What's Looking Good May 2025

The calm after the storm

It was windy over the weekend. The wildflower bed looks like a cat has slept in it. My so careful grown Linaria and many of the Phacelia are broken

Some of the Foxgloves needed staking. That bouncing back wind almost killed them.

The Delphinium persisted the wind. It's now flowering. It has got a strong stem like our old one had. It's the first time I found such Delphinium and will do the same as with my old one: I leave it as it is, it gets a cloche when the regrow starts in October/November, daily checks for slugs.



It's coming nicely



A Salvia which I bought last year and got very nicely this year.



The Deutzia is ready for opening the flowers. The bees have daily a check if it's ready.



The Weigela next to it.



I bought this Salvia Caradonna in 2022 and replanted it 3 times. In 2024, it found its final place between 2 Astrantia that I had planted when I did the entire bed along the greenhouse/raised beds.



The corner in front of the greenhouse. The Spirea (not in the image) is flowering too, and the Foxgloves are always visited by lot of bees.



The Campanula Takoin Blue

 

Iberis.


Another new clematis flowering at ground level


Red clover - I have a patch of this on my back lawn which I carefully mow around. It is about thigh high on me with very big leaves.

 

@wiseowl how lucky you are to have such a good crop of Victoria plums. We have 2...well one we don't believe is Victoria. They both flowered brilliantly this Spring. Then the one we don't believe is Victoria has died with stems from the root stock appearing. The other one, well we can count on one hand the fruit. Not sure why this has happened as we had no frosts and the pollinators were around.

 

Very young Sisyrinchium and Bistorta “Darjeeling Red” alongside Hydrangea “Skyfall” and Seaside Daisies

Latest pic of “The King’s Rose”, settling in nicely.

 

Petunia “Tidal Wave” red is blooming well, the silver version is still flower-shy.

 

The most popular flowers for bees in my garden are currently Nepetas and Heucheras, seen here with rose Catherine and Imperata rubra adding to the mix.

 

Bog garden filling out , Primula are brilliant must add more lots more .
First flowers for iochroma forget I bought alba I am a bit disappointed should of got a blue one.

 

I was fascinated watching a bee on my irises this morning. I'd never really noticed before that an iris head is made of 3 distinct flowers, each with the nectar at the bottom of a very long tube. The bee had to push the flower open in order to get inside, and then crawl all the way down to the nectar. No good being a claustrophobic bee!

 

Wild foxglove

 

So nice to finally have some proper rain! ☔️

 

Very nice pictures @pitter-patter

 

The garden after a day of light rain.

 

Iris Sugar and Butter (silly name)


Unknown double iris

Oriental poppy

Lilium pumilum before the latest strong winds got to it

Myrtus ugni flowers - I didn't realise they were scented. The fruits are delicious

 

Even with the spring we've had here, everyone's plants are still further ahead!
The Butter and Sugar Iris was one I intended getting @CarolineL , as the colours would have suited my plot. I think it's a good name - the flowers are just those colours of butter and sugar
I'm just enjoying the fact that all my Irises have produced plenty of buds - so many of them usually get eaten by slugs before they get a chance. I have lost a Chrysographes flower - stem eaten below the flower, but there are more to come. Lilies are well ahead, and I can't believe the size of the Sedums [Hylotelephiums] and how well clematis are growing. I must get some photos.

However, I'm now going to have a wee look back at all the lovely photos on here.