Last April my beautiful Betty magnolia was frozen in the bud and I wasn't able to enjoy her beautiful blooms.
This April has passed without a hard freeze and so Betty has now graced us with her beauty for more than a week now. The purple you see behind Betty are my neighbors Lilacs.
May is a wonderful month in the garden. Almost everything has emerged from its long winter's sleep. My Asian pear and Olga Mezitt rhodo are in full bloom. The dwarf iris are almost ready to send out their blues and yellows and the Weeping dwarf Crabapple is a beautiful scarlet until it unfurls its pink flowers. Blue creeping phlox and the Korean azalea are in bloom.
It's too cool now but it won't be long until we can sit out in the garden until the sun goes down. I hope to catch a glimpse of the hummingbird that visits my Olga Mezitt Rhodo every year. The bees are buzzing around it already.
Welcome Spring and welcome back, Betty .
carolyn - betty is beautiful! i don't know if I am imagining things but my little "ann" looks like it has new blooms ready to open. is that normal or is my garden just that awesome?
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I never knew magnolias could survive the midwest! How far north can they be planted?
ReplyDeleteOur tulips (in my old garden) got nipped in the bud last year and this year there are only 2 of them attempting to rally. I hope more of them start popping up soon.
Betty is indeed a beauty. This spring is soooo much better than last spring. I love May in the garden!
ReplyDeleteCarol, May Dreams Gardens
Very jealous, Carolyn. That is a beautiful magnolia and well worth sharing. Thanks a heap.
ReplyDeleteBetty is indeed a gorgeous magnolia.
ReplyDeleteIt's still cool, but that hasn't stopped DH and I from spending every possible moment on the patio and in the garden. Last night we were out until about 9:00. Yesterday's weather was glorious, and there was even a rainbow after the brief late-afternoon cloudburst.
Oh, I haven't seen that color of magnolia before. Used to have a 'tulip tree' - saucer magnolia, and (this in Ohio) aobut half the time it would get frozen, and half the time we enjoyed those lovely blooms. Spring runs by too fast, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteIt is the second year running that our magnolias have caught the frost and this year my wisteria buds have been frosted as well, so I have very few flowers - still there is always next year!
ReplyDeleteBest wishes Sylvia (England)
Betty is a gorgeous color! May really is the best time for flowers, especially now that the Crabapples have started blooming.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know what those trees were called 'betty magnolias' ~ nice.
ReplyDeleteDoes your Asian pear tree give a lot of fruit? Is the skin the same thick texture as the monster size ones u pick up at the K-grocery store?
I'm good at buying herbs, potting + adding soil (store bot soil in Florida) and watering. Totally freak out if something wrong happens!
Your Betty looks really wonderful. I've never seen a Betty for sale here only the ubiquitous Jane. come to think of it I've never seen any of the other 'little girls' hybrids either - 'Ann,' 'Judy,' 'Randy,' 'Ricky,' 'Susan,'
ReplyDeleteI think it's totally normal, Gina, and of course you have an awesome garden :)
ReplyDeleteBetty is zone 5 hardy. Her sister Ricki is hardy to zone 3 so should be okay in your area.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more, Carol - May in the garden is so wonderful as everything is awakening from its long winter's sleep and so are we gardeners.
ReplyDeleteYou're most welcome, Stuart.
ReplyDeleteHi Muum,
ReplyDeleteBetty's flowers are almost the same as the saucer magnolia.
Yes Spring does just whiz by and suddenly it's summer.
I know what you mean, Lintys. It's so nice to just cook and eat the evening meal outdoors and take in the smells of the blooming lilacs.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear that Sylvia. Hope next year will be better. Last year was the really bad one for us in Chicago.
ReplyDeleteHi MMD,
ReplyDeleteMy little weeping crabapple has begun to bloom and all over Chicago I can see their beautiful colors. D.C. may have its cherry trees but we have our crabapples in the Midwest.
Hi Inga,
ReplyDeleteBetty is just one of a variety of dwarf magnolias. The man who developed what we call " the little girls " named them Betty, Ann, Susan, Ricki, and Jane.
My Korean pear produces lots of fruit. You'll get a kick out of this : It is two trees in one. One side is an early smaller pear with a dark skin and the other side is a late large pear with a light skin. This is because two tree were grafted together.
I have to fight the birds and squirrels for the fruit. Last year I hung all kinds of noise makers on the tree to scare the varmits away, and I put a net over it as well. It worked! I love the crisp texture and taste of the Korean pear and use it a lot in cooking.
Thanks, Ki. It is hard to find any of the little girl series other than Jane, Ricki and Ann in our area. Since buying Betty about 8 years ago I haven't come across another one.
ReplyDeleteBetty and the lilac are a perfect match. Isn't spring grand!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lisa. Spring is indeed grand and my favorite time of the year.
ReplyDeleteYou know here in Alabama our 'tulip trees' are the first blooms in springtime. Just beautiful!
ReplyDeleteHi Sandi,
ReplyDeleteWhen I passed through Alabama back in February this year I saw some beautiful redbuds in bloom.
The Magnolias are the first trees to bloom in my garden as well.
Love your blog!
Betty is bee-yoo-tee-full! I had Jane a couple of years ago and lost her the first year due to that late freeze we had. I bought her again this year, in a little larger size and she continued to bloom for me after we planted her. I had thought she was finished and the shock of transplanting would certainly mean no more blooms this year. I was wrong! Now, if she just makes it through the winter this next year!
ReplyDeleteWondering if you could post a picture of this when it's not in bloom like a summer picture. I just planted one as I was told it was a shrub. After reading up on it I'm afraid that it's more "tree like' than I wanted for that area. Thanks!
ReplyDelete