April Showers Bring

 Given the dry month we're having, I'm afraid we will have to supply the 'showers' that will bring May flowers to our gardens. I want to mention, mostly because watering is rarely a topic that comes up, that there is an art to watering, if not a science. It's a big topic but here are 4 key points. 1. Over-watering can be harmful to plants, not to mention wasting a valuable resource. 2. Plants in pots, outside of succulents,  are always going to need some regular water, their root systems being contained. 3. Mulching can cut down on the amount of water you use more than any other single thing you do. 4. While most native plants are drought tolerant - we do after all live in a summer dry climate - not every single native can make do with very little precip. If you do not have an irrigation system and are watering by hand, it behooves us all to water only the areas underneath each plant and not the rest of the ground. Besides, stray water = weeds!

Okay, here are today's garden photos.

Most people are familiar with the Bottlebrush tree and its bright red flowers. Here is a species that has green flowers! As many of you know, green flowers are uncommon in the world of plants so this Callistemon pachyphyllus is a real treat.

 

Here is the middle of my three densely planted median strips. This one is dominated by an ever flowering Anisodontea and a Smoke bush.

Here is the eastern of the 3 median strips. This one features a Magnolia Butterflies and an exuberant Lonicera x americana (honeysuckle).

I have one main front yard bed and this is it. i call it the Sun King bed, a Beatles reference that reflects the sunny location and all the great stuff I can grow there.

At the corner of the Sun King bed is this Leucospermum Veldfire. My neighbor and I both have floriferous varieties in our front yards.

Dutch iris Bronze Blend. This mix includes nice combos of gold, ginger and redwood colors.

Gladiolus nanus mix. This species mix includes several kinds of species glads. I'm not sure what this beauty is, though it's similar to G. tristis.

I had a good crop of Douglas iris this year. They finally has begun to naturalize in earnest.

Leptospermum salignum. This tea tree finally produced its first flowers, after a wait of five years!

Exbury azalea Red. The Exburys are deciduous azaleas that feature reds, oranges and golds.

Here's another shot of my middle median strip, more clearly showing the burgundy leaves of the Cotinus Royal Purple.

Aloe striata. This aloe has become a blooming machine and the hummers love it.

It took forever for the 'buttons' on my Berzelia lanuginosa to open up to white flowers. Honestly, it's not much of a change but it's still a lovely shrub.

Ornithogalum Drooping Star. This S. African bulb features otherworldly grayish-white flowers.

Trachelospermum asiaticum. This slow growing tri-colored jasmine is grown for its lovely leaf colors.

Though it hasn't filled out yet, this Physocarpus 'Monlo' has some of the darkest foliage of any ninebark.

Everybody's favorite bellflower - Campanula Blue Waterfall.

Pelargonium Caroline's Citrine. An unusual shade-loving pelargonium that gets big in a hurry!

Fallopia japonica variegata. Very, very white!

Spring springs forth

 It's been a case of start then stop with our weather this month but it looks as if we've finally turned the corner. At least here in Oakland. Today's blog has lots of photos but before we get to those I want to encourage everyone to visit their local botanical garden. Whether that's UC Botanic Garden or the Regional Parks Bot Garden (formerly Tilden Bot Garden) or the small but charming Lakeside Botanic Garden, all in the East Bay, or the SF Botanic Garden (Strybing), this is the perfect time to check out the glories of these botanic gardens. 

Okay, here are the photos.

The photos above and below are of my wonderful Tulip Apricot Parrot. I've never had luck with parrot tulips before so maybe it's just that I bought them from the excellent Tulip World.

There are many kinds of tulips and the one you see here is a Lily flowering kind. Notice the tapered petals that are indicative of this group. Very pretty.

Cistus McGuire's Gold. It took four years to initially flower but this rockrose now blooms faithfully every year.

Aloe striata (Coral aloe). Three bloom spikes this year and as I've mentioned, a great plant for attracting hummingbirds to your garden.

Layia platyglossa. Tidy Tips as they are commonly called are prolific bloomers and a good native annual for attracting bees and butterflies.

Scabiosa Harlequin. Though we normally don't think of Pincushion flower plants as ground covers, this variety has stayed low and blanketed the lower portion of my walkway bed.

Babiana stricta hybrids. It's been a great year for my Babianas. Though the flowers are mostly purple, there are some hot pink ones too.

Calceolaria Tiger Balloon. A lot of Calceolarias are annuals but this guy is back for its third year this spring.

One last shot of my species Gladiolus, G. Nathalie.

I planted violas on top of two rectangular planters containing daffodils, lilies and species glads and it worked out very well.

Dutch iris come in quite a range of colors but I'll admit that my favorites are the golds, gingers and dark reds.

This Campanula Blue Waterfall is the most prolific bloomer of all the varieties I've come across and just needs trimming back in the winter in order to freshen it up for the next year's blooms.

Choisya Sundance. The golden-leaved version of Mock Orange is lovely just for its foliage but the white flowers offer just as much of a heady fragrance as the straight species (Choisya ternata).

Most of us are familiar with dogwood flowers but hold on, this variety (Cornus florida Urbiniana) has slender white petals that loop back till they touch each other in the center. Fabulous!

My Japanese Lace fern has become my favorite fern (among the 20+ I have in the garden). I just love the look of it and it has proved durable.

Begonia Gene Daniels. Notable for its huge kidney-shaped leaves and their glowing red backsides.

Phacelias (Desert bluebells) are one of my favorite California native annuals and this one (P. campanularia) has the deepest blue flowers of the various members of this genus.

More Dutch iris. Tis the season....

Leucospermum Veldfire. I've taken many photos of this Protea family member but the flowers are just so eye-popping I can't help myself.

Phlomis fruticosa. A hardy sage relative, this guy produces joyful yellow flowers all summer long.

Snapdragons. Great for a splash of color wherever you want it.

Ditto for Million Bells (Calibrachoa). This one is newly planted so hasn't begun to trail yet.

I kind of think of tiny new Cotinus leaves as being like little flames dancing in the sun. Very pretty.

A closer shot of my Lily-flowering tulip.

Here's a shot of the east side of my Woodland bed. Those are Douglas iris on tall stems and the little nodding blue flowers are Scilla Excelsior.

Another shot of that low growing Scabiosa Harlequin. Of course they are famous for attracting butterflies but the flowers are popular with bees too.