Garden Bloggers Bloom Day: April 2015

Ah! It feels good to be posting for Bloom Day again! Thanks to May Dreams Gardens for hosting this meme.

Early April seems to be a bit of a lull in my garden for both flowers and foliage. I need to work on that. Although bloom day does make a nice excuse to concentrate the blooms of my ~2 acres of rather scattered garden into one post, making the effect much greater than it is in real life. But, without further ado, let's get straight to the flowers.

A double feature of Paphiopedilum Macabre.

I can't remember the last time I saw Phalaenopsis Rong Guan Mary without blooms.

A wonderful surprise to come home to. My Maxillaria tenuifolia hasn't bloomed for years. Looks like the folks finally got the hang of caring for it. I wish its toasted coconut scent could be transmitted to you.

The tiny flowers of Lepanthopsis astrophora 'Stalky' are a challenge to photograph, but I love these minuscule amethyst stars.

The entire plant fits in the palm of my hand.

Rhododendron 'Hino Crimson' is a bit sparse this year, but is still showing off its beautiful red flowers.

Unknown hose-in-hose type azalea that came with us from the old house. The black netting protects most of the plant from the deer.

Hutchinsia alpina blooming happily.

Nectaroscordum siculum is sending up its pointed buds. I wonder if the flowers will last until next bloom day.

The various winter-blooming heaths are still blooming, though most of them are looking rather shabby and sparse by now.

Another bud, but isn't the pre-flower stage of this Cistus 'Snowfire' just as pretty as the main event?

The first Hemerocallis flava bloom just missed bloom day.

It wasn't easy to reach up to these redbud flowers and also make sure I got the manual focus right. The auto-focus just wouldn't cooperate. This is the first time this Cercis canadensis has bloomed! We got it as a seedling from the Arbor Day Foundation, at least 5 years ago, I think.

Berberis stenophylla 'Corallina Compacta' is just starting to open. The buds are quite showy leading up to the actual bloom.

I just love these little flowers. Not quite open yet.

The first elepidote rhododendron of the season, an unknown legacy plant from when we moved in.

Rhododendron 'Gartendirektor Glocker' has dark pink flowers that I'm willing to tolerate for the foliage, especially when the new growth turns smoky red.

Rhododendron 'Medusa' has been trying to bloom whenever there was a warm stretch over the winter. It still has quite a few buds left. We'll see what kind of show it puts on later.

Magnolia stellata has a few hail-bruised flowers left.

Brunnera 'Jack Frost' is starting its display of true blue flowers. 

Epimedium wushanense (?) is getting ready with a good-sized inflorescence, and more coming in below.

Another rhododendron popping open.

Epimedium davidii, this form has pale lavender-brown interiors. Very tough to photograph, especially after the sun decided to come out.

Cornus canadensis is starting to bloom. The young bracts are still green, though.

Pieris japonica 'Prelude' is blooming prolifically, even though it's been stuck in a gallon nursery pot for years.

Daphne x transatlantica 'Blafra' has been pumping out sweetly scented flowers for weeks already.

The odd and fascinating flowers of Aspidistra elatior.