Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Bill's Picks for May


Here are some of my favorite harbingers of spring, when the plants seem to be telling us it’s time to awaken, with all their beautiful, bright colors of yellow, orange, lavender, pink, etc. Combining these with spring blooming bulbs like crocus, daffodils, tulips etc. can make you’re landscape come alive!!

Quince (Chaenomeles speciosa):  This is a great, old fashioned plant.  It has loads of blooms all over the bush and comes in many different colors—red, orange, pink, and white.  I have noticed that it is also a plant that small birds like to congregate in for protection; so planting one near your bird feeders would be ideal.  For those who like to make jellies and jams, quince has always been one of my favorites!


                                                         Shad Bush (Amelanchier):   
This is a hardy small tree with interest for all seasons.  The tree produces catkins which open into profuse white blooms in spring.  Persistent fruit for wildlife in summer.  Stunning foliage of yellow/orange and red in the fall.  The trees leafless structure and nice gray bark is set off nicely by the winter landscape.


Lily-of- the-Valley (Convallaria Majoralis):  When these emerge in the spring with their sweet fragrant blooms I love to give them as gifts in tiny vases.  I have used these as a wonderful ground cover along driveways and embankments, for erosion control.  Lily-of-the-Valley mixes well with both bulbs and plants that emerge later.

No comments:

Post a Comment