Summer? Heck, we'll take Spring

We're living in the age of fake news but ... fake weather? It's mid-May and it feels like mid-February. Shouldn't we have retired our winter coats by now? Plus the heavy sweater? And the lighter sweater? The cool cloudy weather is confusing our gardens as well. They want to be bursting with the exuberance of late spring but where the heck is the sun and the warmth? The botanical clock keeps on ticking though so the plants in our garden keep progressing. Today, the photos reflect the range of plants in my garden.

Philadelphus lewisii 'Covelo.' This native mock orange may not be as fragrant as some of the non-natives but it blooms prolifically. It hasn't reached anything close to full size but is already covered in pure white flowers. The blooms are especially pretty against the dark green foliage.

My golden-leaved Weigela (Rubidor) has yet to bloom but is leafing out more fully this spring. It has so far stayed lower than expected, perhaps due in part to it reaching for my light.

Sambucus canadensis. This elderberry is one of the best shrubs for berry-loving birds. It puts out sprays of delicate tiny white flowers followed by dark fruits in summer. Mine has eclipsed its stated size, now a good 12' tall. Native to the eastern U.S. it does quite well here as well.

Pelargonium 'Frank Headley.' This variegated leaf geranium has the prettiest coral-colored flower. This isn't the best shot and of course the sun wasn't out but it serves as an introduction.

Nigella 'African Bride.' I cringe at the variety name of this plant, given that the flowers are, umm, white, but I love the various forms of Love-in-a-Mist. This variety sports an especially deep maroon 'Jester's Hat' (developing seedpod), making a nice contrast with the white petals.

Agastache 'Raspberry Summer.' This variety has turned into the most vigorous, most floriferous hummingbird mint of the half dozen varieties in my garden. It wasn't dormant for long and despite it being a summer bloomer, mine put out its first flowers in late March.

There's nothing quite like the colors on the Eucomis 'Sparkling Burgundy.' The vibrant tones will eventually fade to a ruddy dark green but  for now I get to enjoy the wine-reds.

I'll admit, Penstemons have sometimes been a challenge for me to grow successfully. This P. 'Violet Kissed' though has been easy as pie. Bloomed its first year from a 4" pot and is really on a roll this spring. 

When they say Asclepias (milkweed) self-seeds, they aren't kidding. My A. curassivica self seeded in a pot that was already filled up with my Pavonia and here it is, already filling out and in bloom. Not a bad plant for Monarch butterflies to choose as a host and food plant. BTW, the toxins in this plant help make the Monarch caterpillar less enticing to eat by predators. 

Crocosmia Pina Colada.  Certainly one of the more colorful Mirror plants.

Chamelacium Bridal Pearl. It's now mixing in with self-seeded nasturtiums, giving it a woodsy kind of look.

Chamaecyparis Nana Lutea. This dwarf false cypress features twisting panels of gold tipped green branches. It's part of my Japanese Garden bed.

Iris douglasiana hybrid. This lighter purple flower is a result of Iris douglasiana being crossed with ??. Still, a lovely and original color.

Though my neighbor planted this, it's a Louisiana Iris of some sort. Simple but lovely.

This little guy has a big name - Echinocereus pectinatus v. rubispinus. Uhh, that would make it a cactus, right? Right.

Another shot of my oh-so-lovely Tolmiea menziesii 'Taff's Gold.'

I love the look of nearly emerged leaves on my split-leaf Philodendron. So glossy!

Trachelospermum asiaticum Ogon Nishiki. This variegated form of star jasmine stays low and is very slow growing. Here I contrasted its yellows, greens and oranges with a blue gazing ball.

Always one of the first lilies to bloom, my asiatic Lilium Black Eye offers up the richest, most satiny burgundy colors.

Though this Mimulus aurantiacus variety is called Bronze, you can see it has a lot of orange in it.

This is my neighbor's Leucospermum bush. Could be Scarlet Ribbons, I'm not sure, but in any case it's very happy!

Good Things in Small Spaces

Every gardener has one or more small space in their garden, be that an area separated by a driveway, fence, walkway, existing tree or sometimes the house itself. This space can be a square, semi-circle, long strip or an irregular corner. These spaces can blend seamlessly into your garden or they can be used to create 'theme' gardens. This theme can be as simple as a shady spot or as elaborate as a distinctively themed garden with attending art, special lighting and of course particular plants. Some theme gardens include a Fragrant garden (filled with sweet smelling shrubs & perennials); a Wildlife garden (designed to attract birds, butterflies & bees); a Succulent/bromeliad garden (whether in the ground or in pots); a Secret garden (patio or private garden); a Child's garden (filled with whimsy); a Tropical garden (foliage plants giving a lush look); a Water feature garden (Focused on a pond, fountain or other water feature); an Oriental garden (focusing on conifers, rocks, statuary); a Monochromatic garden (devoted to one color) or a Woodland garden (with appropriate understory plants). There are many more, depending on your imagination. 

I've done this in my own garden, having a Tropical corner bed with gingers and bamboo, a Japanese garden with dwarf conifers, statuary and rocks, an Aussie natives bed with Australian natives and a bird sanctuary, with shrubs and trees that provide shelter, places for nests and berry-producing shrubs that certain birds love. 

Theme beds can be simple or elaborate, obvious or subtle. That's the beauty of them.

Okay, now this week's garden photos. 

Calendula 'Bronzed Beauty.' This lovely calendula is also edible (the flowers) but darn, it just seems too pretty to pluck! 

Laburnum anagyroides. The Golden Chain tree is a wonderful way to add golden flowers to a garden. It leafs out quickly in spring and flowers soon after. Needs water when it first leafs out to achieve a full lush look but can use less later. One look at the flowers and you recognize that it belongs to the Fabaceae family, which of course includes various legumes.

Clarkia Salmon Princess. Would this make it the princess of fish (salmon)? It's not so much the color that's different about this CA native annual but the interesting shape of its flowers. 

This first batch of photos are taken with my zoom lens, allowing me to get closer in for a shot of smaller flowers. That was especially valuable for this shot of Salvia melissodora, where the flowers are tiny. For flowers so small, they pack quite the fragrant punch (grape soda).

Okay, here's a groaner joke. What is the national flower of Jamaica (besides the obvious)? Why that would be the Calliste-mon. This dwarf form, C. viminalis, has the same flowers but in a more compact form. Much beloved by hummers and bees.

Ghost of Christmas past? Sort of. I planted this Amaryllis outdoors after it bloomed two years ago and last week I suddenly discovered it in bloom! That may seem strange, it blooming now, until you consider that Naked Ladies are also an Amaryllis and bloom in the summer.

There's something simple and clean about columbine flowers. Here's an Aquilegia 'Rocky Mountain.' 

Saw a bumblebee harvesting nectar from my Teucrium Gwen so thought I'd snap a shot.

Though orange is the dominant color for Tiger lilies, they also come in yellows and reds. This beauty is from a Tiger lily mix I bought as bulbs last winter. This is probably the richest red I've yet to see in a Tiger lily.

There's something otherworldly about Snowball viburnum flowers! V. opulus flowers start off green then mature to a blinding white color. This year my tree just went crazy in the flowering department.

My Impatiens congolense (syn. I. niamniamensis) has outgrown its container and it's suffering a bit but that hasn't stopped it from flowering. The genus is one of the great survivors, proliferating under good conditions and hanging on in conditions that would kill other plants. They are one of the few stationary plants (ie. not vining or spreading) that can broadcast its seed via the seedpods 'exploding' and flinging seed up to 20' feet away.

Ground covers are under-appreciated as garden plants. This is a double form Gazania and it's nicely colonized a front yard sunny bed.

Here the Yellow Emperor ixias have opened their first flowers. There's something very appealing about yellow flowers with burgundy centers.

Papaver rhoeas Pandora. This deeper red/burgundy variety of the straight species offers its own allure. 

Mimulus Jelly Bean Gold. This variety seems to glow in the sun, offering up luminescent colors. 

One of my favorite names in the flower trade is the 'Mini-famous' line of Calibrachoas. First off, what the heck does that even mean? They're not 'fully famous?' They're famous for being miniature, kind of the plant world's version of Austin Power's Dr. Evil's Mini-me? In any case, this is C. Mini-famous Double Pink and I do like the tea-rose form of the flowers.

Gerrardanthus macrorhizus. A whole lotta name for a little guy but that's often the case with Caudiciforms. This is a vining type so we'll see how big it gets. 

Plectranthus zuluensis. If the species name reminds you of Africa, well, that's no coincidence, as most Plectranthus hail from South Africa. Famous for their toughness, adaptability to shade and ability to repel insects and predators (like deer). Lost in all their attributes is the fact they're also pretty. 

Despite its common name - Star of Bethlehem - this is another bulb hailing from South Africa. This Ornithogalum Coconut Cream just opened its first flowers, a lovely alabaster white with brownish-green centers.

Campanula 'Blue Waterfall.' This variety gets its varietal name from its trailing habit. It's a prolific bloomer once it gets going, blooming from late spring through early fall.

Yes, that darned Dicentra scandens is back! It's rather like your favorite weed - you know it's coming back and yet you love it. 

Physocarpus 'Amber Jubilee.' I've been surprised at how deep red many of the newer leaves are on this variety of Ninebark. It's meant to be, well, more of an amber color. Not that I mind. I love these colors!

Waiting for Godot ... or is that Guffman?

Yep, any day now, spring will arrive bringing warmer weather. Any day now ... should be here shortly. If there was such a thing as 'your Spring (check) is in the mail' this year would be it. I know parts of the country are just now shedding snow but here in the Bay Area the weather usually warms up in early March. Not early May. Among other things, this means that many of the plants in our gardens are late. Or not. Some plants growth and blooming cycles are triggered as much by the length of the day as by amount of sunshine or rain.
On a completely different note, I wanted to let people know about the Amazon Spheres, 3 work/greenhouse domes in Seattle. Here's the website. https://seattle.curbed.com/2018/1/30/16947838/amazon-spheres-seattle-architecture-photos. The two photos I've included here will give some idea of these amazing structures and interior design but I encourage going to the article.
Today, once more, it's photos of my garden, as the cornucopia of spring continues.

No shrub is more aptly named than the Marmalade bush (Streptosolen jamesonii). Like that famous jam, this evergreen shrub produces flowers in an array of colors - from golden yellow through brilliant orange. One little know fact about this shrub - it's irresistible to hummers.

"Is that a Eucomis 'Sparkling Burgundy' or are you just happy to see me?"  The new shoots of this pineapple lily certainly are a vivid burgundy. They'll age to a dark green but for the first month the leaves hold onto this rich tone.

Speaking of vivid burgundy colors, this Chantilly Purple snapdragon from Annie's offers velvety colors. One of the deepest colors in the world of snaps.

I've mentioned my love of lilies. Here's a closeup of the first one to bloom this year, an Asiatic type called Orange Electric. Love the color and pattern.

Yellow Ixias (corn lily) are less common but here's a new one in my garden called 'Yellow Emperor.' Don't know about the emperor part of the name, though Napolean was like 5' tall, n'est-ce pas?

Blechnum gibbum 'Silver Lady.' This is one of the so-called 'shuttlecock' ferns, which you get a better idea of from this top down shot.

Cyptomerias often have lovely golden new growth and that is the case this spring for my C. Sekkan-Sugi. Commonly known as Japanese cedars, did you know that the genus name translates as "hidden parts." Beautiful and varied, there are a number of dwarf varieties, this being one of those. 

When you say 'milkweed' most gardeners will immediately think of Asclepias. Fewer know that this blue-flowering charmer - Tweedia caerulea - belongs to the same family (Apocynaceae), making the same fluffy seedpods and having the same milky sap. Robins-egg blue anyone? 

Believe it or not you can buy conifers in 4" pots (usually in your nursery's Bonzai section). Here I've put a Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Plumosa Compressa,’ Cryptomeria japonica ‘Black Dragon’ and Pinus contorta v. murrayana in one pot.

Yes, Tillandsias DO bloom. Here's an unidentified species with a very popular color combo for air plants - pink and purple.

"I spathe, therefore I am." That could indeed be the motto for most Jack-in-a-Pulpits (Arisaema). Here's my A. griffithii v. pradhanii. This species has a particularly unusual and vivid spathe so I can't wait!

Choisya 'Sundance.' It took awhile but this golden Mock orange is now flowering every year. New leaves are golden then fade to a ever changing pattern of green and gold.

No one can seem to ID this fern but that's okay. It's beautiful. Here you see the new fiddleheads unfurling. 

My Clematis Josephine continues to unfold, adding new rings of petals. Here the filtered light gives it a softer appearance. 

Thatza California! Here are two CA natives, the patterned gold leaves of Tolmiea 'Taff's Gold' and the solid green leaves Of Maianthemum, with its radiating lines. The former stays evergreen while the spreading latter goes dormant in winter. 

Phacelia viscida + bumblebee. I always tell people - Ace customers and neighbors alike - that there's no reason to be afraid of bees (unless you're deathly allergic of course). Bees are intent on collecting nectar and nothing else. You literally can stick your face inches from them while they're harvesting nectar and they'll ignore you (pretty amazing when you consider the scale - our faces would be as big as skyscrapers). 

Callistemon viminalis. This dwarf bottlebrush shrub is hitting its stride here in year three. The flowers wouldn't seem to be ones that hummers would like but I see them on my plant every day.

One nice thing about putting bulbs in pots is that you can plant something low growing on top. Here I've put a sunrose (Helianthemum) over some species gladiolas. You can see them poking up. 

Most people are familiar with Tea trees. They get big and usually feature pink or red flowers. Here's the exception, a 10' high, white-flowering species (Leptospermum 'Lanigerum'). Although the flowers are pretty, I bought this one for its soft, silvery foliage.

To paraphrase the Bard "To Variegate or not to Variegate." This Euonymus aureo-marginatus is supposed to have patterned green and gold leaves (it did when I bought it) and if you look closely the lower leaves are indeed variegated. The question is: are the golden new leaves going to stay golden or will they acquire their intended variegation? 

File this Fuchsia autumnale under the category 'Don't care if it flowers.' Such pretty leaves!

You can be forgiven if you don't recognize this plant as a wisteria. It's a dwarf, bush type variety called Kofuji. It's supposed to only get 2-3' tall. It didn't bloom in its first full year in my garden but that's okay. I love the delicate foliage.