Back in the Flow

After a hectic and disjointing last three weeks, I have been able to reconnect with my garden and get back in the flow. And that's a reminder that gardening is very much like any other relationship. There are going to be ups and downs, periods of closeness and some of distance. This isn't me waxing poetic but simply acknowledging the reality of this sustaining relationship in our lives. Unlike those in colder climates who have a winter break forced on them, gardening in Northern California means the opportunity is always there and sometimes that isn't always good. One can easily expect to be out in the garden, both because you want to and because the garden always is calling, needing some attention. Which is all to say it's perfectly fine to go in stops and spurts.
Here are more photos and comments from my garden on this first week of August.

Roscoea purpurea. Not many know this charming bulb hailing from China. I picked it up at a UCBG sale many years ago and it flowers faithfully every July.

Crassula alba v. parvisepala. I love this little guy, which features green leaves heavily spotted red and in summer large corymbs of white star-shaped flowers. A real powerhouse.

Major kudos to anyone who guesses what this is. It's a new Portulaca called Fairytales Cinderella. Pretty fab little flower.

Calling Darwin. This blue wonder is Evolvulus pilosus, a nifty little sun-loving ground cover. Darwin? Well, yes, Evolve-ulus. 

Sometimes keeping it simple is best. This front yard pot is filled with a purple Torenia and a dwarf red dahlia.

Love is sweeter the second time around? I managed to kill my first Felicia amelloides variegata so its success the second time around is that much sweeter.

These flowers are clearly a delphinium but if the form and foliage throw you that's because it's a D. chinensis variety, with its lack of a central flowering stem and more delicate foliage. I like the "spread" look of this species.

Two plants that not everyone is familiar with. In the foreground is Ozothamnus
rosmarinifolius ‘Silver Jubilee’(aptly named). Behind it, the plant with furry looking foliage is Phylica pubescens. Its common name is Cape Myrtle, referring to the Cape region of South Africa from which it hails.

Sometimes it's not the flower but the seedpod that provides interest. Many will recognize this seedpod as belonging to a member of the milkweed family, in this case an Asclepius curassavica.

Lilies are one of my favorite bulbs and this beauty, L. Scheherazade, is one of the showiest.

Sometimes unopened flowers can be just as pretty. These Mirabilis jalapa flowers hold tight to their intense fuchsia-colored hues, set against a lush green backdrop.

I caught this honey bee foraging for nectar on my Scabiosa ochroleuca. When you look close you'll see he's been very industrious indeed.