May 4th Blooms

Spring can be divided into many different phases each with its own characteristic suite of blooming plants. Here in middle Ga, we are well beyond the daffodil and spring ephemeral season and are quickly entering our late spring-summer transition. Incidentally, this is also the season in which I have my annual allergies and inevitable sinus infection... so coupled with a bought of COVID-19, I've been a little out of it. But, alas, I feel better and I'm thankful once again excited to see the awesome chronology of blooms that faithfully return year after year.

I was recently walking around the campus of Auburn and the small, but beautiful, Davis Arboretum, and I spotted a wonderful patch of Phlox 'Minnie Pearl'. This slowly creeping or clumping short (to 12in) selection of Phlox carolina was found along a road in Kemper county Mississippi. Btw, many of our best ornamental plants have been found by keen observers driving or hiking through nature. What I love about this plant is that it blooms slightly later than the more common native woodland blue iris and that it has attractive glossy leaves and cute rounded snow-white flowers in profusion. It is a wonderful addition to the late spring canon.

For my next selection, I'd like to highlight a plant first introduced to me in Athens, Ga. For those of you who know, I lived in Athens on and off for most of my adult life. And somewhere in the mid 2000s, say around 2008ish, I worked for a time at Thomas Orchards Nursery, which is now Farm 441. This was my first experience working at a garden center, and I met some amazing "plant friends". One who continues to be a mentor is Mike Sikes. His passion for plants is totally infectious, and he's responsible for introducing me to so many wonderful plants. One of which is the intensely vibrant Clematis 'Rooguchi'. This is about as wonderfully deep purple as you can get. Plus it is a vine that keeps blooming on and on throughout the summer. It is a must-have for sun or light shade here in the south.

Lastly, we are also in the midst of Iris season. While most of us grow and are familiar with the German or Bearded Iris, I'm also drawn to our native Louisiana iris. These iris are native to wet areas throughout the east, but they do quite well in average garden conditions, albeit they get irrigation in times of drought. They also are somewhat aggressive! With that in mind, I'd suggest growing them in large containers or in beds where they can "travel". Literally hundreds of cultivars and color forms exist, but probably my favorite (at least for now) is the intensely blue 'Sinfonietta'. I first encountered a large swathe growing in a sunny bog at Plant Delights Nursery and was awe-struck. The blue color is absolutely unforgettable! If you like blue, you have to have this iris! Just remember, they love sun and plenty of moisture!