants through gardening and landscaping.  Whether you are a seasoned gardener or simply desire to improve the look of your yard;  knowing a little bit about different plants is a great place to start in your journey.  Every year, the Laird and I enjoy visiting plant sales at garden stores and festivals.  We usually buy 1 or 2 different plants to add to our yard; but we mostly enjoy identifying plants we already have and learning their names.

Can you guess what common perennials these are? (answer below photo)

PEONIES-  

As this is our first year living at Redwoodshire, we are excited to see what color flowers this Peony will produce.  They are quite easy to identify because of their reddish color as they sprout through the dirt.  The flowers will bloom in late Spring.  They grow best in full sun, but can also be placed in partial sun locations.  Peonies make a great cut flower for vases and are soon to be a favorite.  Due to the size and heaviness of the beautiful peony flowers, it is important to use a cage to support the plant in full bloom.  Insert cage in early Spring before the plant gets too large.  They have special peony cages, but a cut tomato cage works as well.

TRILLIUM-

These flowers grew in the woods near the college where the Laird and I attended, and was the first flower he gave me while we dated.  A beautiful woodland plant that does well in full to partial shade.  A great option for shade gardens.  There are 40 different kinds.  In our region, they bloom in early May.  The pointy plant behind the trillium is a newly emerging hosta- also a shade plant.  We were delighted to discover these trillium growing here at Redwoodshire, as they are part of our history.

PRIMROSE-

We first found this plant at a garden store, and purchased a few for our yard.  We were amazed by how many flowers it produces in one season.  They are one of the first perennials to bloom, and some even bloom in late winter.  The primrose thrives is partial shade.  This is one of the Laird's favorite spring perennials.

SEDUM AUTUMN FIRE-

There are over 600 varieties of sedum.  This particular kind has nice foliage in early spring.  In the Fall it produces fuzzy reddish blooms.  They do best in full sun to partial shade.

DAFFODILS-

One of the early Spring perennials to bloom, the daffodil adds a burst of color before other flowers have bloomed.  They can be planted anywhere, but will bloom sooner if exposed to more sun.  They make a great cut flower for vases.  There are many varieties and colors of daffodils.

The Fall is generally the best time to plant new Spring perennial plants.  Perennials are a wonderful thing because they come back year after year, with little work to be done.  After a few years of establishment, perennial plants are usually able to be split, which allows you to expand your current area or plant your perennial in a whole new location.