It seems rather strange to be writing this on this week after Derby, but with the recent run of warm and breezy weather, we find ourselves almost at the tail edge of the spring bloom season. The flowering dogwoods are just about finished. The viburnums are on their way out. The roses are beginning to make the garden look more like summer.

But there is still much to come in the gardens at Yew Dell. Just beginning to emerge are the kousa dogwoods (Cornus kousa) with their star-like blooms of brilliant white, cream and occasionally pink. The pink kousa 'Miss Satomi' sits in the middle of the arboretum right adjacent to a beautiful speciemen of 'Wolf Eyes', a white-variegated kousa.  Just newly planted in the glade near the tobacco barn is C. kousa 'Summer Fun', a fabulously white-variegated form just released by Talon Bucholtz. You'll not see this one anywhere else for a couple of years.

The early part of the summer will be an exciting time to watch the newly planted sunken rock garden.  Joining the cast in this most recent of Yew Dell's garden rehabilitations are several unusual epimediums (E. epsteinii, E. diphyllum), the mamouth and mildew resistant red-flowered bee balm, Monarda 'Jacob Cline', several fabulous new Crocosmia cultivars and many more. This garden, while just in its infancy, will unfold with all kinds of surprises throughout the summer thanks to the outstanding work of the Oldham County Master Gardeners and the Green Thumbs Garden Club.

For those who tend toward the shady side of the street, the hosta and fern collections are just hitting their stride. With more than 500 varieties of hosta, many donated by local collector Dr. Jerry Meyer and Hostas of Kentuckiana, the shady drives along the house will provide plenty of opportunities to select just the right hosta for your garden. The fern collection, located primarily in the Secret Garden along the Holly Allee, offers something for those who prefer the finer textures. Through volunteer help of the Louisville Rambler Garden Club, and fern expertise of Yew Dell volunteer Ralph Archer, this space is turning into not only a beautiful garden, but also a wonderful place to learn about ferns that will perform well in our local climate.

For an additional treat this summer, repeat visits will allow the visitor to enjoy the ongoing maturation of the walled garden. Just newly planted in the spring of 2004, this garden will be exploding with a wide range of colors and textures throughout the sumer and fall.