in the pleatpetal purring of mouthweathered May.
— Karen Volkman, from “May“
The Chinese tree peonies are definitely the stars this month in the Speilhaus garden of the University of Hohenheim.
I took these photos yesterday evening.
The garden has around ten mature specimens.
Unfortunately, we had several days of rain last week, and the blooms were not at their best.
The fern leaf peony shown above was new to me.
Beyond the peony bed, I liked the combination, above and below, of light-purple geraniums and orange euphorbias.
Nearby was a planting of bearded iris.
In the photo above, the bright yellow at the top, just below the arbor, is mountain goldenbanner, which is native to the western United States.
White asphodel — “that greeny flower” — was also blooming in the garden.
The pretty blue-violet flower above was close by, but I didn’t get a picture of its label. I think it’s another Asphodelus. It’s a Camassia, a North American native in the asparagus family (see the comments below).
Looking south across the garden from behind the wisteria arbor, you can see the row of tree peonies. In the lower right-hand corner is a planting of yellow asphodel or king’s spear.
Looking across the garden from the east to the west, a beautiful pink blooming Judas tree draws the eye.
The tree is native to Southern Europe and Western Asia.
At the other side of the garden a Lithospermum purpurocaeruleum or purple gromwell drapes over the steps. The flowers emerge purple reddish and then mature to deep blue.
To see what’s blooming today for other garden bloggers, please visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens.
