As a gardener, I’m compelled to begin with weather-related talk, after taking a couple months off from blogging. This isn’t an exaggeration: This IS the chilliest spring on record for our area. Although we live a couple of hours from Seattle, temperatures crested at 51F Thursday at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, breaking the record for Seattle’s coldest May 12, according to the National Weather Service. Nights here at Coppertop are still dipping into the mid-30s, and we haven’t even had one day reach 55F on this mountain. As a result, plants are way behind in development. A benefit is some blooms have lasted about a month, including oriental hyacinths, daffodils, and the first tulips. It’s as if they’ve been in a refrigerator nonstop. The majority of my tulips haven’t opened yet. Some say that in recent years the area has just gotten used to warmer springs and that this year is more like the old, cold springs of yore.
Now that I have you shivering, a note about precipitation: By May 7 we’d received the amount of moisture expected during the entire month of May. In April, we had more than double our normal rainfall. The up side: Snowpack in the Olympic Mountains (our water source) is excellent, and we will not have the water restrictions that so many others do across our planet. No drought here. YET.
Now that you’re feeling both chilly and damp (Welcome to Coppertop!), we’ll move on to garden news. As you can imagine, moss is having a heyday. Besides moss, here’s what’s happening, complete with loads of anticipation:
ONE -Something fresh and new in our garden is this ring of plants around one birdbath. A kitchen window looks out on this scene that sits next to a row of peonies. We dug out failing, unattractive heather and put in Geum ‘Totally Tangerine’ and Penstemon ‘Pocahontas.’ I’m excited for the show ahead.
TWO – Along with wild cherry trees in parts of our land, we grow six cultivated cherry trees. The weeping, flowering cherry has finished blooming; the huge, old Montmorency sour cherry is just entering bloom; two, semi-dwarf, young sweet cherries (Rainier and Vans) are in full bloom; and two trees are still in bud, a dwarf Montmorency and our Kwanzan flowering cherry. I recently read that bees in our region are chilly and grumpy, and remain huddled in the hive. This can greatly affect cherry growers in particular.
THREE – Anemone sylvestnis ‘Madonna’ are awaiting more sunshine to show their faces. It’s obvious how they got their nickname “snowdrop anemones.” I started these from seed a few years back, and they thrive beneath the Rainier cherry.
FOUR – These photos don’t show it, but Lupine Hill truly is a hill. I’m thankful for lush lupine foliage and the flowers that are on their way.
FIVE – Rhody Grove with its dozen rhododendrons is preparing to pop. The buds are just about as lovely as the blooms.
SIX – It will be a banner year for redcurrants, Ribes rubrum. That’s if the bees make it out to play. C’mon sun!
Six on Saturday was started by Jon, aka The Propagator, in the U.K. Visit his blog to see what’s up in beautiful and diverse gardens worldwide.
Gardens at Coppertop 
The bees will be able to forage in your redcurrants! You will have lots of fruit…
Very nice rhododendrons and lupins to come
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Hi Fred! Maybe some blooms next week?
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Waving to you from across the mill pond in merry old England. I do enjoy visiting other SOSers each week. You will have a great Lupin display soon. I’m sure the bees will venture out. I was chasing bumble bees for photos last evening, but they got away from me.
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Hello Rosie. I’m waving back! I anticipate the SoS visits almost as much as I anticipate the bees. Looking forward to time well spent visiting gardener friends online this weekend.
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So much potential there, soon it is going to be magnificent, enjoy the anticipation. I love the idea of the geum/penstemon combo, it is going to look amazing. Enjoy your week, hope it warms up for you, the bees and your flowers.
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Thanks for the encouragement as always. I think the height and color combo of the pairing should be pleasing.
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It’s been weird weather everywhere, but you are certainly having a time out there!
Glad you’re back!
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Thank you, Lauren. I’m just hoping the snow is over. Ha!
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Please send us some rain! We have had so little recently and my clay soil is cracked and rock hard. My tulips are just about over but have looked good. Nice to see you back again.
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Thanks for the visit. Headed your way this afternoon, Granny.
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Gosh, look at all those healthy Lupins. All mine appear to have snuffed it unfortunately. I’m looking forward to seeing yours in flower.
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Me too! 😉 Enjoying your posts.
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It’s been cold and damp here across the Strait of Juan de Fuca as well.
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Hi Audrey! I’ll be crossing the strait to Victoria in a few weeks, the first time since covid. I’ve enjoyed seeing your spring photos. Your garden seems well ahead, or maybe you just enjoy a good patch of sunshine at your home.
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We’ve had more rain than usual, so it’s pretty lush. Plants that need warmth may not do so well until we get temps higher than 15C (60F). But tulips have lasted for weeks.
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Goodness! Bloom is SO late. I was in such a rush to get there in time to prune my Pa’s apple trees near Poulsbo. They were about to bloom as I pruned them! Wow, I never want to do that again. Pluot trees were already in bloom. Fortunately, I did not have time to prune them also. It was better to not prune them at all than to prune them while so active! Anyway, that was a few weeks ago. I would have guessed that everything is finished blooming there by now.
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Nope, not finished blooming. Not one of my apple trees has opened yet. Grrrr.
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Are they . . . alive?
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Yes! and loaded with buds. 🙂
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Everything is so lush and beautiful! Like others, I’m a tad jealous of your cool temperatures and rain – we broke heat records here in southern Ontario this past week, and the April showers have quite suddenly gone away. (Yes, it’s all about the weather for gardeners!! 🙂 ) Looking forward to seeing your rhodos in bloom!
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Thanks, Chris. I’ll never tire of the weather talk. But I could tire of this cold if it continues… 😉
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All the pleasure of spring is still ahead of you! You have beautiful areas in your garden just waiting to burst forth. I hope you post photos of the lupins when they flower as they’re great favourites of mine.
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Nice to hear from you, Jane. I’m eager to see the lupines too! Yes, maybe we’ll get to see spring sometime before summer. It’s often said that summer doesn’t start until at least the 4th of July in our region, so there’s hope!
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I hear your state has had more than half the 2021 rainfall in just 4 months. Wow. Irish weather – so your rhodos etc. will thrive.
We were having a cold and wet spring till the one-week-of-early-summer-reprieve last week. But the rain returns with a vengeance this week. Gardens love it. Me? Asking for a bit of moderation, but still counting my blessings.
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Yes, always, always count them. I could do with some sun as well, but this week is wet and chilly again.
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Your lupins are going to be wonderful again from all that lush foliage! Lovely to see you have Totally Tangerine too. 😃 Wishing you some warm sunshine soon!
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I’m hoping I like TT geum as much as I do my ‘MaiTai’ which is glorious right now. Thanks, Cathy!
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