Forsythia ‘Courtasol’ Gold Tide
Chaenomeles x superba ‘Texas Scarlet’
As the tulip and daffodil blossoms fade, flowering shrubs and perennials take over in May.
In my garden, vibrant yellow forsythia that cascades along and over the stone wall is the first to bloom each spring. It’s at the back of the garden but in full view from my kitchen window…its’ deep color saturation and bloom density make it visible even at a distance.
Forsythia ‘Courtasol’ Gold Tide is a dwarf cultivar that blooms abundantly in full sun. It matures at a compact 1-2 feet high with a 4 foot wide spread, making it perfect for planting on banks, slopes, foundations, or spilling over stone walls. It creates a lovely drift of brilliant yellow at the front of a garden bed.
Gold Tide is an excellent choice for the gardener seeking masses of golden color in May but wanting to avoid traditional forsythia with its wild growth habit. These shrubs are often disliked due to their unruly growth habit; this leads to over-pruning and ultimately, misshapen shrubs that don’t bloom in spring.
Another vibrant early bloomer is the fiery red flowering Japanese quince. We like the Texas Scarlet hybrid; it’s small, spreading shape makes it suitable as a hedging plant, in mixed shrub borders, on slopes and in urban gardens.
In mid-May, clusters of flowers grow on thorny (and deer resistant) branches before glossy green leaves emerge. Later in fall, showy yellow pomes appear that can be used to make quince preserves.
Chaenomeles x superba ‘Texas Scarlet’ matures at about 5’x5’. This plant blooms profusely to the ground and it is one of the better varieties for flowering effect.
Rhododendron 'Percy Wiseman"‘
For May blooms on evergreen shrubs, we suggest the ‘Percy Wiseman’ rhododendron…especially if you like a bit of color variety. Vibrant red buds that open to soft, warm shades of peach, pink and cream before turning creamy ivory with yellow throats…perfect to brighten shadier spots in the garden.
It has a mature size of 5x5 but is hardy to zone 6 so plant it in a sheltered area. Generally, even hardier broad leaf rhododendrons are best planted out of cold winter winds to protect them from early freeze-thaw cycles.
Rhododendron ‘Olga Mezitt’
Along Shore Drive in Bedford this month, walkers enjoyed masses of ‘Olga Mezitt’ rhododendrons in bloom. A hardy variety, this narrow-leafed shrub is covered with softly scented, bright pink flowers. It is a full-sun to part-shade rhododendron that likes a bit of shelter. It matures at 6 feet tall and 5 feet wide.
Rhododendron x ‘Ramapo’
In my garden, one of my favorite rhododendrons was in view for walkers too. The exceptionally cold-hardy ‘Ramapo" is perfectly sized for my smaller urban garden with a tidy mature size of 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide. Its prolific, deep purple blooms are quite distinctive. This sturdy shrub thrives in its full-sun, Shore Drive location where it performs well notwithstanding winter wind, piled snow and road salt.
For the last week or so, the air outside my door is scented courtesy of my neighbors’ lilacs. It’s my friend Judy’s favorite scent and for many, the bloom and fragrance of lilacs are nostalgic, reminding us of childhood and gardens of our youth.
When asked to include lilacs in garden designs we typically use varieties that are scaled to smaller urban spaces. For example, the Syringa x ‘Bailbelle’ variety which matures at 6’ by 5’, making it perfect for narrow spots by the patio, or near walkways and windows.
Merlot-red flower buds open to deep pink blossoms with a spicy fragrance. This full sun, fragrant shrub is perfect for cutting gardens. Hummingbirds love the clusters of trumpet-shaped, tiny blooms.
Syringa x “‘Bailbelle’
We had iris on our list of blooming perennials for May and while the foliage is out of the ground, buds haven’t quite opened. So, let’s talk geum, euphorbia and groundcovers…all of which are making this month beautiful in the garden.
Geum. Soooo sweet; this semi-evergreen perennial has orangy-red blooms and attractive, semi-evergreen foliage. With prompt deadheading, geum can rebloom from May to July. It’s lovely as a mass planting and we like using it in perennial containers as well.
Chrome spurge is a domed-shaped perennial with stunning yellow bracts that illuminate the garden. While technically, bracts are not blooms, this plant is a May favorite for its distinctive color and consistent shape.
Groundcovers with May blooms include vinca, our favorite evergreen variety. Lovely on the ground or as a graceful trailing plant in perennials container gardens, it is available in white or purple.
I have a mature stand of this glossy, evergreen groundcover in a part-shade, sheltered area of my front garden. It has room to spread and I like that it is a low-maintenance carpet that has thickened to become an effective barrier to weeds.
Today is May 28…it was a cool 6 degrees this morning and there was a frost advisory last night. No matter which of these lovely May flowering plants you pick up at the nursery…remember, its still too cool to plant in the ground.
This weekend, take time to look closely at your garden and plan before heading to the nursery.
Next May, you’ll be glad you did.
Geum coccineum
Euphorbia Polychroma
Vinca minor ‘Bowles Purple’
Vinca minor ‘Alba’