Gifford Garden Notes
In Bloom
by Diane Fagergren
This week at the Gifford Garden many colorful displays of tulips, daffodils, and pansies are in full bloom. Blue and white Anemone blanda carpet the beds throughout the garden.
 Anemone blanda 'White Splendour' |
 Fritillaria meleagris |
Fritillaria meleagris can be found occasionally along the bricks pathways. Other varieties of Fritillaria, including persica and imperialis, can be seen in many of the borders. These bulbous perennials can reach up to 3 feet in height. Brightly colored flowers called umbels hang below tufts of foliage. Their whorled lance shaped leaves and tall stature make this plant rather striking in appearance.
 Fritillaria imperialis |
 Lathyrus vernus |
Lathyrus vernus, commonly called sweet pea, is covered with a profusion of magenta flowers that fade to shades of violet. This clumping form does quite well in partial shade and is adaptable many different soil types.
Primula vulgaris and others cultivars have also started to bloom. Dicentra spectabilis or bleeding heart's branches arch with the weight of their rose-pink racemes. This perennial will go dormant during the summer, dying back to the ground until the following spring. Others like Dicentra formosa 'Luxuriant' and Dicentra eximia 'Stuart Boothman' remain all summer and reseed easily in the garden. A long bloom time and the lacey fern-like foliage make these a grand addition to any perennial border.
 Dicentra spectabilis |
 Dicentra formosa 'Luxuriant' |
Phlox stolonifera 'Variegata' can be found growing in our new ground cover bed. It reaches only 8" in height and blooms early in the springtime. It is a wonderful plant for a woodland garden because the variegated foliage helps to brighten up a shady spot.
Gifford Garden Archives, January 2003 - present
Gifford Garden Archives, July 2001 - January 2003