Tulips in the April Garden

 A giant blue hyacinth grows in front of the Wall flower by the entry way steps.

 A black tulip.  This rendition of the black tulips does not look black enough, but I think they really are a very very dark red.

 more of the black tulips

There are several black tulips that Grace left for me some years ago.  I have them growing in the bad alongside the white of the old garage. 

 I put this huge double wine colored tulip in the vase on the dining table.

 The huge double wine colored tulip in the garden.  There are a few of them growing in the fig tree bed.

 A fringed tulip.  I thought it was blue heron, but this one does not look very blue.

 A lily flowered red tulip in the moss garden.

 Lovely red and white tulips in the fig tree bed.

 This tulip grows in the front garden in the Magnolia tree bed.

 Another of the color coordinated  tulips that grow in the Magnolia tree bed, near the david.

A saxatilis species tulip.  They spread madly about the back garden in the woodland.

A very nice white tulip with pink edging on the petals.
Most of the hyacinths and tulips grow in the back garden in the Fig tree bed.  

Today I just started cleaning up this bed, starting at the  stepping stones that lead past the rhodos and into the Moss/Japanese garden.  The Fig tree bed is on the other side of the stepping stones.  I got about 4 of the stepping stones in the moss path weeded.  I weeded and dead headed the new rhodo that grows between the house and the step.  The ferns in the area got cut back a bit to let the rhodo show its nice form.  I am letting the foxgloves grow in front of it though.  I weeded under the rhodo that is on the other side of the step.  There are 3 perennials growing under  this rhodo and the one beside it,  that need to be taken out, as they seem to be crowding the rhodos. The hellebore might get moved to the back corner of the woodland.  It is a dark purple color .  I don't think it does much for the shade garden.  

April in the Moss/Japanese garden room

 Starting from the old sidewalk in the back garden,  we see the hellebores that are under the rhodos by the back steps up to the deck.  These Hellebores are spreading and need to be divided and  moved from under the rhodos.

 Some of the white hellebores have been moved under the deck where they are doing just ok.  They will need more watering when I get time to complete the area under the deck.

 As we go onto the stepping stones into the moss garden the primula veris is the first primula.  It is finally doing a little better this year.  It grows in the moss that is around the stepping stones.

 Next along the stepping stones is the aggressive, lovely purple/magenta primula.  I have lost its name.

 Next to the lovely purple/magenta is an equally aggressive double pink primula.  I have lost its name, also.  These two Primulas need to be divided and moved.. . perhaps to the woodland when I get the Iris bed renovated.  . . Hopefully this Fall.

 A little further on, past a little hosta, we have a very nice Primula amethyst cowichan

 This lovely Amethyst primula is being crowded out by the epimedium  and will need to be moved.

 Here are the stepping stones that go through this side of the Moss/Japanese garden.  The other side of the stepping stones is what I am calling the Fig Tree garden room.

 As seen in the photo above, these epimediums like where they are growing also and are crowding out the Primulas

 Blossoms of the epimediums

 The lovely little anemonella thalectroides grows just behind the double pink primula

 Chocolate lillies are partially under the Harry Lauder's walking stick shrub, and are forming a nice clump.

Chocolate Lillies  

 Chocolate Lillies   Adding the URL just in case it does not work:  https://heartofthewestcoast.com/2012/04/26/spring-feast-for-the-eyes-chocolate-lilies/

The Chocolate Lily (Fritillaria affinis for the botanically-minded) is one of the coolest and yet commonly overlooked spring-flowering plants on the Island. They may not be as showy as Camas or Shooting Stars, but I think their bell-like shape and subtle shading is absolutely gorgeous. Fair warning, they don’t have the nicest scent (think skunk cabbage rather than wild roses!).
Love that blog.
https://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/cs_fraf2.pdf
Description  More information on the chocolat lillies
General: Lily Family (Liliaceae). Chocolate lily
(Fritillaria affinis) is a tall herbaceous perennial
growing from white bulblets consisting of a few
fleshy scales and many rice-grain-like offsets; its
bulbs are usually smaller than Fritillaria
camchatcensis. The stems are 20-50 cm tall, sturdy
and unbranched, bearing 1-3 whorls of 5-11 lanceshaped leaves. Chocolate lily has bowl-shaped,
distinctly nodding flowers with six tepals which are
brown-mottled with green or yellow. The capsules
are broadly winged.
Distribution
Chocolate lily is found in open dry woods and
meadows from southern coastal British Columbia
eastward to the Okanagan in eastern Washington and
south to California. In California, chocolate lily
occurs commonly in oak or pine scrub and grasslands
below 1800 m in the Klamath Ranges, north Coast
Ranges, Cascade, northern Sierra Nevada Foothills,
San Francisco Bay area (Hickman 1993). Chocolate
lily grows on well-drained soils on open slopes. For
current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile
page for this species on the PLANTS Web site.
Establishment
Fritillaria species have become quite uncommon in
the wild. Fritillaria affinis requires well-drained soil

There are more primulas, hepaticas, a miniature  pine tree, the rhodos, azaleas, choice ferns, a false bamboo, the mountain laurel, a little Japanese maple, astilbies, a Japanese lantern, and few other plants I may have forgotten in this area between the stepping stones and the stone/cement path that goes around the adjoining pond.  
All of the back garden is in desperate need of a clean up.  Today I have just finished weeding  the whole front garden.  It will probably take me another month to get the back cleaned up.  I am making lists of the plants in each of the garden 'rooms'  with some growing information, etc. for each plant.

Some of the little rockery in the front garden in early April

 This lovely anemone grows by the David in the area I am calling the Magnolia Tree room.  It might be a deCaen or a St. Bridgit.  There are also some nice Tulips in this area.

 The purple aubretia that grows on the little gold rock wall across the stone path from the West Coast planter.  There are some scilla growing in the same area.

The bergenias are growing nicely this year.  I gave removed a couple of flat rocks and gave them some good top soil.  Some information from the internet.  Beth Chatto garden has a nice photo of a perennial garden:
 Bergenia, also known as pigsqueak for the sound it makes when two leaves are rubbed together, 
fills that shady or dappled spot in your garden where so many flowers shy away. Bergenia plant 
care takes very little time, as these are low-maintenance plants.
Plant them 12 to 18 inches (30-46 cm.) apart early in the spring to fill the area without 
crowding them out. Choose a spot with well-drained, moist soil, and add compost to the bed 
as needed. Plants are evergreen with interesting foliage colors in winter.
Read more at Gardening Know How: Bergenia Information: How To Care For A Bergenia Plant https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/bergenia/bergenia-growing-information.htm   https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/bergenia/bergenia-growing-information.htm
beth chattos garden:Beth Chatto Garden 
Beth Chattos garden has an interesting photo of the garden using various perennials.
Elephant’s ears, bergenia are one of the most indispensable and widely used evergreen 
plants here in Beth Chatto’s garden but there are few plants that seem to provoke such 
polarising views among our visitors.

 This iberis grows at the front of the little rockery, next to the stone path.  This from before the clean up of this area.  The iberis did much better after clean up and a bit of new top soil added.

 The mountain avens before clean up.  I have better photos of this lovely little sub-shrub from other years, but this is the one from early April this year.  More information from the internet:
Mountain Avens (Dryas integrifolia/octopetala)
These plants are ground-hugging, sun-loving, semi-shrubs.
Arctic mountain avens (Dryas integrifolia) leaves are 1-2 cm long, 
narrow with smooth edges and a somewhat shiny upper surface.
Alpine mountain avens (Dryas octopetala) leaves are longer (up to 3.5 cm) 
and wider, with scalloped or wavy edges.
Leaves & Twigs: The small, leathery, evergreen leaves are wrinkled on the 
upper surface and hairy underneath.
Flowers & Fruits:
White, saucer-shaped flowers are 2-3 cm wide, growing on stalks 2-15 cm tall.
Seed plumes are twisted in tight red/gold bundles that open into fluffy round 
seed heads as they mature.
Habitat: These species prefer rocky barren areas, alpine meadows and ridges. 
Arctic mountain avens can also tolerate moist conditions, where it takes on a 
creeping form.

The sedum that is forming a very nice ground cover for the 'inner garden' that is the smoke tree area. This is before the clean up.  You can see the leaves and alliums in the sedum.  Since the clean up a few days ago the sedum has bloomed with its yellow tall sprays of flowers that enhance the red geum that  grows out of the carpeting sedum.  I am not sure which kind of sedum it is; but spathule or spuruim are my best guesses.

Trilliums in late April

 The trillium bed on April 10th.  We see the grape hyacinths in bloom.  I have started some arabis as ground cover in this area.  Just in front of the grape hyacinths is the ugly water meter access.

 Trillium chloropetalum

 Trillium erectun purple.

 Trillium Luteum

The older Trillium Ovatum

                                     
 The new Trillium ovatum.
All of the Trillium photos are from April 26, 2020.  As they have turned pink they are nearly finished blooming.  They all need a feeding of more woodsy soil from the old compost bin.

 The wall flower with a dark blue hyacinth, and a blue geranium with very nice foliage is just across the grass path from the Magnolia bed.

 The magnolia in full bloom on April 10th

The aubretia in the cement vase on April 26th.  The solar light is dead and removed.
Today I finished trimming the boxwood hedges, the small, ratty honeysuckle hedge and the spirea bridal veil.  I started cleaning the Magnolia bed and just got a small area around the aubretia finished. 

Trilliums in early April

 The oregon grape shrubs are indigenous in our area and this one has volunteered to grow in the strip between our driveways.  It is a very nice shrub in flower now and it has berries to feed the birds in the Fall.

 The purple pasque flower that grows in what I am calling the Magnolia bed.  This bed was renovated a couple of years ago when the David fell over.  The David was given a new base and leveled.  Then a new area from the David to the Irish heather next to the water meter access.  The back corner of this bed has the black bamboo which borders on the thyme circle.  There is a soul mate type of milkweed in the newly renovated part, some tulips, some fancy de Caen anemones (wind flowers), crocuses, a French lavender and a couple of other perennials.  This year some foxgloves have volunteered in the front of this bed along the stone path that leads into the inner garden rooms.  To the other side of the David there is a nice growth of yellow/green decorative herb.  I do not remember the name of the plant.  It is fairly aggressive but easy enough to control.  It borders the thyme circle one one side and has some little perennial geraniums on the stone path side.  In front of the bamboo and just behind the David there is a few Siberian Irises.  Next to the irises there is an old heather (that may be replaced soon too.) The Trilliums grow in the area between the black bamboo and the Magnolia tree which is next to the driveway.  I have transplanted some arabis near the Trilliums as ground cover.   The pasque flowers are near the back of this bed by the  hedging cedars and the driveway. There are a few other perennials  near the pasque flowers area... a couple of daffodils, an autumn joy sedum,  volunteer columbines, feverfew, etc.  The violets need to be totally eradicated from this area but  they are winning the war right now. There is an Irish heather at the front of the bed that partially  hides the water meter access which is a thoroughly ugly thing, that really should have been placed in the driveway and not in the garden.  Most of these flowers bloom in the same time period.  At the top of the bed, next to the driveway and the grass path there is a cement vase with a lovely wine colored aubretia and some snapdragons that insist on being perennial.  

 The lovely wine colored pasque flower

A close up of the pasque flower.  These plants are bred from the Prairie crocus kind of plant.   Quote from Wikipedia:  "The genus Pulsatilla contains about 40 species of herbaceous perennials native to meadows and prairies of North America, Europe, and Asia. Derived from the Hebrew word for Passover, "pasakh", the common name pasque flower, refers to the Easter flowering period, in the spring"
                                     
  Trillium chloropetalum (Sessile)  
    Got it at VIRAGS show and sale in '19.                                    
    Planted with the other trilliums under the Magnolia.

  Trillium erectum purple – native height 20 – 30 cm   8 - 12 inches          similiar to erectum but more purple color
        transplanted in a pot, as this is the stinking trillium
        May 2019 growing in its pot is at least 1 foot tall, no blooms
        Have transplanted it to the Magnolia bed.
 From Fraser Thimble Farm on Salt Spring Island May 30, 2018

 Trillium luteum – N.A. Native, fragrant, lemon scented                     yellow flowers and attractively mottled leaves.  Prefers                      partial sun in humus rich well drained soil.
        Transplanted by the water meter
        May 2019 is growing and is about 12 inches tall with light
        yellow big blossoms   (blossoms were later in May)
From Fraser Thimble Farm on Salt Spring Island May 30, 2018 . 

Trillium ovatum -  I have 2 of these plants, both in the Magnolia bed.  One is older and as at May 2019 it has had 3 blossoms. 
WESTERN Trillium
Stem erect, lower stem bare. Leaves 2–8 in. long, linear to widely egg-shaped, with pointed tip. Flowers on 1–2 1/2 in., erect to weak stalk above leaves. Sepals green, lance-shaped. Petals 1/2–3 in. long, oval with pointed tip, white fading to pink or deep rose-red. Seed capsule is a green or white berry. Grows in cool moist mixed woods, coniferous forests, redwoods, to 6000 ft. Subsp. oettinger has small nodding flowers, linear to lance-shaped leaves with very short stalks; grows in mixed forests in California's Marble Mountains. Subsp. ovatum has wide sessile leaves, upright flowers with petals 1/2–2 3/4 in. long; grows from coast to 5000 ft.
Planting & Growing

Western Trillium will grow to be about 8 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 8 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 6 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the ground. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. As this plant tends to go dormant in summer, it is best interplanted with late-season bloomers to hide the dying foliage.  AS at May 2019... mine might be older than 10 years, needs more compost or leaf  mulch.

This plant does best in partial shade to shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is quite intolerant of urban pollution, therefore inner city or urban streetside plantings are best avoided, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in both summer and winter to conserve soil moisture and protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This species is native to parts of North America. It can be propagated by division. 

The tiny aubretia flower set against the huge magnolia flower.  Just a whimsical view of the plants in flower in the Magnolia bed

 

Trillium Ovatum – native western white Trillium                               transplanted by the water meter - May 2019 1 blossom, one plant,    about 8 inches tall

From Fraser Thimble Farm on Salt Spring Island  May 30, 2018

    

The pasque flowers are finished blooming, as are the trilliums.  The Magnolia tree is just about finished its spectacular show.  The tree peony just across the grass path from the Magnolia is now in full bloom with light pink, fragrant blossoms to match the size of the Magnolia's.  The Siberian Irises and the French lavender in shades of blue/purple are coming into bloom now.   Also volunteer columbines also blooming  in shades of blue all over the front garden rooms.  The inner garden room with the burgundy smoke bush, under planted with a silver sedum has a lovely geum adding its spectacular bright red blossoms to the mix.  It all looks so much better cleaned up.  I trimmed the boxwood hedges this morning and have about half of the tall hedge to finish as my trimmer ran out of charge.