Spring Bounty

As many a gardener knows, it can be feast or famine in the garden. Where there was little in bloom a month ago, mostly just camellias and Lachenalias, suddenly my garden is awash in color. So, today it's just photos.

Leucospermum Veldfire. Still my favorite Leuco.

Hard to stay away from photographing the brightly colored Freesias.

I had to wait for this self-seeded bulb to open but when it did I recognized it as my alabaster Tritonia.

I think of Ixia (pictured here), Freesia and Sparaxis together. They all bloom in early spring; they come in a variety of colors and they naturalize readily in one's garden. 

Osteospermums are the gift that keeps on giving. Tough, drought tolerant, disease-free and long blooming. Case closed.

So many Mimulus, so little time!

Here's another Sparaxis, the one a color combo that's not always easy to find.

Mimulus Pamela. That white edge and lemon yellow make this variety a standout.

The show this spring has been my Banksia climbing rose. Prolific!

Part of a mixed colors Freesia mix, this is sort of a reddish-orangy-pink. Lovely.

My CA native Penstemon eatonii finally bloomed (in year two) and though there's nothing special about the flowers, sometimes the hard won victories are the sweetest.

Arisaemas can sometimes be finicky but this A. thunbergii var Urashima has proven reliable. 

Reticulata camellias are sometimes called the Queens of the camellia world, given their traits of intense color, large wavy petals and attractive form. Here's my C. Bill Woodruff.. This was labelled as a retic but the flower itself seems different.

Rhodie Sappho. A Sonoma Horticultural Nursery selection. Reminds me of Blackberry Swirl ice cream!

Camellia Anticipation Variegated. The variegation of the flower isn't as noticeable from this angle. 

Here's my cat Phoebe, posing with my Ribes Claremont.

Melasphaerula  ramosa. This cormous plant from S. Africa is in the Iris family. Though the flowers are tiny, it blooms prolifically and readily self-seeds (almost too much so).

Ninebarks are one of my favorite shrubs. Here are two. The golden-leaved variety starting to bloom is Physocarpus 'Nugget.' The darker-leaved variety is P. Monlo. They make a nice one-two punch.

Apollo Dutch iris with my Marmalade bush (Streptosolen) in back.

Here's a wider view of the eastern side of the front yard. 

I couldn't resist including a photo of my neighbor's Leucospermum bush. It's glorious now, fully in bloom.

I'm a bulb fanatic and am forced to put quite a few in pots. To spice up those pots while I'm waiting for the (mostly) lilies to appear, I plant annual color on top. The foreground pot has a Viola 'Columbine' and the one behind has a red Nemesia. 

More freesia.
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My dwarf conifer bed has really filled out. Where once there were gaps between the selections, now they are starting to crowd one another.

Layia platyglossa. Better known as Tidy Tips, this CA native has charm to spare. 

Here's a wider view of the front yard. The low bed on the right is filled with Dutch iris, Sparaxis, Freesia, Ixia, Ipheion and very soon, with Tiger lilies. It's proof positive that you can indeed plant beds densely.

Clivia miniata. Tenacious and a reliable bloomer.

With my telephoto lens I can capture the way the flowers on my Passiflora 'Oaklandii' are smothering the back yard apple tree.

My Erica speciosa never seems to be out of bloom. Here's a closeup of its flowers.

One more shot of the Layia. Now how did that sneak in here?

Babianas are a classic South African bulb and they come in a variety of colors. Most notably that's purple (or purple and white) and a deep maroon.

Hot pink Ixia.

Here's one of the purple and white Babianas. Also known as baboon flower because, yes, the baboons do eat the flowers.

Not sure which ornamental onion (Allium) this is. It has small but sweet flowers.

Here's that maroon Babiana I mentioned.

Ornithogalum caudatum. I love the way this bulb opens its tiny flowers from the bottom up. 

Gladiolus Lemon Moon. One of my favorite S. African gladiolas.