Well, blogspot is having a little fun at my expense and put these photos above the text (see that at the end of the photos). Here's the first flower on my Clematis niobe, which offers perhaps the richest hue of any clematis. Velvety.
A top down view of my Epipactis Serpentine Night. Otherwise known as CA Stream orchid, this dark-leaved variety will eventually produce little green and pink flowers. Tough and liking some regular water (thus the stream in its common name). Known to self seed and pop up elsewhere (right, Elena?).
Here's the last of my Lachenalias to bloom. Unspecified and though it looks to be all white, a closer inspection reveals green and bronze on its tips. My first cowslip flowered in December so that gives you an idea of their blooming range.
Isn't this little columbine just the sweetest thing you ever saw? It's an A. chrysantha 'Flora Pleno.' I'd forgotten all about it till it popped up a few weeks ago. It's along my main walkway, so a good place to enjoy its pint-sized charms!
My Clematis 'Belle of Woking' has found its sea legs and is producing its best crop of flowers ever. It's in a pot though and it won't really be happy till I get it in the ground.
I can't seem to get a really good photo of this Salvia 'Lemon Light.' It's either in the shade when I shoot it (like now) with too much of a dark background or it's in the sun and that bleaches out the delicate butter-colored flowers. This will have to do for now.
Not many plants combine wow with durability and nearly nonstop blooming but this Helenium 'Mardi Gras' does exactly that. I guess its namer was inspired by the nonstop party that is Mardi Gras.
I'm taking shots of my Physocarpus 'Nugget' to show it in different stages. It progresses about as fast as any plant I've seen from first leafing out, to flowering, to producing its seedpods. You can see both in this shot. The white flowers give way to red seedpods which for many, myself included, are even showier than the flowers.
The words 'pineapple' and 'lily' may not seem like they belong together but they do as the common name for Eucomis. This is the 'Sparkling Burgundy' variety and you have to love that intense hue. It will lighten as it grows and have a good amount of green in it by the time it sends up its thick stem of tiny waxy flowers.
Here's a shot of a fron yard bed, containing phacelias, golden Dutch iris and Sunspot arctotis among other things.
Gold stars for anyone who can ID this plant. It's a Teucrium! In this case a T. 'Summer Sunshine.' Very aptly named, don't you think? It stays low and keeps its chartreuse color all summer.
Most of you will recognize this Ladybird poppy. It's the advance guard, with dozens more to arrive in short order. I have it in a pot with Blue gilia, a colorful combo.
Speaking of Blue gilia, here it is (Gilia capitata). Okay here's a fun little fantasy. If you imagine that the red poppy in this same pot is the Alice in Wonderland Red Queen, what would she say to the Gilia? "Off with its head!" You see, Gilia capitata ... de-capitate ... No? "Off with your head, then!
It looks like a Buddleja (Butterfly bush) but ... that color! It's B. 'CranRazz,' a new variety on the market that's between a full size buddleja and one of the dwarf varieties, this one getting six feet tall.
Another (better) shot of my Iris pseudacorus 'Holden Clough.' The creators describe the color as 'toffee,' not something you hear every day but damn if it doesn't look ... toffee-ish.
Azalea Exbury hybrid. Those that have discovered the wonderful reds, oranges, peaches and golds of deciduous azaleas just love them. These flowers are just a hair past their prime but still glorious.
Echeveria species. Now that I have it in the ground it is slowly colonizing the area. And I swear it's gotten more blue tones in its new location.
Tweedia caerulea. Doesn't the name 'tweedia' sound like something out of Monty Python? Discuss among yourselves.
My robust Caryopteris 'Hint of Gold' is back and looks great spreading up through the cascading Phacelia campanularia.
Sambucus 'Madonna.' Shouldn't a variety with that name be 'pink?' Just wondering ...
Maianthemum. This vigorous deciduous ground cover has returned. I love the striations on the leaves and its verdent green color.
For some reason when I took a photo of this unopened columbine flower, it reminded me of a little rocket! Or perhaps a lavender squid?
Rhodie 'CA Blue.' This is a success story. Ravaged by thrips and not terribly strong even before that happened, it has somehow survived to produce its first flowers. I'm now looking forward to future years where it can put on a real show.
Speaking of slow to establish, it took awhile for my Snowball viburnum to really get a toehold and bloom in earnest. One of my favorite shrubs ever!
Kudos to those who can guess this plant. It's a Stachys 'Bello Grigio.' More upright and much more silvery than the regular lambs ears, it looks for all the world like it dropped down from some alien world. And finally, below, another success story. This is my Dianthus 'Lady Granville.' It's been kind of weak from the get go but with an extra year under its belt and a little fertilizer it has finally come into its own. I call it my 'Raspberry Swirl' carnation.
Meanwhile, happening in a garden near you -- Spring! Some years it roars in; others it seems to slide in gradually. This year it seemed more of the latter, coming in fits and starts. But a peek at the clock reveals it's mid-April so its official. Here are a few more photos from my nursery ... er, garden. Not only do I enjoy sharing these photos but I hope to pass on a little bit of my experience with them.
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