Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - May 2012

The early months of 2012 have brought plentiful rain to our area, a welcome change from our recent past. And those showers have brought us even more plentiful May flowers.

The first blooms of the tithonia, Mexican sunflowers, mean that summer has arrived even though the calendar may say otherwise.

 May is the month for buddleias. This one has almost fully bloomed.

 All of my buddleias are in various shades of purple.

This is an old heirloom variety of buddleia that sports long, skinny blossoms and lots of them.

May is when the mid-season blooming daylilies start strutting their stuff.

 I particularly like this one.

The white mistflower which is such an attractant for butterflies is in bloom.

 And so is the white echinacea.

The old-fashioned 4 o'clocks are full of blooms. Opening late in the day, they attract night-flying pollinators like moths.

The many varieties of Salvia greggii in the garden attract many butterflies, including this colorful Gulf Fritillary.

In the wildflower garden, the prairie coneflowers are still in full bloom. They attract a diversity of butterflies as well.

 As does its neighbor, the clasping-leaf coneflower.

Also in the wildflower garden, the Monarda citriodora, commonly known as horsemint, is another butterfly magnet. This is a Variegated Fritillary enjoying its blossoms.

Even blossoms that are past their prime can be an attractant to butterflies, as the 'Belinda's Dream' rose is to this Gray Hairstreak.

I'm still puzzled by the fact that these fall asters that normally bloom in late fall have been in bloom for almost a month now. I'll be curious to see if they blossom again in the fall.

Esperanza, or yellow bells, on the other hand, blooms pretty much continuously from late spring until first frost.

This is my first year to have 'Senorita Rosalita' cleome in my garden. So far, it seems to be a winner.

May is not just about the flowers. Many kinds of fruit are beginning to tempt the gardener and the birds. These LSU figs will soon be ready.

The blueberries are even closer to ready and the mockingbirds know! I think they must sit and watch for a berry to turn blue and then swoop in and snatch it.

 The strawberry plants that I planted this spring are producing a few sweet berries now.

Even my little pomegranate tree sports a few growing fruits.

And the Satsuma's fruits are walnut-sized already.

The shrimp plant which bloomed all winter is now putting on some more of its interestingly-shaped flowers.

The white beautyberry is full of blossoms, promising a heavy crop of the berries so much loved by the birds in autumn and winter.

I've been waiting for a while for this first bloom from 'Lady of Shallott,' one of my new David Austin roses. The wait was worth it.

Finally, my two Southern magnolias are still full of these wonderful blossoms this month and the blossoms are  full of bees, like the one you can see coming in for a landing on the top flower in the picture.

Well, I could go on, but you get the idea. The garden is full of flowers and fruit in May. It might actually be the high point of the gardening year. Our hostess Carol certainly thinks so. That's why she calls her blog May Dreams Gardens. Don't forget to visit her and other GBBD participants.

Happy May gardening!