Flower Power

 This week it's again all about the flowers so no need for commentary. I will only say that I encourage every gardener to take photos of their garden. Now, smart phones have such fabulous cameras that that's all you need. Which makes it easy-peasy.

Gladiolus Nathalie. One of the showier of my species glads.

A simple Dutch iris but love that rich purple color.

Ixia variety. Ixias come in many colors. I call this one Hot Pink.

Calibrachoa Cabaret Diva Orange. Not orange but no matter. It's already smothered in flowers.

Protea family members, such as this Leucospermum Veldfire, are much in demand as cut flowers.

Ranunculus may not bloom for a very long period but the flowers often display intense color.

Daffodil Tahiti. One of my favorite Narcissus varieties.

Eriophylla Siskyou + Mimulus Jelly Bean Gold. Two profuse spring bloomers.

Tulipa hageri Little Beauty. One of the lower-growing species tulips.

Feraria crispa v. nortieri. I finally managed to get a golden flower off this species. Yea!

One last shot of my Tulip Vincent van Gogh as they start to fade. They were a big success story this year.

Babiana stricta hybrid. I love 'baboon flowers as these guys are called. From South Africa.

Another one of my Doubles Mix daffodils.

The real excitement round here this year was the Tulipa Tangerine Beauty flowers. They turned out much larger than anticipated and this glowing red color. Wow!

Another Doubles Mix daffodil, this one with packed inner petals.

Scilla Excelsior. Scillas are a great choice for the woodland garden.

Bulbine. Whether yellow or orange flowering, this succulent is a blooming machine!

Fuchsia variety. This guy began blooming early (January) and has kept on flowering.

Yellow Banksia rose. One of the most prolific bloomers of all climbing roses.

Spring ... regardless

 With everything going on in the world - the lingering pandemic, political unrest, people struggling to hold their lives together - it's easy to forget that our gardens know nothing of that! A garden is a garden is a garden. When the weather warms and there is sufficient moisture, plants will grow. Of course, so will weeds but let's forget that for now. There's still the opportunity for our garden's spring exuberance to lift our spirits. Be that flowers, deciduous shrubs leafing out or for veggie gardeners, the first tomatoes in the ground, the glories of spring are upon us. If getting absorbed in those glories for an hour helps us deal with the rest of the craziness, then all the better.

Here is part two of my 'Just the flowers, sir!' Color, color, color. Who doesn't like that?

Tulipa saxatilis. Possibly the easiest and most reliable species tulip to grow.

Sparaxis (Harlequin flower) have some of the brightest colors going in the spring bulb world.

It's no secret that I love orange and red colors (my Moon in Leo perhaps?) and quite a few of my bulbs are that color (like this red freesia).

Sometimes it isn't individual flowers but masses of tiny ones that provide the show. That's true for this Erica canaliculata 'Rosea.'

Here's another photo of my 'hard to find in the trade' Eutaxia obovata. It too uses masses of tiny pea-like flowers to catch our eye.

Next to lilies, daffodils are probably my favorite common bulb. There are so many wonderful color combinations, even if that is limited to white, yellow, orange, red and pink.

Herre's another daffodil in one of the doubles mixes I planted this winter.

Though I don't generally buy hybrid tulips - it's not cold enough in Oakland for them to reliably come back - I'll sometimes indulge in one or two varieties. This handsome fringed fellow is T. Vincent van Gogh. Wouldn't that name invite an early exit?

This curious double daffodil has inner petals packed tightly together. They remain that way, giving it a distinctive look.

There are many forms that daffodil flowers take. Here is a 'single with flattened cup' type. The orange cup does not jut out as far as most cups do on daffodils.

I wasn't going to include this photo originally but now I kind of like the contrast between shade and sun. It's as if we're discovering this Gladiolus Las Vegas in some far off forest corner.

Freesia purple. While Freesias do come in a variety of colors, purple is a bit less common. I love it!

Ferraria crispa v. nortieri. This is my favorite Spider iris. Hailing from South Africa, Ferrarias are some of the coolest flowers going, most with heavily crinkled edges.

Scilla violacea. What's not to love about Scilla's nodding bluish-purple nodding flowers?

I forget the name of this new cactus addition right now but it too is in bloom, with tiny little white flowers ringing the barrels.

Flowers come in all forms. This flowering spike on my Aechmea fulgens showcases orange bracts. Eventually little purple flowers will sprout from each bract.

Though I know this vine's botanical name (Pandorea pandorana), it's more fun calling it by its common name - Wonga Wonga vine. One of the more unique vines you will ever grow.

Daffodil Tahiti. One of the loveliest of all daffodils.

Yes, Aloes do bloom and in the case of this Coral aloe (A. striata), quite spectacularly! A must stop for hummingbirds who just love the tubular flowers.

Salvia africana-caerulea (syn. S. caerulea). It took awhile but this unusual African salvia is now blooming its heart out.

Lithodora. There aren't many flowers who exhibit such an intense gentian blue as do Lithodoras. They really pop in front of the camera too!

I end with simple violas, always a great cover plant over bulbs planted below. In this case, it's daffodils and lilies.

Just the flowers, ma'am!

 To paraphrase that old TV show Dragnet, today's photos are 'Just the flowers, ma'am." I switched lenses to my zoom lens and that allowed me to get close-up shots of individual flowers. Spring has sprung in my garden, so it seemed like a good time to zero in on some spring color. So, without further adieu, here is a bit of spring color to enjoy as we approach the Spring Equinox.

Although I primarily buy species tulips, this year I ordered two hybrid varieties. This one is T. Vincent van Gogh. It was supposed to be a very dark burgundy but came out dark red. Still lovely.

Scabiosa Florist's Blue. Still one of the great flowers for attracting butterflies and bees.

Ferraria is one of the great 'yet to be discovered' bulbs for most gardeners. Featuring heavily crinkled edges and dramatic centers, it truly is one of the stranger flowers you'll grow. Beautiful though!

Though the focus isn't completely sharp, I'm leaving in this photo of the bulb Ipheion. Every other photo I take always seems to come out with the blue tones bleached out.

Mimulus Butter Yellow. Nearly everyone is familiar now with the charms of Sticky Monkey flower. The color range now is impressive, everything from white to pale yellow to deeper yellow, apricot, orange, pink, pinkish-red and dark red. Hardy and long-lived, once established they need very little moisture.

Eutaxia obovata. This is one of my favorite shrubs. Tough and undemanding, come spring it produces literally hundreds of tiny pea-like flowers. Charming.

Speaking of plants most people aren't familiar with, this Freylinea undulata produces rich purple tubular flowers whenever it feels like. I have no idea what its true bloom season is.

Gladiolus Las Vegas. Easily the most prolific of my species Glads, this guy blooms from late winter all through the summer. Amazing.

I had to include a few shots of foliage. Here's a pomegranate that I bought as a 4" bonsai. It's now taken off and I love its bronzey-red new growth. It's Punica 'Sarasa Shibari.'

And one more. This Physocarpus Nugget has brilliant gold spring growth, making it a real standout this time of year.

Dianthus Rosy Cheeks. This carnation gets an 'A' grade for all round vigor and long blooming prowess.

Well, somehow, my computer flipped this photo back sideways so crane your head to see the petite charms of this Lachenalia orchoides v. orchoides. Subtle colors but lovely.

Love this small flowering Cyclamen. Each flower is a different combination of pink and white.

Camellia Winner's Circle. One of my favorite camellias!

Camellia Lila Naff. Love the soft coral-pink tones on this reticulata type camellia.

I couldn't get underneath it so this Camellia Frank Woodruff's intense red color takes a hanging form here. Quite possibly the deepest red camellia I've ever come across.

Choisya ternata. As most of you know, this version of mock orange is one of the most intensely fragrant plants on the planet!

Camellia Anticipation Variegated. Love the swirling red and white colors on this fully double camellia.

Ribes Claremont. Everybody's favorite hummingbird plant for shade.

Speaking of shade, primroses are a great way to add color o a shady bed.

Loropetalum Purple Majesty. Here's a closeup of the fringe flowers on this popular shrub. I took it home more for the burgundy foliage but the flowers are delightful too.

Many gardeners have yet to acquaint themselves with Banksia roses. They are a climbing rose with clusters of petite flowers. Here's my yellow blooming variety, just beginning to flower.