Spring is here!!

 Well, it seemed to take forever but spring is finally here. Speaking of waits, I took a long break from posting here to attend to other matters. But there were so many flowers bursting in my garden, I just had to share them. So, all the photos here are from my garden, taken on April 16. Leading off here is my white-speckled Fatsia, called Spider's Web. Lovely!

I have many salvias in my garden but the most boisterous is this S. elegans 'Golden Delicious'. The leaves are fragrant too, as well as the red tubular flowers being a hummer magnet.

Top here is a new ornamental onion that has produced a bevy of tiny, pink-flushed white, star-shaped flowers. Directly above is my walkway bed, with all manner of Ixias, Freesias, Dutch iris and ornamental Oxalis.

 

Black foliage is kind of the holy grail in gardening and here is a Leucadendron called 'Ebony.' It's new so I haven't found a place for it in the ground.

Two photos above is a hot pink Ixia (Corn lily). The other colors you see are from a Fressia mix. Directly above is a self-seeded patch of Cerinthe major, one of the most prolific self-seeders around.

 

There are many kinds of Scabiosa (Pincushion plant); here is a low growing beauty called 'Harlequin'. A great plant to attract butterflies to your garden.

My Marmalade bush (Streptosolen jamesonii) always draws lots of attention from passersby. When in bloom, it's spectacular!

Two photos above is one of many Dutch iris and directly above is my gorgeous Leucospermum 'Veldfire'. Bees, hummers and titmice all love the orange flowers.

 

I have numerous Mimulus (Monkey flower) in my garden. Here's one from noted grower Susan Ashley called 'Anton'. 

This unassuming but pretty flower is an Oxalis whose tag I've lost. But I love its salmon color!

One of the more prolific bloomers in my garden is the sturdy Phlomis fruticosa. It's another bee magnet. 

Though the flowers aren't large, my Anisodontea 'Strybing Beauty' is a prolific bloomer, being in flower for 8 months of the year! It's also another bee and hummer favorite.

Another of my favorite South African bulbs is Babiana stricta. Here's a patch of them in a driveway pot.

Two photos above is large-flowering 'pocketbook' called Calceolaria herbeohybrida 'Orange'. Lovely. And directly above is my vigorous and dependable Aloe striata, also known as Coral aloe.

 

My metal arch in the front yard is now smothered in the small yellow flowers of my Banksia climbing rose. The easiest rose you will ever grow, mine requires almost no care.

This lovely white-leaved sage is Salvia 'Desperado'. It's a hybrid of Salvia apiana and S. leucophylla and features the 'stacking' flower clusters of many sages.

I'm pretty sure this flower would stump many a gardener. It looks like a bottlebrush flower doesn't it? Except it's a limey-chartreuse color. Well, it is actually a bottlebrush species - Callistemon pachyphyllus. Beautiful and unusual!

Here's a South African Gladiolus called simply 'Charm'. Great colors, mixing deep and lighter pink plus some white.

Everybody will recognize this flower - Baby Blue Eyes (Nemophila menziesii). Just the prettiest robin's egg blue color.

This lovely conifer - Cryptomeria 'Sekkan-Sugi' - has bright chartreuse new growth. Lovely.

I put one of my two Staghorn ferns in a tree trunk crevice and it seems happy here.

Here are 3 more dwarf conifers in a mixed bowl. They have made themselves at home.

Abutilon 'Tiger Eye'. One of our most popular flowering maples (as they are called) and the flower striations are partly why. Vigorous!

One more Dutch iris.

My bronze fennel plant is already off and running. I grow it as a host plant for the Anise Swallowtail butterfly.

Speaking of vigorous Salvias, my S. melissodora (Grape-scented sage) seems to bloom nearly year round. True to its species name, it has bees collecting nectar all throughout the day.

My Japanese Painted ferns have returned from being dormant, back as strong as ever.

The light green broad-leaved plant is my Crinum 'Rosea.' When in bloom, it produces large, spectacular pale pink trumpet flowers.

Begonias heaven!

 Begonias are one of the most wonderful bulbs to add to your garden. There are many types, from the common fibrous, tuberous and Angelwing types, to the larger and more intriguing cane and shrub types. Today's blog showcases a number of these summer and fall bloomers.

From top to bottom, here are my Gloriosa lily, Salvia melissodora, silvery Centaurea ragusina and directly above my ever blooming Erythrina crista-galli.

Petunias may be common but they still are pretty.

My Aloe striata is handsome even when not in bloom.

Nandinas are a workhorse plant. Here's a variety called Firepower, showing its fall red blush.

Above

 Above is one of the many bromeliads in my garden; underneath is the first photo of my many Begonias (Nonstop Orange) and directly above is my golden Duranta. It was slow to establish but is a real trooper now.

Above is my Asarina 'Joan Lorraine.' When customers ask me for a small, well-behaved vine, this is one of my favorites to recommend.

This is one of several Angelwing begonias I have in my garden. Many of these types have spotted leaaves, as this variety does.

I forget the variety name of this Tradescantia but I call it 'Fuzzy' on account of its furry foliage. Tradescantias make wonderful ground covers for part shade.

There's no 'bluer blue' hydrangea than H. 'Nikko Blue'. It holds its robin's-egg blue color, even without a bluing agent added to the soil.

White speckled flowers hold an appeal for me. Here's a Fallopia japonica 'Variegata' showing prominent white coloring. Below is an unusual Viburnum, V. macrocephalum, showing some fall color.

AboveA

Above is the immediately recognizable Blue Bear's Paw fern. It has rooted down through its pot and now is prospering. Below that is another of my many bromeliads, showing some eye-catching banding. And directly above is a type of Bird's Nest fern, showing its prominent central spine.

This Evolvulus is both hardy, ever blooming and just so pretty. You want blue? This little ground cover has it in spades!

Lantana may be common but the bush types offer an array of tantalizing colors. Below is another one of many Begonias, which features lovely ginger tones.

Here's another one of my many Neoregelia bromelids. They are the easiest plants to care for and look good year round. And below is my Mandevilla 'Apricot'. Subtle color but beautiful.

Above is my ornamental grape (Vitis coignetiae. showing some of its fall color. Huge leaves are a feature of this species.

There are many types of plumbago. This ground cover type is Ceratostigma plumbaginoides. It's a workhorse plant and is a welcome mid-fall to early winter bloomer.

Another Begonia, this one B. belleconia 'Soft Orange'. It features ruffled petals and a pastel orange color.

Even tho this Begonia 'Wild Pony' has yet to bloom after like 8 years, I love its dark and heavily crinkled leaves.

Yet another Begonia that I've lost the ID tag for. Love the blush of colors here.

Here's a shot of the walkway leading to the backyard. As you can see, it's densely planted.

Here's one of my Angelwing begonias, with its characteristic sprays of pale pink flowers.

This Azalea 'Court Jester' has been through the ringer but continues to bounce back and even bloom late into September.

Another one of my Neoregelia bromeliads, this one called 'Comet'. Neos, as they are called, are known for their colorful centers, as is the case here.

Top photo is my Pelargonium 'Caroline's Citrine', an unusual Pel that prefers shade. It is favored as much for its bi-colored leaves as for its flowers. Directly above is another unusual Begonia. This one is called Gryphon and is treasured for its foliage.