New Blooms!

I always find it very exciting when a new perennial blooms for the first time. To me, it indicates that the plant is happy in its location (although not as indicative as returning for years to come), and you can confirm that the plant you purchased is the variety intended, although mislabelling usually turns into a pleasant suprise.

Here is the first bloom of the Clematis 'H.F Young', it was a sad little twig when I bought it a few months ago but has now climbed to the top of the 4ft trellis. The bloom is very pleasing, I read that the first flush of blooms in the spring produces double flowers, and then it blooms again in the late summer/fall with a few single flowers. It is rated zone 4, but since we are considered 3b/4a many zone 4 plants do well, and it is in a sheltered location.

'The poppy and the frog', sounds like a children's story, doesn't it? This is the dwarf icelanic poppy Papaver nudicale 'Garden Gnome'. I wasn't expecting it to bloom this year, so I'm very happy that it did. I will let it set seed to ensure it's longevity in the garden.

This is the Globeflower Trollius x cultorum 'Lemon Queen', I like the unique shape of these round flowers.

And finally, a Purple Beauty Aster 'novi-beligii x hybrid'. I found this little Aster on the discount table for $1, all by itself. It has exceeded expectation, and looks like it won't be long before it has a full flush of blooms.