And now the many and wonderful ways in which gardens (and Nature) are grand.
Everybody's favorite true blue Hydrangea (Nikko Blue). It was first introduced into the American market in 1932, making it one of the oldest Hydrangea cultivars in continuous supply here.
Papaver somniferum 'Lilac Pom Pom.' Grown from mail order seed, this breadseed poppy lived up to its billing. Huge fluffy lilac flowers much beloved by bees. A close-up of the flower is further down.
Lilium 'Golden Splendor.' THE find of my early blooming lilies. It's a Trumpet type, as you can see by its shape. Heavenly fragrant as most trumpets are.
Eucomis 'Sparkling Burgundy.' Everyone should grow at least one pineapple lily (I've got five). This one features rich burgundy leaves and eventually waxy pink flowers scaling a sturdy flowering stem.
The other lily find this year is the golden form of a tiger lily (part of a mix). Notice however that this one has streaks not spots like most tiger lilies.
This Raspberry Summer Agastache has been a blooming machine, by far the most floriferous of any hummingbird mint I've grown. It always seems to be in bloom, which pleases the bees and hummers to no end.
I love the common name for this easy-to-bloom cactus - Peanut cactus. I guess that owes to its stubby fingers. It does like to bloom, especially if given a little water now and again.
Rhipsalis variety. Known as mistletoe cacti, the scientific name derives from the ancient Greek term for wickerwork, referring to the plants' habit. It is the largest and most widely distributed genus of epiphytic cacti.
A new CA native Brodiaea from Annie's Annuals, this B. 'Rudy' has proven to be a vigorous and colorful specimen.
Cynoglossum amabile. This Chinese Forget-me-Not offers up very delicate robins-egg-blue flowers on taller stems. It also prefers sun unlike regular forget-me-nots.
Epilobium canum. Better known as California fuchsia, this native high ground cover is happy as a clam poking its heads through my wrought iron railing. Another hummingbird favorite.
Though the leaves are looking a bit peaked, there are steely blue flowers forming on my golden Sea Holly. One of those unique and 'fun to share with passersby' plants.
Here's the closeup of my Lilac Pom Pom poppy. Extravagant!
I thought the unopened flower on my Magnolia grandiflora 'Little Gem' looked rather like a white tulip, don't you think? This evergreen southern magnolia works well in our climate.
A simple Alstromeria but pretty nonetheless.
Phylica plumosa. Here the furry, delicate new growth contrasts with the spent seedheads. Native to South Africa, it's one of THE softest plants you'll ever feel.
Though I accidentally wound up with the white form of Echium 'Blue Bedder,' the plant is doing the two things it does best - flower profusely and attract a million bees. I don't know how the bees find them (Echiums in general and this annual type especially) but I'm convinced they have a special radar for these flowers.
One last shot of my native Clarkia 'Salmon Princess.' It went wild this year and the bees have practically been living in it.
Although not the most inspiring photo, I've started a Sedum Lemon Coral in a hanging pot. It will soon fill out and spill over the front.
One of my oldest lilies, this Asiatic lily Honey Bee is still flowering. That's one of many fine attributes of lilies - their longevity.
One of the fun features of Love-in-a-Mist flowers is their seedpods. Here my Nigella African Bride is already producing the first of its distinctive seedheads. They are often used in dried flower arrangements.
Clarkia amoena 'Aurora' and Snapdragon 'Chantilly Purple.' A nice color combination and when the annual clarkia is done the snapdragon will soldier on.
Though it's just starting to flower, this lesser known Calceolaria calynopsis is slowly finding its way into the trade. Unlike the more common yellow-flowering C. mexicana, this species likes the sun.
One of my lily mixes planted this winter, the Summer Garden mix, first issued two canary yellow Asiatic flowers. This new color, a vivid raspberry, is nothing short of gorgeous!
There are of course many species Geraniums but this one, G. pratense Mrs. Kendell Clark, is one of the loveliest. It has delicate ribbing, which is shown off nicely in this back-lit shot.
My Euonymus japonicus aureo-marginatus is still going strong. It has formed clusters of tiny, tiny flowers but those have so far remained closed. They are reputed to be a pale green.
Here's my initial dwarf conifer bowl, containing Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Mariesii
and ‘Melody’ plus Cryptomeria japonica ‘Ryokogu Coyokyu’.
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