The In Between

I know it seems as if spring just got here but a look at the calendar gives us the redoubtable truth that it is indeed early May. Which must mean that the spring months of March and April are behind us. Our gardens -- at least some of our gardens -- relay this fact to us. In my own garden, the early spring blooming shrubs such as Camellias and Viburnums are done blooming. Same for my early spring blooming trees, such as dogwoods and magnolias. All of my spring bulbs have finished flowering.
So this is a bit of an 'In Between' period for many of us, as we wait on late spring and early summer blooming perennials, shrubs and trees.
That doesn't mean there isn't a lot going on in our gardens and of course the timing of early, mid and late spring is relative to the zone that one is gardening in.
The plant of the week for me is Mimulus aurantiacus, better known as Sticky Monkey flower. I keep adding new ones (there are so many varieties) and it doesn't take them long to start blooming. They of course like dry heat, though a bit of regular water makes them even more floriferous. Good drainage is a must but given this and enough sun they practically 'run themselves.' Add bees and hummingbirds to the creatures that love them, making this genus/species one of the most popular in our nursery.
Today's flowers are, as always, a snapshot in time of my garden. Again, I encourage everyone to take photos of their garden. It's fun, it's rewarding and one is then blessed with a record of one's work and accomplishments at different times of the year and different years. Heck, these days even cell phones take sharp photos.
Okay here are today's photos.

Dicentra scandens. I've spoken often about this wondrous plant - honorary member of the ten most fabulous plants you can't find to buy -- and here it is scrambling up my new metal trellis.

Passiflora 'Lady Margaret.' This deep red passion flower is a new fave, especially since it hit the ground running! While the flowers aren't large and the corona isn't as showy as some, the intense color of the petals is more than enough.

Double yellow gazania. Gazanias are one of the gardening world's greatest underappreciated flowers. Often taken for granted -- "Oh, them ..." -- they are colorful, tough, adaptive and long blooming. This somewhat unusual double form was particularly appealing.

Though this Sweet Pea may look an awful lot like Cupani, it's actually one from Annie's Annuals called North Shore. Great color combo and the flowers are particularly large. And fragrant of course. 

Pineapple lilies (Eucomis) are one of those plants that I'm surprised isn't in everyone's garden. Super easy to grow, reliable (they return every year), with striking flower columns and in this case of this Sparkling Burgundy exquisite foliage, well, it's one of those 'Checklist' plants (beautiful - check; striking - check; easy to grow - check). 

Though this photo doesn't do justice to the beauty of Papaver 'Lauren's Grape,' one of the very first breadseed poppies that Annie's Annuals propagated, I couldn't pass up photographing the first flower to emerge.

Continus 'Royal Purple.' I once said to a friend and neighbor, about her cat, that she was so amazingly friendly that she must have swallowed the whole bottle of 'Friendly pills.' Well, my Smoke tree is kind of like that this year in terms of its flowering. You can hardly see the leaves under all the 'smoke.' Gorgeous.

Speaking of shrubs that tend to go overboard, that describes my Streptosolen (Marmalade bush). As soon as it warms up and given the occasional deep watering, it's smothered in orange/peach/gold flowers. Not only that but it's an absolute favorite of hummingbirds. I love working next to it because the hummers will zip up to it, sometimes not more than two feet from my face, for a hit of nectar.

Echium Blue Bedder. Where my Marmalade bush is a magnet for hummers, this annual Echium is a must see destination for all manner of bees. That and the true blue flowers mean that I grow it every year. This year I didn't have to buy a new specimen as it self-seeded, producing four plants.

This Echeveria species is taking over the world, just very, very slowly. The 25 or so rosettes all started from one 4" plant.

Forget tea and biscuits, this teacup is growing a Crassula alba v. parvisepala. This crassula is notable for it's dramatically spotted foliage. And like many crassulas it blooms fairly readily.

Though not planted yet, this is a Heuchera 'Fire Alarm.' Here's a tip about the darker-leaved Heucheras -- they need a good amount of sun to hold onto their color. Not midday heat in the warmer climates but a decent amount of sun makes them happy.

Calceolaria 'Kentish Hero.' Everybody's favorite Pocketbooks, at least those who love the color orange, this perennial (not annual like C. mexicana) form forms a small bush and is pretty good at returning each year.

One of the things I like about Mimulus is that there's a certain wildness to them. Here my M. aurantiacus 'Bronze' is scrambling, having initially had to get above some weedy grasses and one of the Echium Blue bedders that I eventually yanked out.

A new addition, this Cistus 'McGuire's Gold' is making a bold statement. I love rockroses, as many do, for their beauty and toughness.

Speaking of gold, here are two more. The larger specimen is Caryopteris 'Hint of Gold' and the low grower to its right is Teucrium 'Summer Sunshine.' When the Caryopteris finally blooms, its purple flowers really pop against that foliage.

Mimulus a. 'Ray's Tangerine. One of my first mimulus and still going strong. In front is a dwarf Buddleja called CranRazz. It's just starting its bloom season.

Though it's not in bloom yet, this Epilobium canum is filling out very nicely and doing a good job of softening the wrought iron railing. A wonderfully tough high ground cover that is showy once in bloom (and spoiler alert, the subject of one of my upcoming SF Chronicle columns).

Clematis 'Niobe.' To my mind, still THE go to clematis for this color. Very vigorous and tough, it's put up with being in a pot for six years (soon to be transplanted).

Duranta 'Gold Mound.' This little known shrub is a tough customer and Gold Mound is a dwarf cultivar. It has yet to bloom but am loving the foliage in the meantime. 

Most people don't think of Campanulas of plants that colonize but this C. punctata has done just that in my garden. It goes deciduous in the winter but returns with vigor in the spring. 

Amorphophallus kiusianus. Related to the Giant arum, this vigorous and unusual plant produces these unusual spathes (the mottled white cup) and the wicked looking black spadix. 

This closeup of Abelia 'Kaleidascope' throws off the perspective of what size it is, shrub or ground cover or ?? Of course, Abelias are shrubs and this is the variegated form tha many people covet.

The Big Calm

There have been so many extreme weather events lately - earthquakes, massive rainstorms, etc -- that our continuing drought seems mild by comparison. That doesn't mean we should let up on our water conservation efforts. Here  are some planting/mulching tips I wrote for our Ace Nursery customers last year. I'm sure most of you are following these principles but it's sometimes handy to have a checklist.

1. Mulch, mulch, mulch. Use a thicker layer of bark mulch than you might otherwise do.

2. Gradually scale back on the frequency but use a deep watering method. Make the roots search out moisture deeper in the soil where it does not evaporate.

3. Choose drought tolerant perennials OR deciduous shrubs that need little regular water. In both these cases, they should need little or no water between November and April.

4. Seek out drought tolerant plants for shade. Dry Shade plants include Plectranthus, Liriope, Heuchera maxima (a native), Western sword fern (also a native), Sarcococca (Sweet box), Camellias, Clivia, Hellebores and many others.

5. Use drip irrigation where possible.

6. Keep the number of plants in pots to a minimum. They naturally use more water than those planted in the ground.

7. Plants things with similar water needs together wherever possible. That is, plant drought tolerant plants together and those that need a little regular water together.

8. Expand out past natives to include the larger list of Bay Friendly plants. These are also drought tolerant, tough and non-invasive. Consult www.bayfriendlycoalition.org/plantlist.shtml for a list of such plants.

And now this week's photos.

Here's my sweet Aquilegia chrysantha 'Flora Pleno' in fuller bloom. Now in its third year, it has proven to be a sturdy little guy.

This charming, variegated leaf Pelargonium is P. 'Frank Headley.' It has made do in a small pot but it's definitely time for an upgrade. I like the salmon-colored flowers too, a color you don't often see with pels.

I lucked out on this photo of my new Dudleya gnoma. The sun brings out a kind of white heat on the plant. It's a dwarf variety and yes it's not a coincidence that the species name looks a lot like Gnome. It is also known as Munchkin dudleya. Nope, not making that up. It tops out at 4" x 4." It's rare, found only on Santa Rosa Island (one of the Channel islands). This specimen is a cultivar called 'White Sprite.'

Speaking of uncommon plants, for some reason Ballota nigra isn't widely known. This is the variegated form called Archer's Variety. I love the foliage and if you take a good look you can see why it's part of the Lamiaceae family. It can reach a 3' x 3' size so has a full presence. In the front, starting to spill over, is my silvery Geranium harveyi.

Many gardeners will recognize this CA native. It's a 5 Finger fern and despite its name it's a very trustworthy plant (5 Finger being a term for a pickpocket). That's the lighter new growth above and the darker older growth lower down.

I'm thrilled that my Passiflora parritae x tarminiana 'Oaklandia' is starting to bloom. It produces very large, salmon-orange flowers and it has climbed up into my apple tree. 

Mixed succulent hanging basket. Though I kept adding succulents in a bit of helter-skelter manner, the end result has been quite pleasing.

There's something entirely appropriate about letting Mimulus do their thing, rather than manicuring them. Here's my M. 'Jeff's Tangerine' meandering through other plants, a bit woody, but very happy.

A golden Teucrium? Mais oui! This is T. 'Summer Sunshine,' a golden-leaved, low growing deciduous perennial. It does flower of course but I have it mostly for that glorious foliage.

The tree that ate Oakland! Well, not exactly but my Cotinus 'Royal Purple' has loved our winter rains and responded in kind. It's a 'street' tree and has managed to get a good foothold in lousy soil. 

There are many lovely Mallow members but one of my favorites is Sphaeralcea munroana. As you can see, it's a low growing, cascading species and once the weather warms up it blooms profusely, with little half inch rose-colored flowers. I also love the tiny scalloped leaves.

Looking almost good enough to eat (candy corns perhaps), this Passiflora citrina has proven to be one of the most durable plants in my garden. To me they look like little vegetative fountains.

Faster than a Speeding Bullet

No, not Superman (speeding bullet) but the curious and delightful bird known as an Oaktit. Part of the titmouse family, it's distinguished by having a more pronounced crest (or Tyrolean hat as a birder friend describes it). They're around my garden a lot these days, flitting back and forth from a close by tree to the window seed feeder. They're so fast that the human mind can't quite process the microsecond it takes them to get from limb to feeder. They're excitable birds and have a very sweet song. So today's post is dedicated to this garden friend (as well as all birds of course).
And now the photos ...

Salvia 'Sao Borja.' Though an annual in climates that get a hard freeze, here in temperate Oakland, this part shade tolerant Salvia has prospered. Love those burgundy flowers!

This shot is a bit darker than I'd prefer but too much sun simply bleaches out the subtle butter tones of Camellia 'Dahlohnega.' As you can see, it's a double form camellia, with a hint of pale yellow at its center. This proved to be the last of my ten camellias to bloom. Don't know if that's due to its own nature or the fact that it's still a youthful shrub.

Certain things may not have a "snowball's chance in hell" of doing well, but this Snowball viburnum is quite happy in the sun (at least some). The flowers start out green then mature to a blinding white in no time. And it's prolific. No sense in crowding this bush into a tight spot. It's a freedom lover baby and it gots to roam.

In the same area but in front is my equally vigorous Sambucus canadensis. I chose this species for its berries. For the birds. It's on the side of the house with the bird feeders so it's ideally located to tempt our avian friends. That said, elderberries have been used to make wine for centuries.

Aquilegia chrysantha 'Flora Pleno.'  This super cool and rare variety of the chrysantha species makes petite, fully double, red and yellow flowers. Proof indeed that good things come in small packages.

This new lily (L. Black Eye) has made a nice stand in its first year. Despite its name, I'm guessing it's a lover not a fighter.

The bright colors of Mimulus 'Bronze' help it stand out in a 'jungle' of Dutch iris stems, Echium Blue Bedder and yes a few stubborn weedy grasses. Most of my sticky Monkey flowers have begun a new bloom season.

This is probably the last of my flowers this year on the late winter blooming Luculia pinceana. Those that follow this blog know how much I love it, mainly for the intensely fragrant flowers.

My second time around of growing Correa 'Wyn's Wonder' has met with greater success. It's filling out nicely, even if it doesn't bloom this year.

There's a relatively new line of Petunias called 'Surprise.' Here's the 'Surprise Moonlight Bay.' I love how the cross breeding has created a kind of scalloped burgundy pattern, outlined by the butter yellow. Surprises are a cascading type of petunia. I guess I'll see; mine is at the front of a low rock wall.

Lovers of Eucomis will immediately recognize these new shoots. They're from a E. 'Sparkling Burgundy.' The color is most vivid at this point of first appearance, gradually aging to a burnished dark green. Central flower stalks will follow, with distinctive (and popular) waxy flowers.

Okay, not the most dazzling photo but that little peach-colored flower is an Ixia bellendenii 'Peach' bulb. Hard to find these days, I'm glad that at least one of mine has survived.

From the sublime (Ixia flower above) to the ridiculous, here a Passiflora actinia. Last week I posted a photo of it having ascended to our second story roof. Here's a close up of it's showy flowers. Or rather of its showy filaments, as the petals are a plain white. Sometimes it looks more animal than flower, like some sea creature scuttling about the ocean floor with its hundred legs.

Here's a photo of a little terrarium I did. The feature is a Tillandsia but there's also a little blue metal lizard in there (to the left).

Speaking of tillandsias, here's one of unknown species/variety that has produced not one or two but five flower spikes!

My Eriogonum giganteum has lived up to its species name, especially when it sends out its multi-branching flower stems. I love everything about this plant -- its intensely silver foliage; its huge sprays of white flowers; its popularity with pollinators and its toughness. But that's CA Buckwheats for you.

As advertised! That description should appear on all labels for Campanula 'Blue Waterfall.' This vigorous, spilling, long blooming bellflower has become one of my favorite garden plants. Here it is, doing its thing. 

Okay, another entry from the show What's My Line? Are you old enough to remember it? One of the tag lines was "Who Am I?" So, any ideas on this week's celebrity entrant? Did you start by deducing that it's a Verbascum? Good. It's a lesser known species called thapsus and it's native to Europe and northern Africa. I love its heavily textured leaves and that grayish-green color.

When the omnipresent weedy grasses took over my Dwarf conifer bed I gave up on my idea of letting the 'floor' there be just pine needles from above and some Viola labradorica that I was waiting to self seed. Nope, the grasses were way too fast. So I've resorted to microbark, which is way too bright right now but will soon age to a more natural light brown. 

Here's a riddle. When can you have both sunlight and moonlight out at the same time? You do when you have a Grevillea 'Moonlight' in your garden. Here's one of its massive flowering panicles. My favorite Grevillea and one of my favorite garden denizens, no qualifications needed. Hard to find!

Exbury azaleas are a true treat for those of us that like our azaleas with orange, gold and orangish-red tones. Sun lovers and deciduous, their spring glory is all too brief but entirely worth the effort.