Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, April 2010

This bloom day we're enjoying lots of different blooms in our garden!

Native plants

Waldsteinia fragaroides (barren strawberry, waldsteinie faux-fraisier). I have fond memories of this plant from my childhood surrounded by the forest in eastern Ontario. Barren strawberries formed big patches a few metres across, even in heavy shade as I recall. Mertensia virginica (Virginia bluebells, mertensie de Virginie). This is the first year we've had Virginia bluebells in our garden. I'd read about the buds turning from pink to blue as they open, but this is the first time I've seen it. I love the colours!

Other plants

Chionodoxa forbesii (glory of the snow, gloire des neiges) Hyacinthus orientalis (hyacinth, jacinthe) Lamprocapnos spectabilis (bleeding heart, coeur-saignant) (apparently the scientific name has been changed). Tulipa tarda (tarda tulip, tulipe tarda) Tulipa (tulip, tulipe). I don't know where this tulip and the one below came from—gifts from the squirrels, perhaps?

Check out what's blooming in gardens around the world, and link to your own blog, for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. Thanks to Carol from May Dreams Gardens for hosting!

Mertensia virginica in bud!

I planted this Virginia bluebells plant(mertensie de Virginie) last year, past the blooming season, so this is a first for me. You can see two clusters of small pale pink buds, which will grow into beautiful blue bells. Yay!

Waldsteinia fragarioides in bud!

Somehow while I was distracted by all the early-flowering bulbs, this nice clump of barren strawberry (waldsteinie faux-fraisier) popped up! If you click the photo to enlarge it, you will see a number of nice plump flower buds, which surpised me because I thought this plant didn't bloom so early. You can also see fading Iris reticulata and a small Aquilegia seedling (don't know if it's native A. canadensis or non-native A. vulgaris) in front of the Waldsteinia, and some kind of lovely fern that stayed green all winter behind the Waldsteinia (haven't identified it yet).

Beautiful warm weather

There have been lots of birds singing, courting, and building nests in our neighbourhood, but it's not often one sees a blue and yellow macaw (Ara araraunca, ara bleu et jaune).