This is the first year this Magnolia has bloomed! It was bred by a friend, who gave it to us in 2011, in a little 3″ pot. It spent its first winter buried under a large pile of wood chips. In the spring, I dug it out, only to find that it had become separated from its label, so we’re still not sure of exactly what kind it is. It was planted in its place right here, where it still lives, 7 years ago.
I’ve learned that the stripe might provide a clue as to what cultivar this is.
Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) is such a pretty plant! This one seems to be quite happy, growing in an area that’s very wet in the spring. On the left are blooming stems of swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata). New to this particular planting bed, they’re marked with a stake, so they don’t get weeded out by accident.
The saturated bloom color of native redbud, with giant purple alliums just starting to wake up. This particular redbud has evolved into a shrubby form because it’s on an exposed slope.
This is the first year this small tree has had so many blooms.
Another photo, for scale. Amazing!
Formerly, this area had been taken over by knotweed, bittersweet, multiflora rose, and then ground level invasives. Though we have to remain vigilant about resprouts, which do still emerge from time to time, it’s finally starting to look like an actual garden.
