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.
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