The Green of May

What a gorgeous time of year. My eyes have been craving the bright, grassy, green of May in everything from lawn to ferns to rose foliage and new fig leaves. Here are some of my favorites.

The ostrich ferns are more or less full size, and a beautiful shade of green. Some of them have moved into the small gap between the top of the driveway and the big planter that sits there, making it easy to look down into them. Now that they are fully unfurled, the leaves make beautiful patterns.

Photograph of view straight down into the middle of an ostrich fern.
Looking straight down into the funnel of an ostrich fern. Photographed on May 14, 2018.

The rue anemone have lost or hidden all their red pigment—the flowers are now white and the leaves are bright green. Rue anemone spreads happily and shares space well, especially with eastern columbines, which have similar-looking foliage. The occasional pop of red is pleasant.

Photograph of a patch of rue anemone with an eastern columbine in the middle.
An eastern columbine has been hiding among the rue anemone under the pawpaw. Behind them are Dutchman’s breeches, left, and dwarf Japanese Solomon’s seal, in bloom, on the right. Photographed May 14, 2018.

April’s temperature was 6.5° below average, but May’s temperature, it turns out, is running 5° above average. That’s the roller coaster I’ve been talking about since last fall.

It’s been rough on some plants. Although the crested irises seem to be having an off year, they bloomed within a day or two of when they normally do—I take that to mean they are more daylength than temperature sensitive—and they seem just a bit brighter than usual. The patch next to the neighbor’s driveway has been enjoying the crazy amount of rain we have had this month and are blooming enthusiastically. They bloom better in partial sun if they are well hydrated, so this spot at the edge of the floodplain has turned out well for them.

Photograph showing crested iris and bleeding hearts next to gravel driveway.
Iris cristata are filling in next to the neighbor’s gravel driveway with pink bleeding hearts as companions. Photographed on May 14, 2018.

This photograph is not great, but it does show the crested irises’ spread.

Photograph of a swale of crested irises weaving under roses.
Turning around and standing on the wood that contains the neighbor’s gravel (shown in the previous photograph) reveals how happy the crested irises are. Photographed on May 15, 2018.

Foreshadowing the arrival of hot weather, the trillium are aging gracefully by developing pink streaks in their petals. They still manage to look fresh and lovely because their leaves are still bright. When the hot weather hits, they will flop over and go dormant.

Photograph of several aging trillium.
Trillium showing signs of age. Clockwise around the trillium, from the top, are Dwarf Japanese Solomon’s seal, rue anemone in bloom, and Dutchman’s breeches. Photographed on May 14, 2018.

When the heat hits, all these greens will shift a little to the bluer end of the spectrum, and bluer yet as it dries out.