Farewell to a May Garden

On this May day, less than a month before the summer solstice, I feel swept away by my garden’s exuberance. A feast for the senses, it’s overflowing in a palette of whites, pinks and mauves accompanied by the transporting scents of Lilacs, Daphne and. yes, even Irises. These pearl white, bearded irises, accented by tall alliums abound. A couple of Chinese tree peonies, one all decked out in the most gorgeous dark, deep pink flower petals and the other, a bubblegum pink, make for quite a statement. Each morning I nudge my husband, David to join me outside with our fresh cups of coffee.

After decades of ripping out weeds, watering, edging, laying down mulch, dividing perennials etc. etc., it has come into its own. Of course, in my eyes, it has in the past as well. However, there’s something different about this year. Perhaps it’s due to having lived through and survived the pandemic. Or perhaps due to family health challenges. Its joy is accompanied by a sense of poignancy and the reminder of its ephemeral nature. In my more zealous days, there was also plenty of running to the nursery to replace something that had died or search for a plant that had caught my eye at a botanical garden. Those days are just about over…Now, I can revel in its presence with its various incarnations over decades. At times I am reminded of how, like this 18th century farmhouse, it had been sorely neglected. A few basic peonies and ubiquitous purple irises remained.

Just below is the lesser known Allium bulgaricum with its paper thin “skin” it will gradually shed. on its long stem. While getting up close to photograph it I was reminded of a chrysalis that remerges like a butterfly. Of the onion family, this delicate Allium, unlike its bold Allium cousins,— becomes a nodding, almost shy counterpart to the rest of the garden’s “look at me”. (See below)