What's happening in your spring garden #2

Beautiful cistus! maybe Cistus x purpureus.

Edited after posting above:
LOL, looks like ecrane called it, I had left the thread open to go find the name and got distracted for several minutes, always happens when there's plants involved.

This message was edited Mar 30, 2009 9:20 PM

ecrane is awesome like that. I forgot the name years ago. Was just reading up on it, and discovered that it never sets seed. Since I've never seen any that sounds like the plant. Especially when you compare the photos. I also saw so many flower buds forming I have a feeling that it's going to be gorgeous this year.
Does it have a common name? yup! I bought it because it was called a sun rose. And it's attractiveness to wild life. That part of the yard was getting eaten by the honey suckle. Lots more excavation to do in that area.
Will send photos when you can actually see it better.
CA_Sue, it sure is worth it, it has nice sized showy flowers.
WIB,
SW

I wish I had the names of plants on the tip of my tongue like Ecrane too, LoL.

Nice flowers, everyone.

Here's a few more that came up in my garden this past week. Pink Rhododendron

Scilla peruviana

Bad case of envy, here. I can't grow Rhodies, it's just too dry here. Yours are gorgeous!
WIB,
SW

The first of my dutch irises

Thanks SW. However, I grew a wisteria for years and it never bloomed for me while your photo of your wisteria is gorgeous!!
I finally got a couple of spikes from my cymbidium that was not snail-bitten. Terrible case of snail explosion - all hidden in the Amaryllis belladona leaves.

After posting the first of my freesias 10 days ago, the rest of the mass is blooming. Freesias tend to flop over easily. In this patch, I left the remains of the autumn joy and the aster from last winter and let the freesias snake up and through them. The leaves of the freesia hides the brown stems, and the stems in turn keep some of the freesias fairly upright.

Love those freesias! That's a great idea leaving things to hold them up--I used to grow them in pots and I loved the smell but they were always so floppy and just didn't look that nice. I may have to steal your idea for next year!

Do critters eat Freesias? I'd like to plant some but not if their going to be rabbit and squirrel food!

My current favorite pansy, I like the dramatic colors.

My first bloom on Sparaix tricolor 'Orange' from Annie's, http://www.anniesannuals.com/plants/plant_display.asp?prodid=2801&account=none

GORGEOUS!!!

Ecrane3 - hope the idea works for you. In looking at the photo a little closer, I do notice that you can see the dried stalks. But the freesia blooms are so eye-catching that the dried stalks are not as apparent.

KaperC - I don't know about rabbits since there are none in my backyard LoL....but we do have squirrels running around they don't touch them.

Thanks, soils. I'll check into it some more. I've heard that some bulbs are tasty, so I'd rather not waste them. We have rabbits, squirrels, gophers, and who knows what all digging around here. Mostly, I plant things in wire baskets.

If gophers liked them, I suspect I wouldn't have any. And they are doing really well in my garden.

I'm in awe of your freesias, soilsandup! Gorgeous! The area I grow mine in is to narrow for your solution, but I think some temporary wire fencing will help me keep them babies upright.
Calif_Sue, you should be posting your pansy and Sparaix on the Macro page in the Photography discussion forum. http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/969430/
My green carnation finally bloomed today.
WIB,
SW

CS, SW, what gorgeous blossoms! Knockouts, gals! Whew!

Linda

I'll post the pansy SW, the Sparaix isn't as crisp as I usually like, it kept moving it wind but it was the best color wise of several I took.

Everyone's pics are just great. I tried to pick some favs but just gave up. I do recognize some of my plants and I hope mine turn out as lovely as yours. For now anyway this is kind of a virtual spring.

Yeah, we do a lot of that virtual stuff around here, seawatch. Oh, and it is impossible to pick your faves. Just wait until next year's calendar photo contest. You'll burn out your eyeballs. I'm warning you to pace yourself. LOL!
I was very pleased to find these freesias blooming today. They came out of a pot last year, and went into the ground, outside in the b.fly garden.

My Mediterranean Sea Pinks are really happy too!
WIB,
SW

Wow, that Freesia is gorgeous, SW!
I remember the first sea pink I ever saw was on the British TV show Ground Force. Allen Titchmarsh really inspired me to garden.

This one just started blooming...a beauty that I got from weegy's Iris Farm:

Same iris, backlit:

Salvia Marine Blue, tough, fast growing, almost continuously in flower:

Echiums at 'full spike':

Salvia brandegei just starting to flower:

Really pretty!

There's not too much more dramatic than an echium in full bloom. I've started another thread here.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/970465/

WCgypsy - I agree with Doss - your echiums are very majestic. I tried growing them before, but no success.