Bogturtle's Garden- April 15 to end, 2026

 

Just outside the kitchen, where the faucet for the garden hose is, a native, planted years ago, is spreading. Chrysogonum virginianum. A common name is 'Green and Gold'. Just about evergreen, here. 

Really a flood of blooming coming on. Hardly able to keep track of it. I planted a form of perennial Forget Me Not in a planter by the little pool. I think they have started, but, last year, they shed seed onto the ground outside, and those hav grown an bloomed much earlier. And a few bloom white, which is fine with me. Myosotis silvatica, I think. But it does not seem a biennial at all. It returns, as far as I can tell, perennially. And at least a hundred species have been named.

Kerria japonica 'Plena', with its doubled marigold like flowers is coming into bloom. A colonizing plant, spreading now into areas where it is not welcome. 'Dependable' might be the word. And around the exit drive, a growing clump of cream colored ones bloom. Not snow white. K. J. 'Alba'.

Really darker than the photo shows. Camellia 'Red Jade'. Right in front of where we park the vehicles and backed by the fence to the pool deck. 

A Shadbush, Shadblow, Shadberry, and the Shad fish are now being caught in the local river. The Running Shadbush, Amelanchier stolonifera. Have seen no expansion of the little tree at the roots.

Now in numerous places on the property, the white flowered form of the Bleeding Heart. A new name, to me. Not what I understood it was properly named for years. One source says Lamprocapnos spectabilis.

Just spent half an hour posting, and it all disappeared, so here we go again. And I may not recall comments I just made. Fothergilla 'Mt Aerie' is an underused native shrub. As valuable for its interesting flowers, that smell a little like honey, as for its brilliant scarlet Fall color. Several on the property. Also, there are two examples of the blue gray foliaged form called F. 'Blue Shadow'. That turns orange in Fall. 

Maybe about 1970, I ordered a number of dwarf forms of the German Bearded Iris. I only see this pale blue still here. Foliage is about 10 inches tall or less, but the flowers are big.

An orange flowered Epimedium, growing in the main perennial bed, in front of where we park. E. waryliense.

Epimedum sufureum is in many places. For the first time in many years I didn't trim the Winter damaged or brown foliage to the ground. That helps show off the bloom better, but it looks good anyway. 

The white flowered form of Mazus repens, a New Zealand ground cover. It grows in the lens shaped bed for the Red Knockout Roses. It needs soil that does not dry out, and has shrunk in coverage, because of Summer drought and my lack of watering. But it has survived and is spreading again. Absolutely ground hugging and evergreen. 

Also a fine ground cover, liking soil not too dry and some shade, this is Asarum europeaum. It grows in front of where we park the vehicles, in the main perennial bed. 

And, close by, a clump of the oriental species of Ginger, Asarum europeaum is looking good. Not enough of this, in my opinion.

The Flowering Quince with a strange, unrecalled, Japanese name. It tends to grow too tall, shading out the little rock garden, so I will keep it perpetually pruned, and will do that when bloom is gone. 

A very tall Viburnum grows just where we exit where we park. Probably related to the 'Spice Viburnum' V.carlesii, but smelling like Johnson's Baby Powder. 

Way down in the foliage of this Flowering Quince, and hard to photograph. This is the form called 'Cameo'. Like the pink orange color of the cameo jewelry, which is carved shell of a giant type of snail called a conch. 

A really rough Winter. This evergreen died, except for a branch or two at ground level. Never thought

 It would. Pieris cavantine.

One of the two species of Halesia, or Silver Bell trees here. H. triptera, I think. The other is later to bloom.

Maybe a duplicate photo. The blog is a pain to manage. This is the running Shadbush, Amelanchier stolonifera.

Acer platanum 'Fjelheim' backed by the huge Kerria japonica 'Plena' with the huge Viburnum 'Popcorn' beginning to bloom. 

Epimedium nivea is coming into bloom in the little rock garden.

Fascinated with the coloring in plants. Amazing that this obscure little fern relative breaks up light and reflects a shimmering blue green. That develops well only in the shade. Selaginella uncinata, I think. Called 'Rainbow Moss'. A tiny creeping plant, so less than spectacular, and, supposedly hardy in my 7a zone. I doubt that.

In an old fashioned kitchen glass canister with a lid to maintain humidity, as the plant belongs on the floor of the jungle. And always in a northern shady window.

Have tried several times, without success, and this might finally thrive. Far more spectacular, and not here, are the 'Blue Oil Fern' and Begonia pavonina.

Perhaps this Tick can be just as disease carrying as a larger one, and it got caught under my thumbnail when I scratched an itch. Have had the bullseye rash from such, in the past. Fortunately easily cleared up by antibiotics, as Lyme Disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever can come. And ticks come with the Deer, Rabbits and everything else, here, apparently. 

Regular, here at night, but here we have two.

Akebia quinata 'Alba'. Usually a darker color, it does smell a little like chocolate. An invasive vine, growing on the lattice fence around the pool deck, but wandering amazingly.

Rhododendron 'My Jane'. 

A fine evergreen Viburnum called V. pragense 'Decker'. Really a hybrid of two species V. utilis and V. rhitodophyllum, I think.  And how 'Decker' differs from the other V. pragense, I have, is a mystery to me. 

Common here, now, the Japanese Painted Fern is offered in many different cultivars. This is the standard form, I think.

The common Butterfly called 'The Paintrd Lady'. Vanessa cardui.   Easily half to 1/3 as big as a Monarch or Swallowtail. 

The dwarf iris that is a native, down South. Iris cristata, the Crested Iris, and probably the larger blooming sort 'Powder Blue Giant'. Not powder blue and maybe 2 inches across.  In the rock garden and I wish I had more. 

Along the  front walk. The Azalea is the doubled, 'hose in hose' sort called 'Tradition'. But replacing failed ones has taught me that all offered as this clone are not the same at all. Didn't find that out until they were well along and blooming. White flowered Dogwoods, Cornus florida, are native to these woods and common. I didn't plant this one. 

Originally planted on the lattice fence at the rear of the little rock garden, this Gelsemium sempervirens, or Carolina Jessamine has rambled off into the shrubbery behind. It has a weak but pleasant odor. 

Should have broken this down into 3 weeks of photos, not half a month.

Rhododendron 'My Jane'.

Taken through the window. About as magnificent as it is likely to get, this is the huge Viburnum plicatum 'Popcorn', across the lawn. What a company would feature in an effort to sell it.