Seeing Pink...

All the rain we've been having has really made things grow  quickly and now the blooms are coming on fast and furious.. The "color of the day" right now seems to be pink. with purple close behind... Here are a few of the pink blooms I'm enjoying right now in my gardens.

You've already seen my "common" Bleeding Heart (Dicentra spectabilis) a few posts back, but I also have "Old Fashioned" Bleeding Heart (Dicentra formosa) in my front shade garden, nestled in with all the hostas and ferns. It has a delicate looking little flower and since it is the first thing to bloom in the sheltered corner where it resides, I  look forward to seeing it's "pinkness"  each year. Have you ever heard common Bleeding Hearts called "naked-lady-in-a-bath"? If you take an individual pink heart, turn it upside down and pull apart the two pink "wings" - there you'll see the little white lady in her bath. Hmmm, almost seems voyeuristic, doesn't it?  Okay, let's not go there...





Next on my pink "blooming right now" list is this lovely little Coral Bells. I've had this plant for quite a few years and long ago forgot it's correct name. I call it a Heuchera, when I think it might actually be a Heucherella (a hybrid from crossing Heuchera with Tiarella, aka foamflower). Regardless of its proper name, I love it! It's one of my favourite spring bloomers - I wish it bloomed for a longer period!  Heuchera are valued for their lovely foliage with veining often of another color - the leaves vary in color from greens, to gold, bronze, amber-peach and even burgundies, purples and blacks. My other Heuchera is called "Plum Pudding" and has burgundy leaves and white blooms which appear a little later in the summer. The flowers are tiny and bell-shaped, on a wiry stem.






My lovely Rhododendron is just coming into bloom. This is the first cluster to open. It's actually part way between a pink and a mauve, but let's call it pink, shall we? The bees love it, as do the hummers. It is planted in front of our house (north-facing), almost directly in front of our front door. When we planted it there, 22 years ago (how can it be that long!!!) a neighbour who had a number of Rhodos in her sheltered backyard told us we were making a huge mistake- that it would never survive there... Well Ellen, it's thriving!! We took a chance and we've been lucky. It's still doing well. We wrap it every fall to give it some protection from the winds and snow. So far, so good! After 22 years, I think we're safe! We're not moving it now...

Lastly is the Weigela (pronounced wha-jeel-ya). Native to Asia, these are hardy shrubs which require minimal care, and produce abundant tubular shaped blooms which attract hummingbirds. My paternal grandmother died when I was just about 4 years old, but I can still remember the beautiful deep red Weigela that grew by her back door.

So, we're "in the pink" around here...  What's blooming at your hacienda these days?


Peace,
Linda

In my garden there is a large place for sentiment.  My garden of flowers is also my garden of thoughts and dreams.  The thoughts grow as freely as the flowers, and the dreams are as beautiful.  ~Abram L. Urban