I took photos in February but then went traveling for a couple of weeks. Upon our return found the garden is really starting up the spring show! The CA poppies and freesias are starting to bloom, and the nasturtiums are about ready to begin their big show, too. Usually I take photos in the morning, but this time it's early evening so the light is a little different.
A view of the front from the opposite (RH) side:
I have struggled a bit with this bed. A couple of years ago I realized that all the foliage, outside of the tree, was the same shade of green. This is a big no-no to me, so I'm working on more variation in color, shape, etc. in the foliage.
This is an argyranthemum, the name of which I can't recall. I moved it from the original spot and now it's flourishing. They are full sun, moderate water plants; they don't like too much shade.
The 'Jack Frost' brunnera has barely recovered from winter's damp but is already sending up flower spikes.
Callas are of course a spring staple - they love the cool wet soil.
This is a tall red-flowering canna with the most intriguing leaves. When young they have this interesting stippled look. But they mature to a solid dark brown. Maybe someone will know the name someday, and tell me so I can record it!
jkom,
Really nice to come home and find flowers blooming. : - )
I like to mix things up myself, and really love variegated foliage on plants. Makes 'em interesting to look at even when not in bloom.
Thanks for sharing the photos of your yard. It looks so lush already. Sweet!
WIB!
SW
We have gotten enough rain to produce some clivia blooms, which always look very pretty against the variegated rhamnus where it almost, but not quite, shelters them from summer sun. I keep these pretty short of water in the summer, so they survive but don't bloom reliably.
Euryops is an ever-bloomer, and the chartreuse Lavatera olba 'Aureum' is one of my prized specimen plants.
Sorry we crossed. I bet that imapigeon might know. She gave me some sweet canna's, one with similar markings on it's leaves. Will have to find or better yet take new photo of it to show you. I'm thinking Praetoria, but I'm probably wrong. LOL!
WIB,
SW
Freesias are my favorite spring bulb. They are reliable returners, fragrant, great cutting flowers, and come in vivid colors. Here one of them mingles with a kangaroo paw aka Anigozanthos, that seems to have survived the winter. This surprised me, I think they do better in the warmer zones than where I am (on the edge of the SF fog belt).
More red freesias, nasturtium leaves, and a funny little blue-flowering perennial I can't remember the name of right now.
Iberis is a very slow-growing groundcover, although that could be because I keep it short of water in the summer, LOL. Here it is with a silver lavendar which is a replacement for the aging L.stoechas plants I have almost completely removed after seven years.
Unknown bearded iris
A friend gave me this Japanese maple in a pot, and after about a year I managed to find a place for it in one of my beds. It has done very well in the ground, and has three-season color. The new leaves, as you can see, are like red-and-green butterflies. They mature to a clear green, and in fall the tree turns a brilliant, stunning yellow.
When I first planted osteospermums I had no idea they would reseed readily, as so many modern hybrids are unable to. They also cross-fertilize, so the original plants of separate white, purple and spoon-lavendar, have now combined into mostly a white shading towards purple at the tips.
These new osteos are just hitting the market here. This is 'Autumn Sunset', one of the new yellow-toned osteos. You can see that one of the blooms is shading towards a bright pink, though. It will be interesting to see if this cross-fertilizes with the purple osteos, and what colors will result from such a mix!
I am trying to shift my planters to plants that need much less water. This trailing pelargonium may or may not make it through the summers while we go traveling, but we shall see what happens.
CA poppies are bullies that will reseed and then 'lean' all over surrounding plants to smother them. I've learned I must be ruthless and yank them out, rigorously thinning them so I get a good show without harming my other perennials.
Nice close-up of CA poppies in the evening sun.
This big pot used to hold dwarf cannas and a pelargonium. I've switched it to helichrysums and a 'Jester' phormium to save watering.
This pot, the same size as the previous one, also held dwarf cannas and a different pelargonium. I chose a Senecio vitalis, a variegated vinca major, and an unnamed sedum. I really like the senecio, it almost looks like a protea.
Bloomingdale ranunculus are one of my great loves, although they don't return reliably for me. Last year I scooped some of them into pots, figuring I could keep them from rotting by just letting them go dormant and dry. These are overplanting a dahlia, however, whereas another pot just holds ranunculus and nothing else. We'll see what survives for next year.
This is a dwarf rhodie, I believe 'Fragrantissima' from Singing Tree Nursery. Although somewhat rangy, every spring it bursts into the most magnificent, perfumed, lily-like flowers one could imagine. One spray of blossoms will scent an entire room. They smell exactly like Easter lilies.
This J&P bedding rose, 'Electric Blanket', is a harsh pink color. But it is an amazingly tough rose, very floriferous, pest-free. It has won my heart, despite the drawback of its bloom color.
Always love seeing your pictures of your garden because I have so many of the same plants and also the same taste in plant combos!
'Gingersnap' is a rose I purchased from a local renowned nursery. I was not very impressed with it - 'light scent' can be interpreted as 'no scent' - and it seems rather weak. The gorgeous coral color fades as it ages, too, another thing the description failed to mention. The one saving grace is that I have it in almost the perfect spot - it is backlit a good part of the day. And this rose, when backlit, is simply...luminous. Striking. Pure poetry. OK, I'm keeping it.
Squill has been an experiment in my garden, and surprisingly tough. That it was able to return when bigger, more aggressive plants tried to shade it over, made me find a better spot for it. I value blue flowers, I have so few of them.
Another red freesia (they are my favorite color of freesias, in case you weren't able to tell, LOL) against the stacchys byzantina. Both sit in front of a flourishing 'Margaret Merrill' rose, and everybody seems happy together.
Variegated aucuba 'Gold Dust' has brilliant chartreuse new growth, and tiny little purplish flowers that are almost unnoticeable.
This is variegated vinca major. I now realize I should have planted variegated vinca minor 'Illumination' instead, but oh well. I have three of these plants, all in the wrong places that struggle to survive. Which they've done for six years, no thanks to me. They don't flourish, but they do put out a few very pretty blue-violet flowers every spring.
Fascinating, what you've done in your garden. I like the Squill too, any possibility of growing them from seeds?
I can understand better why you were so jazzed to find all this floral beauty waiting for you when you got back home.
You can grow Rhodies? Sigh!
Really enjoyed your photos!
WIB!
SW
Great photo's jkom. Lots of nice color, very nice ! Your dissatisfaction with the monochrome green in that one bed isn't "bad' at all...but I can relate !
SW: the squill are a bulb. Very easy to grow.
I've tried endless times to grow Stachys byzantina but it always get mushy from the rains and it rots. You can't beat it for color and texture, though.
Beautiful, jkom!
Gorgeous photos, everyone..we're still in the high 30s at night, so daffs are happy and freesias are blooming.
Jkmom, that canna leaf looks like Wyoming, but if the bloom is red, it isn't. Wyoming's bloom is screaming orange.
That's right, imapigeon! If you are patient with me and tell me enough times I'll eventually get it right! That canna does have a gorgeous orange bloom, at least the one Ima gave me does. I knew she'd know!
The Praetoria is the huge one, it was very happy next to the leaky faucet. LOL!
JD, thanks for the word on the Squill. I like bulbs. Hope they'll be able to tolerate our weather. : - )
Thanks again for sharing jkom. You've given me some ideas! : - )
WIB!
SW
Hmmm. My forest pansy redbud is blooming nicely while my Western redbud barely bloomed and is already leafing out. The Western redbud bloomed great last year, I think because it was colder last winter (they don't bloom as much close to the ocean where temps are moderated). This winter was rainier, but winter 08/09 was colder, I think.
Oh, wow, surf! That does look beautiful. Our Western redbud doesn't bloom much, either. I think I'll try planting one somewhere else and see if there is any difference.
Thx, kaper!
This little damianita (chrysactinia mexicana) that I got at the RSABG fall sale last year looked nice with this unknown marguerite that popped up behind it, I thought.
