Stop start stop

Spring, sort of summer, then winter again. Is that how it's supposed to happen this time of year? No matter and it sure beats sweltering heat! Want to extol the virtues of mallows this week. That in the widest sense is every genus in the Malvaceae family. Putting aside Hibiscus and Hollyhocks for now, I want to recommend four prominent members of this family: Lavatera, Anisodontea, Sphaeralcea and Malva. These shrubs, or in the case of Sphaeralcea munroana a ground cover, are tough, drought tolerant and very long blooming. Keep an eye out for my column on these four in an upcoming Sunday Chronicle.
Lots of photos today and since I used my zoom lens, more closeups. Don't forget to click to enlarge.

Daffodil Tahiti. I love the so-called double daffodils and this one features a ruffled orange center.

Sometimes a photo just naturally emphasizes the true color of a flower and that's the case here. Dianthus Super Trooper Orange is certainly a colorful variety.

The yellow flowers belong to Eriogonum Shasta Sulphur. Most CA Buckwheats offer up pink or white flowers but there are a few yellows too and this is one of the best.

One thing not always mentioned about milkweeds (in this case Asclepias curassivica) is that they are strong self-seeders. Thi8s specimen seeded itself in a pot holding my Pavonia and has made itself at home. 

Leucospermum Veldfire. Love this sugarbush as they are called in South Africa. It's managed to establish itself in a minimum amount of soil.

This unusual double lily is called Lilium Apricot Fudge. Not quite fully open but you get the sense of its unique shape. One of my favorites and an early bloomer to boot!

Laburnum anagyroides. This Golden Chain tree as it's called made a speedy recovery from being heavily pruned. To my amazement it's already blooming.

California maritime poppy. This perennial form of the CA poppy is a vigorous plant that spreads by underground rhizomes. Tough, long blooming and pretty. Pretty much all you want in a plant.

Drosanthemum micans. This version of Dew flower certainly offers intense colors, with the red border especially just jumping off the screen.

Neoregelia Marcon. This bromeliad is courtesy of Bromeliad Paradise on the east coast. It's suppose to get more golden as it matures.

Here is this week's flower ID quiz. Any ideas? Look at the leaves and not just the flower. No? It's an unusual Flowering maple - Abutilon vitifolium. I'd never seen before with lavender flowers. Very pretty!

Exbury azalea red. The Exburys as many know are the deciduous brightly colored hybrids, offering up oranges and golds not found in traditional evergreen azaleas. Plus red obviously. And too, they are sun lovers as opposed to the evergreen types, which are happier with a bit of shade.

I've not generally had a lot of luck with Kangaroo paws but this JoeJoe Yellow is blooming its heart out.

Welcome back Marmalade bush! I whacked it back pretty hard in the fall of 2017 and it's just now fully back and blooming.It was a good plan, as it had gotten kind of unruly. Possibly my favorite non-bulb in my garden.

Mitr4aria coccinea. This hard to find sub-shrub is noteworthy for its reddish-orange tubular flowers. And for the fact that it blooms in late winter/early spring. Lovely!

Now you see it and now you don't. My Philadelphus Covelo burst into bloom almost overnight! Though flush with flowers, this variety doesn't possess much fragrance and certainly not compared to the P. Belle Etoile.

Camellia Jury's Yellow. Yellow flowers in a camellia are hard to come by. This variety from Sonoma Horticulture Nursery is a delight.

Pelargonium Raspberry Twizzle. The name kind of says it all!

My Passiflora parritae x tarminiana 'Oaklandii' has taken over my apple tree. That's okay because the apples are useless and the white flowers brief. This passion flower cross is a prolific bloomer, from late spring till nearly XMas.

Aquilegia Flore Pleno. This red and yellow columbine is one of my favorites.

Good things come in small packages. This petite Aquilegia buergeriana 'Calimero' packs a picturesque punch! Delicate, soft colors but it has returned faithfully each of its 5 years.

An interrupted spring

Well, first the month of March it rained nearly every day and that was followed by being down for the count health wise for the month of April. Springus interruptus indeed! The garden has continued on without me, as gardens will and now it's a pleasure to go out and stroll through all the changes. The following photos were taken today and while they won't rate as the most exciting, they will give an idea of some of the spring color. That said, I'm anxious to add some new spring annuals/perennials, to fill in a few empty spots.

Allium roseum. This sweet little 'fireworks' allium offers up umbels of delicate pink flowers. 

Not sure which Allium this is but it's similar in form to the roseum only white. Ornamental onions, at least these smaller types, are easy to grow and return each year.

Mimulus variety. Not sure which one this is, Jelly Bean Bronze perhaps, but no matter it's a beauty. 

I have quite a few Dutch iris in my garden and this pure yellow is one of them. 

Chantilly Purple snapdragon. The Chantilly series is very hardy. This is the start of year 3 for this beauty.

Papaver Drama Queen. Bicolored AND fringed? Sign me up!

If only this Narcissus 'Tahiti' would take me home ...

Tritonia variety. A vigorous genus, Tritonias multiply with ease in one's garden.

Though in too much shade to show off their magnificent colors, this Dutch Iris Bronze mix has put forth a show of ginger colors.

It looks like an azalea, it blooms like an azalea but it's actually an ... Azalea! An Exbury hybrid azalea that is, the deciduous type that offers up a stunning color range of reds, oranges and golds.

Leucospermum Veldfire. Still my favorite pincushion bush, with loads of gold 'down'  right before the flower opens.

You may not know it but you're looking at one of the rarest dogwoods in these parts. It's Cornus florida ssp Urbiniana. Its claim to fame is its pure white, dramatically recurved flowers. 

Iris douglasiana. Everybody's favorite CA native species iris. Easy, prolific once established, tough and adaptable, it's great for colonizing a part shady bed.

Nepeta tuberosa. This larger-sized catmint is just now adding its first flowers. Of course, bees, hummers and cats are all beating a path to its door.

My Chron column returns!

Good news learned just yesterday morning. The Chronicle is resuming my Plant Scout column. As most of you know, I got word a month ago that they were discontinuing it, along with the entire Garden section. Not sure what has caused the reversal but it's certainly good news. It will be in the Food + Wine section. They ran the last of my old columns there today. So I'll need to get going on ideas for new columns. I also continue to write signs for Annie's Annuals so have at least two creative writing outlets, on top of this blog.
Here's a few more photos of the garden, showing off their early spring colors.

Arisaema thunbergii var. Urashima. Here's the fully open spathe. A lovely purplish-brown. One of my favorite Jack-in-the-Pulpits.

Clivia miniata. Just love the brightly colored flowers on this ancient plant. One of those benign neglect plants that actually benefit from some crowding. 

Acer Beni Maiko. Love the bright red new growth on this Japanese maple. The leaves age to green but acqwuire the same fire engine red color in the late fall.

Scilla peruviana. Not the most elegant picture but this is one of many pots that had to be moved this last two weeks so it's now in a bit more shade and is reaching out for the sun. 

Gladiolus Volcano. One of many species glads out there. This photo doesn't do justice to the lovely orchid-pink colors, and the white throats. 

Babiana stricta hybrids. There is a great variation  of color in these hybrids, from dark purple to purple & white, to wine colored to pink to pure white. A good clumper that returns every year, it's one of the easiest South African bulbs to grow.

Dutch iris. Here too there is a great range of colors and many of the falls have prominent veining. 

Wish I knew the variety of this double Narcissus (it was part of a variety pack). It has to have THE most fragrant flowers of any daffodil.

Scabiosa Harlequin. I never knew there were 'ground cover' Scabiosas before I grew this tough, floriferous beauty. Stays very low (4-6") and spreads. 

Though I had to trim my Leucospermum Veldfire for sightlines to the house street sign, there's still enough flowers for a nice little show. 

My Aloe striata gets a bit more water than it absolutely needs but that only seems to make it bloom more profusely. A hummingbird magnet!

Though common, sometimes Nasturtiums can do interesting things. Like act as a vine as this variety is doing, climbing up a Laburnum tree.

Callistemon viminalis. This dwarf variety of bottlebrush tree is finally opening its flowers. 

Halimium lasianthum Farral. This rare golden-flowering Halimium is one lovely and sunny addition to the garden.

Ornithogalum umbellatum. A ground cover type Star of Bethlehem, this little charmer pops up faithfully every spring. 

Wisteria Kofuji. This extremely dwarf wisteria (1-2' high) didn't bloom this its second year but has filled out more densely. 

It's taken awhile after a major pruning in 2017 but my marmalade bush (Streptosolen jamessonii) is finally blooming again. 

Physocarpus Nugget. Quick to leaf out and then quick to flower, this golden-leafed Ninebark bush is already filling up with fuzzy white flowers much sought after by bees.

Helenium Mardi Gras. This tenacious perennial never seems to not be in bloom. Another favorite flower for all manner of bees.