A Woodland Wonder

Today I am enchanted by a new woodland garden plant I have discovered. It's Patrinia scabiosifolia 'Golden Lace.' This member of the Valerian family (Valerianaceae) has a passing resemblance to Cow Parsley (Anthriscus) in that both have tall, multi-branching stems, very little in the way of leaves and unbels of tiny flowers. Anthriscus' flowers are white however, where this Patrinia has bright yellow flowers. Both plants would be considered "airy" plants, in that the sparse foliage lets light through. These plants are also nicknamed 'See-through' plants for obvious reasons. They can reach a substantial height, five to six feet, most of which are the stems holding the flat sprays of flowers. It is native to Japan, where it has long had a place in that country's art and poetry as one of “the seven grasses of autumn.” It likes sun/part shade and seems ideal for a woodland garden area.
It's always a treat to discover a new gem of a plant. For those wanting to add it to their garden, Annie's Annuals has it for sale in four inch containers.
And now today's photos, reflecting the diversity of the garden in its June clothes.

Begonia boliviensis. The hybrids of this species are famous for their vivid colors and profuse blooming. Mine is just getting started.

Another photo of my Passiflora 'Oaklandii.' They're such fabulously beautiful flowers that I couldn't resist posting another close up.

Kudos to those that can ID this vine. It's a Clematis viticella purpurea 'Plena Elegans.' Whew, that's a mouthful! This summer bloomer's flowers are small but I love that matte burgundy color and the double form.

It took so long for my Duranta 'Gold Mound' to do anything that I'm celebrating its new fullness. Aptly named, it holds that golden color all year.

Calceolaria calycina. Another shot of my red pocketbooks. There's something charming about the simplicity of Calceolarias and the way their narrow opening still invites pollinators in.

There's red and then ... there's this red Phlox. It's kind of a glow-in-the-dark red. Don't-touch-it-or-you'll-burn-yourself red. Is that fire engines you hear getting closer? Certainly not for the faint of heart.

Painted Tongues. Here's a question. If these Salpiglossis became evangelicals, would they pick up 'Speaking in Tongues?' Okay, that was lame.

And now my official greeter, for those coming up our main walkway -- Epilobium canum. This CA Fuchsia, as the genus is called, is just starting to bloom.

Amaranthus 'Giant Purple.' As many of you know, certain North American native tribes used the seeds from the seedheads for food. They even ground it for use as a flour.

I share this photo of my Mimulus Bronze to show that Sticky Monkey flowers can also scramble, given the right conditions. They have been prolific bloomers in my garden (I have 8 varieties).

Lotus 'Flashbulb.' This amazing plant always seems to be in bloom. When an Ace customer says "I want something colorful as a cascader" this is one of the first plants I think of.

Honey bees are of course industrious creatures and fond of many flowers but clearly Gaillardias are high up on their list of favorite nectar sources.

Is it an iris? Sort of. It's in the Iris family, this Neomarica caerulea. Prolific bloomers and the flowers appear on tall (to four feet) stems, making this a very showy plant indeed.

And finally the star of today's posting, the Patrinia scabiosifolia. This photo is from the Annie's Annuals site. It gives you a good idea of just how showy the plant is in full bloom.