New Growth on 'After Eight' and 'Darkest of All'

My Lilium 'After Eight' has been blooming like crazy, but today I noticed something small at the base of one of the stalks. A weed perhaps? Perhaps. Or perhaps the growth of an entirely new stalk?

Lilium 'After Eight'

I noticed something similar on my Erigeron speciosus 'Darkest of All' - aside from the beautiful blooms on one sidewinder stem - something new at the base...

Erigeron speciosus 'Darkest of All' new growth at the base

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - May 2015

Happy 15th of the month and Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day! It's so nice to have a monthly check-in that I've created a Bloom Day tab in the navigation bar. I don't plan to use this day each month as an inventory of every single plant in my yard, but I would like to highlight the ones that have got my attention.

This Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day is also extra special because I have a Ruby Falls weeping redbud arriving by UPS this afternoon! I've had my eye on this tree for a long time and I can't wait to give it a home (and hopefully it likes clay soil more than my poor Japanese maple).

Lavandula angustifolia 'Wee One'

My dwarf lavender "Wee One" is blooming. I have two of them, both ordered from High Country Gardens. One is doing great and the other is just okay - it's still alive and putting up new shoots but had about half the stems die back. It'll be fine!

Next up, my Armeria maritima 'Dusseldorf Pride' is doing amazing! I've been dead-heading the old flowers and it's putting up so many more! They just keep coming! It's amazing especially because they come out of this little lump of what looks like grass, it's like magic - how many blooms are hiding in there?

Armeria maritima 'Dusseldorf Pride'

Salvia sylvestris 'Little Night'

Itea virginica 'Sprich' Little Henry

Lilium 'After Eight'

Ok, so I like to note that all of the things I have in bloom above were bought and planted this Spring, so they are not growing from the ground up. Everything below, however, was planted last year and has grown from the ground - which gives a much better indicator of true bloom time here in Indiana.

Hydrangea arborescens 'Annabelle' - plants are now above the knee and have buds forming!

Hosta ‘Sum and Substance’

Liriope muscari 'Variegata' Lily Turf Coming Strong

My variegated lily turf Liriope muscari 'Variegata' is coming up in full force and looking good. The leaves are noticably thicker than last year, and only 1 out of the 10 died in the back island around the river birch.

Check out these two photos, one from April 19 and the other from today. Nice! Not as fast as the hydrangea but still moving pretty quick. These are supposed to be evergreen so it will be interesting to see if they make it through next winter with better roots.

My goal is to not over water them! Last summer I watered them so much they got all curly and flat, sort of pushed down in a twirly mat rather than standing upright like grass. 

Liriope muscari 'Variegata' - May 12, 2015

Liriope muscari 'Variegata' - April 19, 2015