April Showers Have Brought May Flowers

April Showers Have Brought May Flowers 

I am one of those rare people who does not get depressed when it is dark or when it rains but I am glad to see the sunny May Flowers that appear after a month of April Showers. 

Today we will be focusing on my 3 Favorite May Flowers:

1.  Lilac

2.  Lily of the Valley

3.  Iris 

These 3 flowers are visually stunning and amazingly aromatic!  I wish that I could send the wonderful scent of each one of these flowers over the internet. 

Lilac 

Here in Michgian Lilac Bushes bloom at the beginning of May and have the most tantalizing floral scent.  There are also so many different varieties of Lilacs: double lilac, light purple lilac, dark purple lilac, white lilac, french lilac etc. - the list is endless. 

Maintaining Lilac Bushes

When talking about maintaining Lilac bushes you first need to know if you have a regular oldfashioned lilac bush or a "non-suckering" lilac bush (please see the last 2 pictures in this section).  Simply look at the base of your lilac bush and if there are little lilac shoots growing, then you have a regular lilac plant.  Some people do not like the unkempt look of the traditional lilac plant but I don't mind the wild look - I actually prefer it.  Over the years I have been able to start many new lilac bushes from the suckers that my traditional lilac bush produced.  I am able to separate 1 or 2 lilac “suckers” about every 5 years - (I should add "successfully separate").  There have been times when I tried to separate these suckers too soon and they just ended up dying - trial and error is the best way to learn in this case.

 

The lilac bush in the picture on the left has produced many "suckers" but none are large

enough to separate.  The  lilac bush in the picture on the right is about 45 years old (which is young in Lilac years) (This one on the right is a "non-suckering" lilac bush)

Lily of the Valley 

Every year I am amazed at how this tiny delicate flower can emit such a powerful fragrance that seems to travel for acres.  When in season, the Lily of the Valley makes the entire neighborhood smell fresh, green and delightful.   In my opinion, nothing in the world smells like the Lily of the Valley. 

 

This precious flower blooms in mid-May.  They are very easy to grow but if left alone for years they can take over your garden.  Therefore, Lily of the Valley plants  should be split every couple years.  Although, if you have the space, I would recommend allowing these plants to spread.  I like that wild look and it is exciting to watch the changing Lily landscape - it's almost like a Valley of Lilies (see picture below).

Once all of the Lily of the Valley plants have totally stopped flowering, use a shovel and dig up a thick clump of Lily of the Valley plants (see picture below left).  Then gently divide each stem base and you will notice that each stem has it's own root system.  They should separate fairly easily (see picture below right).  You will see that I was able to split my clump of Lily of the Valley into 13  plants.  Then of course, you would plant each separated stalk where you desire.

  

Iris

To me Irises smell like cotton candy or some kind of sweet hard candy - but don't eat it!!  (Seriously - don't ever eat these flowers!).  Irises bloom at the end of May and some years (here in Michigan) even the beginning of June.

You know it's time to split or thin your Irises when they start to spread into the grass (lol).   As you can see by the picture below that is exactly what happened with my Iris patch.  After the Irises have finished flowering, simply remove your Irises with a shovel (you will need to dig down 6 to 8 inches to make sure you get the root base).  Then look at each stalk and follow it down to the base, there should be a twisted bulb-like root for each stalk.  Now separate each stalk - you might have to snap or cut the thick Iris roots apart.  (see pictures below)

Then simply plant each new Iris in it's new location.  Splitting should be done about every 3 years or whenever you notice a large conglomeration of Irises.

 

Free "Spring Card" Printable - click HERE (NOTE:  This card will take up a lot of ink - I suggest going to Office Max or a Fed Ex Printing store and pay 10 to 20 cents instead)

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