Hi GPODers!
Depending on where your garden is located, and the types of plants you prefer to grow, your season of flowering might be bright and brief or layered and long. For Susan Hutchins in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, she has curated a stellar selection of plants that allow her to enjoy flowers from the tail-end of winter right through until the first frosts. Today’s submission is the first we have seen of Susan’s garden, and focuses on the flowers that begin her long flowering season with a bang, but hopefully we will see more of her garden’s succession of blooms is future submissions.
Greetings,
I have been gardening on this site in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan (Zone 6a) for the past 40 years. When we bought this house, it had two small flower beds and lots of lawn. Over the years we have expanded the gardens and reduced the lawn. We added a waterfall and koi pond about 30 years ago. I plant perennials that start blooming early in the spring and late in the autumn so that I can see flowers as long as possible. We have a lot of deer and bunnies in the area so I am always trying new products to keep them from eating the plants. It is an ongoing challenge.
In the first pictures are winter aconites (Eranthis winterZones 3–7) which are little yellow flowers that bloom in mid-February.
A white hellebore, which blooms at the same time as the winter aconites.
In April the Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginicaZones 3–8) show up with their beautiful blue flowers. The best part of Mertensia is that the entire plant fades away in about a month making room for summer blooming flowers.
More hellebores in white…
as well as dark burgundy and pink bloom in March and April.
Trillium in white (Trillium grandiflorumZones 4–8) and red (The trill raisedZones 4–7) with Grecian windflower (Anemone mixZones 5–8).
The ferns are starting to unfurl and come to life. We have a lot of shade in our backyard so I grow many different kinds of ferns, variegated Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum scented our. pluriflora ‘variegated’Zones 3–8), brunnera and other shade-loving plants.
Soon the yellow lady’s slippers (Cypripedium small flowersZones 3–8) will bloom.
The orioles (Icterus galbula) return to the feeder of grape jelly every year around the end of May. Sometimes there are 5 at the feeder at once.
My husband takes care of the koi and the pond. I do the land gardening.
We have had these same fish for about 15 years and as you can see, they are well-fed.
Thank you so much for this early season introduction to your garden, Heather! I love the mix of early bloomers you have collected, and I hope we have a chance to see the blooms that emerge throughout your long flowering season.
What flowers have emerged in your garden so far, and which ones are you most looking forward to seeing later in the year? We would love to see photos of the floral highlights from your garden. Follow the directions below to submit your photos to Garden Photo of the Day!
We want to see YOUR garden!
Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!
To submit, fill out the Garden Photo of the Day Submission Form.
You can also send 5–10 photos to (email protected) along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.
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