Back to Eden

Well, after last week's detour into the Ruth Bancroft Garden, I return to familiar ground this week with photos of my summer garden. It's nearly at its peak with a ton of things in bloom. It makes going out in the garden a continual adventure. There's always something new. This week I'll let the photos do the talking. Then next week, I'll share my recent trip to Tilden Botanical Garden, now Regional Parks Botanical Garden. A friend and I went this last Tuesday and I took lots of photos.

Lilium Mister Cas. One of my very favorite lilies! Love that honey-orange throat.

My Mina lobata is just beginning to bloom, showcasing its progression from deep red through orange to yellow to almost white.

Helenium Mardi Gras. Comes back reliably every year, blooms its hert out, attracts a ton of bees and is so pretty!

I love how my Moluccella laevis (Bells of Ireland) has a tendency to sway in all directions. Here it's reaching out over the sidewalk to grab more sun. 

Salvia guaranitica Black and Blue. One of my favorite salvias, with that unbeatable connection of bright green textured leaves and vivid bluish-purple flowers. 

Catananche caerulea (Cupid's Dart) and Agastached Red Fortune. A very pretty combo.

The first time I grew a Viscaria it died within 2 weeks. Not sure what happened bu last year this V. Blue Pearl went wild on the blooming and the one started this year looks to do the same.

Mr. Old Reliable. That's my Eriogonum grande var. rubescens, in full bloom now. As with the other CA buckwheats they are a premier pollinators plant.

Borage may be common and self-seed like crazy but it does have the prettiest star-shaped blue flowers. 

There's nothing quite like Lilium Black Dragon flowers. That vivid red; the raised black spots; the lime green centers. Just fabulous.

Lilium Montego Bay. This year's crop came out a bit more red and not an orangy pink as they were last year. Still very pretty.

Mimulus Valentine. Love the saturated red color on this sticky monkey flower! Mimulus are one of those plants that does best with benign neglect.

Right in the middle is my Lobelia fulgida, one of the red-leaved lobelias. Offsets well with everything else green around it. 

Here's the front yard bed I call the Sun King bed, a Beatles reference for all you Abbey Road fans.

Origanum Xera Cascade. This new ornamental oregano being grown by Annie's Annuals is similar to the popular Kent's Beauty only with even longer cascading bracts. 

Lilium Giraffe. My favorite of the 25 lilies in my garden, this variety new this year just seems to glow!

Though tiger lilies can take many forms, here's what the classic tiger lily looks like. This one is part of a Tiger lily mix.

Dwarf bedding asters may be common but they do add lovely bright colors to a bed.

Calibrachoa Rose Chai. This variety in the Mini-famous double series is delicate pink and has proven to be tougher than it looks.

Although this looks like a regular Hibiscus flower, it's part of a new line called HibisQs. This one is H. HibisQs Adonis Pearl. They have been self-selected to get larger flowers and ones that stay open much longer than the typical hibiscus.

Neoregelia Morcon. If you look closely at the center you'll see that this bromeliad is putting forth its first purple flowers. 

The toad lily in the front pot is Tricyrtis Zulu Flame. It has yet to flower but the speckled foliage holds my attention.

Begonia acetosa. This thick-leaved variety is a rich red on the bottom, as can be seen here. 

Begonia Gryphon. Another plant that has yet to bloom but I added it to my garden for the foliage.

The star of the show this year is my Curcuma Bicolor Wonder flowering for the first time! Just fabulous illuminated pink and white colors. 

And one last Begonia, this one Angel Glow. Love the colors and the ways in which the leaves twist and turn.