May Bloom Day

Happy Bloom Day from Chicago's south 'burbs, where the temperatures are summer-like, and the lack of April showers has been somewhat compensated for by lots of rain in May.

Last summer our silver maples were pruned,  and the garden's getting more sun.  Catmint is enjoying the extra sun, blooming earlier than usual here and showing bigger, brighter blooms.  This one only gets about 18 inches tall - just  the right size for this spot. 

Aquilegia canadensis (red columbines,) are still blooming like crazy, with lots of new buds too.  Deadheading keeps them blooming longer here.

This old mini-rose is liking the extra sun too.  It's never had so many buds at once.

Centaurea montana has gotten so big this year.  It's liking the extra sun too.  It will need to be moved and/or divided in the fall, because now it's too close to one of the hellebores.  

Geranium sanguineum 'Striatum' has grown a lot too this spring, and it's blooming better than ever before. 

Pale and deep purple alliums are blooming, while the white ones haven't even budded yet.

The wild geranium has been blooming for over a month.

Woodland phlox has a few blooms left.  There might have been more, except the bunnies seem to like them for dessert after their dinner of bellflowers.

Geranium x cantabrigiense 'Biokovo' was trying to take over the world last year, so it's been taken back a few notches.  It just started blooming a few days ago.

Colorado blue columbines didn't come back this year, but this NOID columbine is a nice shade of blue.  I'll leave some of the seed heads and hope it spreads around a bit.

Geranium sanguinium 'Max Frei' has traveled with me through two moves.  It's finally settling in here after a few years of struggling and being moved twice.  These have been challenging to photograph in the past, but with the manual setting on the camera, and a few tweaks, I may finally have the hang of it.

Even the lamium is blooming more than ever before.

 Agastache 'Tutti Fruiti' is new to our garden this spring.  It's sold as an annual around here since it's only  hardy to zone 6.  We're 5b, but other people in our area have had had it come back in subsequent years.  We'll be letting it go to seed just in case.

Candytuft is just about finished blooming.  These will be cut back soon.  Cutting them back hard after blooming helps keep them compact and prevents them from getting all sprawly and leggy.

Strawberries started from seeds from Renee's Garden last spring are doing great!  Some of the berries are almost ripe already.  What they lack in size, they make up for with wonderful flavor.  We even had berries their first year, and this year there will be a lot more of them. 

Heuchera 'Snow Angel' from Mom's garden is starting to bloom.  I love the foliage, and the red blooms are more showy than some of the more recent heuchera cultivars.  Several other varieties of heucheras are blooming now too:  'Hollywood,' 'Obsidian,' 'Lime Rickey,' 'Mocha,' 'Guardian Angel,' 'Frosted Violet' . . .

Celandine poppies are still blooming.  After a much bigger show earlier in spring, they usually bloom here off and on all spring and summer.

The old standby impatiens are waiting patiently in cell paks on the patio table as containers are being filled a little at a time.  Peppers, tomatoes, and basil are hardening off here too, awaiting their places in our two small raised veggie beds.

The gardening season is in full swing in the Chicago area.  With our last average frost date of May 15th and no frost in the ten-day forecast, it's just about time to plant annuals and summer vegetables.

Happy Bloom Day in the beautiful month of May.  To see what's blooming  this month in gardens around the world,  please visit the host of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, Carol at May Dreams Gardens.