May in the Garden - Trees, Shrubs, Vines

 May is the best month in the garden and also the busiest.  The boxwood hedges finally got pruned and the grass mowed.  

 The older hedge closer to the house is taller and the one closer to the inner garden is smaller and I will keep it this way.  I finally got the grass mowed, and some of the weeds dug out of the grass.  This grass path goes from the driveway over to the neighbour's side where it meets their 5 feet of grass.  The path is the top frame of the garden, the neighbour's grass is the frame along the east side.  Nearest the street is about 10 - 12 feet deep of grass containing the crocus field in the early Spring.  This grass runs the width of the lot.  I have to wait for the crocuses to harden off before I cut the grass.  The grass is tall and thick and I need to give my little mower some help by cutting the tallest of it by hand.  The final side of the frame is about 5 feet wide by about 20 feet from the street.  The green frame is interrupted by the Magnolia bed  but the appearance of the first  20 feet from the street gives the impression of the frame continuing to the top curved grass path.

 This lovely wine colored Jackimani clematis climbs up the metal stand and into the hedging cedars  and into the sweet gum tree, next to the little boxwood hedge. Beneath it after the new renovation of this area, there is a few feet square feet of wild looking tangle of the clematis, montebretias, soloman's seal, and foxgloves, if they self seed.  In making the new renovation I spent quite few hours digging out montebretias and bluebells  along the cedars up to the stone path and over to the little rockery.  All of this is beneath the branches of my best air conditioner, the sweet gum tree.    

 A close up of the clematis.  As you can see I did not really take the time to get good photos.  I was so busy getting the garden cleaned up and the renovation made.

 A close up of the bee on the first blossoms of the California lilac.

 I had the Davey Tree guys do a pruning job on this shrub to take it down a bit in height and take it back a bit off the stone path.  It is coming back from the severe pruning very nicely.  The bees love it.  It grows as part of the hedge along the neighbour's side.   A small star magnolia and some more perennials, under planted with the silver sedum,  some valerine, tall bearded irises, a hebe, a gas plant.  The stone path leads past these plants and around the sun dial circle where it ends at the thyme circle.  There is a tall cedar hedge  from the neighbors side towards the other side where our driveway is.

 The magnolia blossom.  I can't believe I only have one photo of the Magnolia.  It has been the star of the garden for most of April and is now, in May finishing up and growing its leaves.  The magnolia got a bit of cleaning up by taking out dead wood and branches that were too low over the water meter access.

 Also under the sweet amber tree are 2 David Austin roses.  In the foreground is part of the cement David, and the background has the black bamboo.  The bamboo also needed some attention to removing dead canes and weeding violets and bachelor buttons out of the Magnolia tree area.  The David is across the stone path from the David Austin roses.  There are Siberian Irises in bloom behind the David and in front of the bamboo.  I love this bamboo stand, especially when there is a bit of breeze.  It is well worth keeping the runners under control.

 A close up of the Prince, David Austin rose.  It has a wonderful fragrance.  All of the blossoms on it have gone and it is now dead headed.  I think it really should be out from under the sweet gum tree and into more sun.  I don't seem to have photos of the Gertrude Jekyll rose which  grows in the same area.  Both of these David Austin roses were pruned back earlier in the Spring, and have bloomed very well because of it.  The Gertrude Jekyll is in full bloom now and is perfuming the whole front garden.

 This is a close up of the Simplicity, semi double pink tea rose that grows just behind the tall boxwood hedge next to the neighbour's garbage cans, and their 5 feet of sidewalk.  Its a very tolerant plant of their abuse of my plants along that side of our property.  It is in full bloom now.  It will need to be pruned  down a bit, as it is getting quite lanky, and fed.   I don't seem to have photos of the Iceberg rose that grows next to the entry way.  It is a floribunda white rose.  It is blooming profusely right now and has to be kept cut back off the doorway.   

 This is the spirea bridal veil that grows in the boulevard garden in the strip just behind the crocus field.  It is need of a pruning.  As you can see this is before I got the grass clipped and trimmed.  Quite a lot my time was spent cleaning up the boulevard garden and it is looking quite nice now.

 The smoke bush is under planted with the silver sedum.  It looks wonderful with the sunlight shining through the burgundy leaves.  This inner garden bed has been cleaned up and weeded.  This bed borders the thyme circle.  

More of the clematis.  There is another dark purple jackamini clematis beside the chimney in my 5 feet of property between the houses.  I have yet to get photos of it.