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May is when our garden really wakes up here in zone 6A upstate New York. The season may be short, but when things start moving… they really start moving.
Before heading off on a big flower show trip, we took a walk through the garden to share what’s looking great, what still needs work, and some of the plants we’re especially excited to watch this season.
One of our favorite things about gardening in upstate New York is the dramatic seasonal shift. Just a month can completely transform the landscape.
Our recently installed spillway bowl feature is already surrounded by fresh growth, and shade areas on the north side of the house are putting on a beautiful show.
The Brunnera divisions we transplanted have filled in beautifully with bright blue blooms, and later in the season we’ll do something that surprises people a bit: we cut them all the way back after flowering to encourage a fresh flush of bold foliage.
One little vignette is already hitting all the right notes:
That mix of red, blue, green, and gold is exactly the kind of layered color combination we love using in the garden.
If you notice drip lines sitting on top of the soil this time of year… yes, that’s intentional.
We haven’t added our fresh layer of compost mulch yet, so the irrigation system is still visible. Once mulch goes down, everything gets tucked in and cleaned up for the full May garden tour.
If you’re interested in learning more about drip irrigation, check out our Drip Irrigation Blog Post here.
We’ve started bringing out plants that overwintered indoors under grow lights, including mangaves and container Japanese maples.
A few favorites:
We’re still waiting on annual deliveries because we intentionally timed them around our travel schedule.
Sometimes garden planning is just logistics.
You’ll see a recurring theme throughout this garden tour: Agri-Frames supports.
We added:
They’re supporting roses, clematis, vines, and future seasonal combinations.
One of our favorite new combinations?
Penelope Lively roses + lavender butterfly pea vine climbing an obelisk.
The lavender and soft pink tones should be beautiful together.
Mid-May is prime shrub season here.
This shrub is such a standout because it works hard in every season.
In spring:
✔ Covered in white flowers
✔ Pollinator friendly
Then later:
✔ Dark berries for birds
✔ Bright red fall foliage
Snow in spring. Fire in fall.
We’ll take that.
This might be the absolute star of the berm right now. The flower clusters are forming beautifully, and we’re crossing our fingers we don’t miss peak bloom while traveling.
Another viburnum we’re excited about as it matures into a larger specimen shrub.
If your roses are showing red new foliage, don’t panic.
That’s completely normal on many varieties.
We did experience winter dieback on quite a few roses this year, but many are bouncing back surprisingly well.
Current rose highlights include:
The big lesson? Don’t give up too quickly on roses after winter damage.
You know we couldn’t do a garden tour without talking hydrangeas.
We’re watching:
One important reminder for bigleaf hydrangeas:
If they look like dead sticks but still have lower growth… wait.
Sometimes stems that appear dead are still alive and pushing new buds. We often recommend giving them more time before removing old wood.
If you want more hydrangea resources check out:
This was a rough winter for evergreens in our garden.
We lost some plants, replaced others, and are watching recovery closely.
Plants we’re especially happy to see pushing new growth:
Sometimes gardening is equal parts celebration and plant triage.
A few new additions have us genuinely excited.
If there’s one shrub we’ve been waiting years for…
…it’s this one.
Red Zeppelin has deep burgundy foliage, orange flowers, and should mature around 4–6 feet. We first saw it at Spring Meadow’s trial gardens and immediately fell in love.
Bright glowing foliage + vibrant pink flowers? Yes please.
We already love alliums because:
This new variety should be a fun addition.
We’ve experimented with vegetables in our elevated beds…
…and honestly?
We’re just more passionate about flowers.
So this year those beds are shifting toward a cut flower garden filled with:
We’re excited to see how this direction fits our gardening style.
There’s still plenty left to do.
Annuals are arriving soon. Plants still need to go into the ground. Mulch needs to happen. Containers need finishing.
But that’s gardening in May.
A little chaos. A lot of possibility.
And honestly? One of our favorite times of year.
If you enjoy seeing how our zone 6A upstate New York garden evolves through the season, make sure to watch the full garden tour video and follow along for the next updates.
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