Today's blog is all about the flowers. The Agastache are in bloom, the lilies are coming on, my Iris Shaker's Prayer came into bloom and things like Cupheas and Callunas are coming into bloom.
Enjoy!
Tiger lily mix. Although the classic tiger lily has orange flowers, they have been hybridized to create colors ranging from yellow to orange to light red to deep red. Love this color.
This is a new Asiatic lily in my garden and this morning I happened to be near that pot of these flowers and they literally glowed in the bright indirect light! This is an earlier photo.
The hard won victories are often the sweetest. Here's one. I've been waiting 4 years for this Louisiana-type iris to bloom and it finally has! Love the patterning/markings.
This Salpiglossis is from a 6 pack but I believe this variety is called Chocolate Royale. Exquisite color and yummy enough looking to eat.
The thing with bulbs is - you buy them months in advance, then you wait after they're planted for them to bloom and only then do you find out whether they've 'come true.' Sometimes the seller simply puts the wrong bulb in that bag and sometimes the photo doesn't accurately reflect the real life colors. In the case of this lily, sold as Golden Joy, I think it's the former. Golden Joy has a pronounced orange throat and there's none of that here. Still a pretty golden yellow; just not what I'd hoped for.
Here's one that has come true both years. It's an Asiatic called Orange Electric. The sun has somewhat bleached out the margins but you get the idea. Of the 6 main groups of lilies, Asiatics are usually the first to bloom.
This photo may be puzzling but if you look closely on the insides of this Sideritis cypria's cup-shaped bracts, you'll see tiny yellow flowers. In this case, it was towers of funnel-shaped bracts that were the feature attraction.
One more shot of that reddish-orange tiger lily. Note the recurved petals that is a hallmark of tiger lilies.
The bromeliad on the left, with the dark banding, is an Aechmea called Savoy Truffle. Perhaps the namer was a Beatles fan (see The White Album for the reference).
My Cuphea purpurea Firecracker has burst into bloom early. This is one of the 'cigar' cupheas.
Calluna 'Bradford.' There are two main genera commonly called 'heather' and Calluna is one (the other being Erica). I'm a fan of both and am slowly amassing a collection.
Coyote mints (Monardella) are famous for attracting hummingbirds but I find them to be a magnet for bees too. Here's a bumblebee collecting nectar. This is M. odoratissima and it almost blooms year round.
Another bee magnet is my Helenium 'Mardi Gras.' I've had this plant for at least ten years and it returns faithfully every year, then blooms its heart out.
Aquilegia Flore Pleno. This sweet little bi-colored columbine is also a regular year after year.
Brodiaea 'Rudy.' This prolific bloomer adds a nice splash of purple in early summer.
Another 'long time coming' plant, my Crinum moorei finally bloomed in its fourth year. Soft pink when it opens, flowers fade to pearly white in short order. This relative of Amaryllis is native to South Africa.
Begonia 'Autumn Ember.' I collect begonias too and this is a lovely new addition.
Agastache 'Coronado.' Bees and hummers love the nectar-rich flowers on this plant.
Another tiger lily, new to my garden this year. Lilium 'Red Flavor.' Notice how much deeper a red this is than the tiger lily shown above.
Neoregelia 'Takemura Princeps.' A new 'Neo' added to my collection.
Clarkia 'Burgundy Wine.' Almost certainly the clarkia with the richest color. Though the flowers are small, they make up for it with that intense color.
Kniphofia 'Orange Crush.' This guy is just beginning to open its buds and like all red hot pokers (as they are known), it does so from the bottom up.
Lastly a little change of pace. Here's my Ilex dimorphophylla. Otherwise known as Okinawa Holly.
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