May is the most exciting month here in the northwest corner of New Jersey. The changes are incredible. Early on, a soft haze of green appeared on naked tree branches. The leaves will not fully unfurl until Memorial Day.
I know that every day is new in a garden – never more so than in this glorious month. Buds turn into flowers, and plant after plant has its thrilling moment (some of which are sadly fleeting). To me, every dwarf bearded iris flower is more precious, much more precious, than a diamond.
I’d like to share some of the garden’s events through photos of this wonderful time — from early May until today. Perhaps, I’ll post more.
The new bridge over the slow branch of the river.
Carolina Silver Bell, Mountain Silverbell (Halesia tetraptera var. monticola ‘Arnold Pink’)
Dwarf bearded iris
Spanish Lavender (Lavandula stoechas) — sold at the box store as a hardy plant for our Zone 6a gardens.
Athens Carolina spice bush, Carolina allspice, strawberry-bush, sweet bubby… (Calycanthus floridus ‘Athens’)
Mixed border, May 17
Peucedanum majus italicum
Allium and Symphytum x uplandicum ‘Axminster’s Gold’
Cornus controversa ‘Variegata’
The view from the upstairs bedroom, May 24
Lonicera ‘Mandarin’
Trillium luteum
Mixed border on May 24 
Calycanthus hybrid ‘Venus’
how and where to plant peonies that have been in pots for about 5 years? They have never bloomed but this year have come up bushier and more green than before?
Sorry I didn’t get back to you. The comment section hasn’t been working for months. I just thought no one was commenting, but…
Did you plant the peonies?
Most important, the crown of the plant, where the thick woody root meets the stems, must be between one and two inches below the soil surface. That is one reason peonies might not bloom. They are very cold hardy.