Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

I'm back from Canada and between the time there and the hustle to get ready I hadn't spent any quality time in my garden for two weeks. That meant my normal weekly walk through the garden was an especially inviting one. So many 'old friends' wearing new clothes. Some of the 'kids' had really grown, especially my Hollyhock 'Mars Magic,' which was 5' tall when I left and 7' on my return. Wow! It's not that I needed to go away to appreciate my garden, but the time away gave me a fresh perspective. Of course there's things that need doing but much of the garden party prep, making the garden look as neat and full as possible, was able to carry forward. Meaning the garden still looked rather nice on my return.
Due to the mild Oakland weather I get to garden year round. One drawback is that there's no down time, no winter to provide a rest. So, getting out of town provides my main break, albeit a brief one.
While I was gone it went from 85 to 65. In other words, typical Bay Area weather. Hey, it beats hurricanes, floods and general pestilence.
Okay, enough musing. Here are the photos. Due to the gray skies today, many of the photos are a bit muted. It does however give those interested an idea of what is in bloom this second week of July.

Cosmos sulphureus. Casual nursery shoppers sometimes confuse this short, brightly colored cosmos for a marigold but this Cosmic Mix is pretty fab. Oranges, reds and yellows float above fern-like foliage.

Hollyhock 'Mars Magic.' Though the flowers seem to be creamy pink in this photo,  they're more a raspberry red color. It's rocking a median strip pretty good and it's just getting started.

Ipomoea 'Heavenly Blue.' This morning glory produces the largest flowers and that robin's egg blue is too beautiful for words. 

Want to adopt a colorful bird that will make you happy? You have it if you're growing Nasturtium 'Canary Creeper.' I grow this annual every year and on this lattice board the last few. Mine is not a cottage garden, but this one area might well qualify. Unlike other nasturtiums, this one can cover a pretty good area, scrambling over whatever you give it to climb on. A little bit of floral sunshine.

And they too shall rise. My Cuphea Vienco Burgundy completely disappears in the winter, takes its time coming back but then goes berserk, going from nothing to full bloom in a month. This is a Bat-faced type, though not with the face and ears apparent on the Cuphea llavea types.

No boring California native here. Here are two of my Mimulus varieties, each in full bloom. Mimulus aurantiacus types thrive on benign neglect so don't over-water them.

This deep red, star-shaped charmer is Petunia exserta, a perennial petunia that I believe only Annie's grows. Its beauty belies its toughness. A sun lover, it'll produce an abundance of blooms in summer and fall.

Eucomis 'Sparkling Burgundy.' This well named cultivar features large, burgundy strap-shaped leaves and then in summer rigid stalks smothered in waxy, star-shaped flowers. On a coolness scale of 1-10, I give this plant an 11! Eucomis is a S. African bulb and is surprisingly tough. There is quite a range of colors for the flowers, from pure white, to whitish-green to this pink and even a deeper purplish pink.

Okay, this photo may not be exciting but those little purple buds are this dwarf Jacaranda's first crop of flowers-to-be. Can't wait! I've always loved Jacarandas but since they get 30-50' tall I didn't have room. So I was unreasonably excited when Monrovia announced a dwarf version that only gets 5-6' tall. We'll see.

If you're wondering what kind of Scabiosa this might be, well, stop. It's a Cephalaria gigantea. It does belong to the same family as its more familiar 'cousin' (Dipsacaceae) but this guy can reach 6-7' in height and each flower can be as large as 3" across. Thus its species name. Charming and just as popular with bees and butterflies as Pincushion plants.

Take an Angel's trumpet flower, make it a double and pull out that palette and select a gorgeous purple to coat the outside of the flowers and voila! Datura 'Blackcurrant Swirl.' I'll admit to being head over heels in love with this plan.

Aloe distans. Although this photo isn't perfectly focused, the flower head is so amazing I had to share it. It makes a kind of "floral umbrella" and the tips are a greenish-yellow. Too cool for words.

No shame in not being able to ID this guy. It's Abelia sp. 'Chiapas.' It was brought back from Chiapas Mexico by Strybing curator Don Mahoney and as far as I know only Annie's Annuals grows it. Its uniqueness lies in it being a cascader, having purple not pink flowers and most wonderfully, in its flowers being fragrant.

Okay, no more jokes about dandelions in talking about this tough as nails ground cover, Pilosella aurantiaca. Love the color and the mat forming foliage is a rich green with fine little hairs.

Not to repeat myself (okay I am) but "ladies and gentlemen, the world's greatest Lupine." It's Lupinus pilosus and thanks again to Barb Siegel for keeping this beauty in cultivation. There's just nothing else I can think of with this color, form and then the large, fuzzy seedpods. Love it!

I haven't always had the best luck with fashioning hanging baskets but this one, made for the garden party last month, has turned out quite nicely. It has two Calibrachoas (Million Bells) and then the charming Oregano 'Kent Beauty,' which is just starting to produce its pink bracts.

There's a reason that people love Passion Flower vines and this Passiflora actinia might be near the top of the list why. It does have petals of course (greenish-white, above) but it's the wildly colored and wavy filaments that are the real show. Uhh, Mr. Darwin, how exactly did we arrive at this flower?

Begonia 'Illumination Yellow.' This wildly popular new series of cascading begonias is just too floriferous to be believed. But there it is, so smothered in flowers you can barely see the leaves.

Speaking of going a little crazy, here's my Asarina erubescens 'Bridal Wreath.' Last year this small vine just overran everything next to it. Which I didn't mind, given its soft, mint green leaves and those pure white tubular flowers. Notice the yellow markings on the inside of the flower? Those are known as 'nectar pathways,' helping to guide pollinators into the heart of the flower where the nectar is located.

This is my first opportunity to photograph my long delayed in blooming Passiflora Oaklandii. This Parritae cross (with tarminiana) sent a vine dangling low enough that I could finally capture its unique beauty. So, with the P. actinia it's all about the filaments and with P. Oaklandii it's all about the petals. Ain't Nature grand?

Filed under "Patience is a virtue" this is the first year my Sambucus canadensis has produced berries. That was the main reason I planted this Elderberry bush, to provide berries for the birds. So, sweet success at last! Hopefully the Northern Mockingbirds and Robins will  find it.

The flash that came on automatically due to the low light conditions somewhat bleached out the colors here, especially for the deep burgundy bracts but I'm still including this photo here as these are the first flowers on my surprisingly hardy Deppea splendens. 

Dianella 'Baby Bliss.' One look at the 'shooting stars' form of the flowering stem, I almost think that someone shouted "Okay, quick, scatter!" I already see little berries forming, which will also be its first year to do so.

Savlvia patens. Nothing quite the pure blue flowers of this deciduous sage. The flash also made this flower a bit lighter than it is in truth but couldn't wait to share a photo of one of my favorite salvias.

Begonia boliviensis ''Sparkle Sunset.' This begonia has also exploded into bloom and is sharing its container with a Cuphea ignea 'Orange.' It seems to like its location so will leave it there for awhile.

A Disappearing Act

I've discovered the most amazing thing in my garden today. I'm about to share it with Physics Today but will let you in on it now. I've discovered a wormhole in my garden. You know, the kind that takes you to another dimension. Okay, of course I'm kidding but in a way there's an element of truth to the joke. Our gardens allow us to 'escape' the stresses of the real world for a time. In a sense, they've 'transported' us to another world, in some small way invisible to others. So in that way it opens a portal to a hidden world of soil and spades and plants and the hum of bees and zigzag of butterflies and the whtt, whtt of zooming hummingbirds. In the best gardening sessions, the whole of the world fades and we are encased in our private paradise. Now if we could only find that wormhole when the tac collector comes to our door ...
Here are more photos from my early summer garden. Tho spring is over, there is plenty still in bloom, with perennials and shrubs taking over the show.

Dianella 'Baby Bliss.' I'm finally getting my Dianella to bloom. As you can see they produce little, star-shaped blue flowers. The real treat assuming it happens are the tiny blue berries. Supplication is underway to the gardening gods ...

Here's the Begonia hanging basket I bought for the party. It's part of the new 'Illumination' series. Not sure which one I have, as it wasn't tagged. No matter, it's a real show stopper!

The knee bone is connected to the thigh bone ... It does almost look like the Hedychium greenii in the foreground is somehow connected to the red banana behind it. Both are residents of my tropical corner and seem happier with the recent warm weather.

Look, it's the Philodendron that ate Detroit! It only seems like this huge-leaved philodendron is big enough to do such a thing. 

Here's one of the mini-beds that lines the walkway to the back apartments. The variegated bush is Abutilon thompsonii; the small gold shrub in the front is Duranta 'Gold Mound' and that's a Calamintha to its right (not yet in bloom).

If you look at the flowers on this 'cactus' very closely you can probably guess its genus. Yep, it's a Euphorbia, in this case E. trigona 'Ruby.' The way the sun highlights its colors adorning the very top, it almost looks like a halo.

Not the most elegant shot, a simple flower seeming to float in space, but I'm very fond of this Scabiosa ochroleuca. Though the flower looks very white, as the plant progresses and if it was photographed in shade you'd see its subtle butter yellow hue. 

Mimulus 'Fiesta Marigold.' Wow, is all I could say in discovering this wild new mimulus. Dark red bordered by orange? So much for subtlety. But a bright splash of color now and then is fine.

Speaking of Monkey flowers, here's Mimulus 'Curious Red.' It's taken up residence in one of my median strip beds and is making itself at home.

Major gold stars to those who can ID this plant. The key to the ID is the way the individual 'blades' are wavy at the bottom. It's a Boophone disticha. That's not pronounced boo- phone but rather boo-off-on-ee. It's a tropical (or sub-tropical) bulbous plant endemic to Africa. The genus name is from the Greek 'bous' meaning 'ox' and 'phontes' meaning 'killer of'. So that's a hint that this plant is poisonous. It is sometimes known as 'Veld fan.' If one is lucky enough to have it flower, it produces a large inflorescence of star-shaped red flowers.

Tecoma x smithii. One of my favorite plants and now that it's established, one of the most vigorous. There's nothing quite like this color and the way it forms large clusters. Surprisingly, I haven't seen the hummers around it, though it seems like something they would love.

Magnolia grandiflora. My specimen is still somewhat small, magnolias aren't terribly fast growing trees, but it's slowly getting a foothold in its median strip home. It's the smaller-sized 'Little Gem' so it won't get too huge. Unlike deciduous magnolias, this evergreen species blooms in summer.

Datura 'Blackcurrant Swirl.' I'm a big fan of daturas. All the benefits of a Brugmansia (Angel's Trumpet) without the huge size or the need to feed constantly. This is one of the showiest ones, a semi-double form whose flowers are purple on the outside and white on the inside. As you can see, it's loading up with flowers now.

Monardella villosa. Coyote mints are tough, adaptable plants. They can take full sun or a mix of sun and shade. Not only are the furry flowers attractive but the leaves are intensely aromatic. 

Here's a hanging basket I planted for the party then decided that it was easier seen (and appreciated) on a little plant stand. That's a Begonia boliviensis hybrid on the left and a Cuphea ignea variety on the right. 

I once had a customer come into Ace and ask for a purple hydrangea. When I showed her one, she said 'No, no, the flowers are much tinier.' It took me awhile before I figured out she was talking about this gem - Trachelium 'Hamer Pandora.' This summer flowering perennial is a magnet for bees and, well, a magnet also for gardeners who love purple.

Summer Delight

Spring to summer. That transition has so many connotations, some almost mythic, that it's part of the very fabric of our modern lives. For gardeners, that can be as simple as the transition from the exuberance of spring bursting forth to the quieter beauty of summer. Most of the planting has been done and hopefully one has conquered the array of weeds that also burst forth in spring. We never stop working in our gardens of course but hopefully now is a time when we can slow down a bit and appreciate the fruits of our labors.
June is always an interesting month to me. Although we tend to think of plants for spring and plants for fall, with summer a period not exactly forgotten but not quite with its own identity, summer can be a time when many perennials really hit their stride. My garden is full of them, many in bloom now, giving the garden a definite summer look.
Here is a peek at some of my garden's June clothes.

Bromeliad species. Many bromeliads will bloom in summer and this red-flowering one seems to favor this season to show off its colorful bracts.

Rhipsalis 'Limey.' Rhipsalis is a type of epiphytic cacti, commonly known as Mistletoe cactus. It is the largest and most widely distributed type of epiphytic cacti in the world. They are great for hanging baskets, with many displaying a cascading habit. 

Though not the best picture, I couldn't resist sharing the beautiful white blossoms of Philadelphus 'Belle Etoile.' I had to wait three years for it to bloom but the heavenly fragrance was worth the wait. 

Polemonium reptans 'Stairway to Heaven.' This morning sun loving perennial will eventually produce beautiful lavender flowers but in the meantime shows off lovely variegated foliage. BTW, this variety name refers to the plant's common name -- Jacob's Ladder. 

Nasturtiums may be common but some of them are really quite pretty. This one almost looks more painted than grown and is climbing up the vines of my Porcelain Berry vine.

I couldn't quite get the tiny, tiny flowers on this Ledebouria socialis in perfect focus but they are so unique and sweet that it's worth posting the photo anyway. It's an interesting plant, being a geophytic species of a bulbous perennial. It hails from South Africa, an area as many know that is a rich source of flowering bulbs.

I'm hoping that this golden 'spear' will be this bromeliad's "flower." It certainly provides an interesting contrast to the silvery smooth leaves.

Laurentia axillaris. The plant's common name -- 'Blue Stars' -- is as much descriptive as it is prosaic but in any case I love this plant's ferny foliage and exuberant lavender stars.

Here's another shot of my newest Dianthus (D. chinensis heddewigii). That color is pretty fab and the white edging really adds to the drama. I've been thinking about this color recently and given that relatively few flowers exhibit such a bold hue, it might make for an interesting photo essay.

Remember that old TV quiz show, where contestants had to guess the identity of the mystery guest. There was a line something like "Do you know me? I ..." Well, one could pose that question for this plant. Although it's not common and of course it's the flower that usually gives away a plant's ID, this bulb really does possess a very identifiable form. There's the striated markings on the leaves and the way the tips of the leaves have a little curlycue. It's a Gloriosa lily and it will eventually produce showy and distinctive red and yellow flowers.

Though the Clarkia 'Aurora' flowers at the bottom are in shade and not showing off their coral charms, the contrast to the golden hues of Physocarpus 'Nugget' is striking. Definitely a showstopper.

I took a photo of this newly planted succulent bowl last week but here's a closeup of one of its star entries -- Sempervivium tectorum calcareum (whew that's a mouthful!) I love the burgundy tips and the hint of turquoise in the leaves. Here it almost looks like a lotus floating on a blue pond.

Speaking of art, check out this new variety of Painted Tongue. That would be Salpiglossis 'Chilean Black.' This variety does indeed hail from Chile, which of course shares our Mediterranean climate. Here the flowers are a rich wine color but it can also show lots of purple.

Delphinium 'Summer Skies.' They might just as well entitled this variety 'Robin's Egg Blue' given its light blue hues. I've always wondered, given that bees pollinate these flowers, whether there's a connection to the inner section of delphiniums being called a "bee." The genus name derives from the Latin for "dolphin", referring to the shape of the nectary.

I thought this made for an interesting shot, with the Aquilegia 'Yellow Queen' flower seeming like it's actually the bloom of the Sauromatum venosum behind it. That Arum's common name is Voodoo lily and it produces a foot long, brownish spathe that can sometimes be quite smelly. To me, the voodoo spell it casts is its singular weirdness and beauty.

Aloe distans. This tough little aloe, newly planted in a median strip bed about six months ago, has already produced its first flower (up above, not yet open).  So many aloes, so little room ...

The angle taken to get both the flower and the foliage of this Francoa ramosa in the frame makes it seem as if the plant might be very tall but in fact it's only 30" at this point. It is certainly happy and has made the transition from being planted a mere month ago to it's already being in bloom quite effortlessly. It's a great alternative to foxgloves.

Right next to the Francoa is another new addition to my garden, this Euphorbia x martinii 'Ascot Rainbow. It also decided to get on with the business of flowering and is so covered in bloom heads that you can barely see the leaves. 

Here are two shots of a hummingbird visiting my Marmalade bush (whose flowers they adore). In the top photo, he's hovering just to the right and a bit lower than center. In the lower photo, he's resting in pretty much the center of the frame.

Here's the 'star' of my garden party, the Echium 'Blue Bedder.' It truly is one of the great bee plants for the garden and unlike perennial echiums which take awhile to grow and blossom, the annual Blue Bedder grows quickly and flowers profusely. If it were a product sold in a grocery store it would be advertised as "Instant Echium!"

Here's the aforementioned 'Shady Lane,' the pathway leading to the back yard. A friend kidded me about how 'clean' the garden looked for the party and tho I did do a lot of weeding and pot organization, I think it was the fact that the walkways were newly swept that caused her comment.

Ten points to those who can name this plant. If the foliage were more in focus, it might be easier but take a closer look at the shape of the flowers. Do they look familiar? It's a Corydalis but the fact that the flowers are yellow on this C. lutea is what throws people. Most Corydalis have blue flowers but I'll admit that despite being a lover of true blue flowers, I love these canary yellow blooms.

Iris 'Joyce Terry.' Not sure why but this bearded iris bloomed VERY late this year. Not only is it lovely but it is one of the sweetest smelling of any Bearded iris I've had the pleasure to be around.

Got bat? You do, sort of, if you have any of the so-called Bat-faced cupheas in your garden. There are an increasing number of Cuphea llavea varieties on the market. This one is a C. llavea Vienco Burgundy. Despite its name, the color of the flowers mysteriously ranges from red to burgundy to purple.