This Morning

Dodecatheon meadia

The following pictures were taken this morning as I wandered out into my garden to see what was new since yesterday. I was given the above Shooting Star by a friend and it has flourished in my garden, tripling in size over the last three years.

Frittilaria persica var. alba

I purchased one of these bulbs for ten dollars last fall. The bulb itself was large, the size of an orange, and it looked a little scuffed up when I planted it. I admit I was a little dubious that it would survive. However, this spring it put up two separate flowering stalks and they are breathtaking.

Tulip 'Kingsblood' planted in front of Fothergilla gardenii 'Mount Airy'

New fresh leaves of the emerging Lespedeza bicolor. I bought this "shrub" two years ago at an end of the year plant sale and it was labeled a zone 6 plant. It was so beautiful in the late summer/ fall with its sweet pink pea flowers that I had to try it out despite the fact it was out of my zone. The following spring there was no sign of life and I thought for sure it had died. But about this time last year, little fresh shoots emerged and ever since this woody shrub acts like a beautiful and unusual herbaceous perennial in my garden.

This is a rather unusual conifer found at the Berg's garden. Right now it is covered in bright magenta cones which is beautiful with the backdrop of Epimedium rubrum and the native columbine, Aquilegia canadensis. I have searched about for the name of this conifer and the best I can come up with is Picea alcoquiana 'Howell's Dwarf Tigertail.' There seems to be some debate over this plant ID out there!