Thursday, May 11, 2017

A Bunch of Random Photos

We had a stretch of nice weather--two or three days I think--and now we're back to rain. The sunshine and warmth were as good for the garden as they were for the gardener. Plants everywhere are saying, "Hello, world!"

Here is a random sampling.

I bought this native Penstemon at a Master Gardener sale last year. This is the first time it's flowered and I am so impressed. I expected this plant to be persnickety but it settled right in. 

Penstemon rupicola

Penstemon rupicola

Penstemon rupicola

The pathway

I've got to get rid of those silly concrete blocks and plant something beefy and leafy here. Any suggestions?



I was worried about my Rodgersias not coming back but that was just me worrying. Now it's the Cannas. And the Dahlias...

Rodgersia sp.

The Saxifragas are abloom and looking all frothy and romantic.

Saxifraga x geum 'Dentata'



More random rock garden plants. The little Iris-looking leaves are Candy Lilies (x Pardananda 'Sangria'). I allowed the mother plant to go to seed and now I've got lots of them! 


Armeria maritima rubifolia is just starting to bloom.

Lychnis viscaria is a reliable, no fuss, evergreen, spring-bloomer. 

Lychnis viscaria

Euphorbia griffithii 'Fireglow'

Euphorbia 'Fireglow' and Geum 'Flames of Passion'

My first rose:

Rosa mutabilis

My first large-flowered Clematis:

Clematis 'Asao'

My first Fuchsia. This variety (I can't remember the name) has really tiny flowers. Not as tiny as F. 'Isis' but close. If you compare the blossom with the leaves, it will give you an idea of how small and cute it is.

Fuchsia sp.

Fuchsia sp.

My Lewisia decided to bloom this year.

Lewisia cotyledon

And my variegated honeysuckle is abloom.

Variegated Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum 'Harlequin')

This is a newbie this year. It's called a hardy Dwarf Snapdragon, (Chaenorrhinum origanifolium 'Summer Skies'). I am hoping they're right about the (winter) hardy part.  

Chaenorrhinum origanifolium 'Summer Skies'

I planted it in this metal box, for now.




In one of my woodland borders, the Primula sieboldii 'Late Snow' is starting to get elbowed by its neighbors.

Primula sieboldii 'Late Snow'

Spiraea x vanhouttei 'Pink Ice'

I always think of my gardening friend Nancy when the Montia are blooming. Don't you love pass-along plants?

Montia parvifloria var. flagellaris

Montia parvifloria var. flagellaris


Persicaria 'Purple Majesty' is looking very majestic this year.

Weigela florida 'Variegata'

This Cuphea jumped into my cart the other day. I love the blossom colors.

Cuphea Vienco 'Red Purple'

Cuphea Vienco 'Red Purple'



The tag says it's  Zone 8 so I'm going to try and winter it over in my newly constructed heated plant  winter-over area. 




Geranium 'Orion' is about to bloom.

 After three years and several moves, I finally found the right place for my ornamental rhubarb. Don't you just love the burgundy undersides of these leaves?
Ornamental Rhubarb (Rheum palmatum var. tanguiticum)

 The rain has been good for this Impatiens.
Impatiens omeiana 'Silver Pink'

Also the Podophyllum...

Podophyllum 'Spotty Dotty'


The new leaves on this maple are fabulous.

Acer pseudoplatanus 'Esk Sunset'

And these new leaves aren't too shabby either.

Hart's Tongue Fern or Asplenium scolopendrium 

Thanks to extremely good drainage, my pink-flowering California Fuchsia survived the winter! It's not huge, but it's alive!

Zauschneria or Epilobium canum 

Finally, this little guy must have slept through the lesson on camouflage. He's so adorable, all tucked in to Britt-Marie Crawford's burgundy leaves. 


Thanks for visiting my little world. 

14 comments:

  1. It all looks fabulous! The pink Penstemon works well in that planter with the succulents. Dreamy. I really like the way you plant among the rocks--very creative arrangements. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for the tour - lots of interesting plants - I am going to look for the cuphea - my hummers love them.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love that orange euphorbia! I just planted that same Summer Snapdragon yesterday and the Lewisia, my first time growing both. Your gravel pathways are wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  4. We have many of the same plants...yours look so healthy and happy. That spiraea - I just planted one myself, so impressed by its leaves and wonderful buds. The Penstemon rupicola is a favorite, I've killed many (well, I hear they are short-lived), and admire anyone who grows them well. You certainly do. Lovely lovely lovely.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I always love taking a garden tour to see the many species of flowers which I will never see in person. I especially like to see the containers you use.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm glad to see that your spring flowers are persevering through the rain. (The next time rain shows up, please redirect it to SoCal.) I find I now must find Euphorbia 'Fireglow'. I love the dwarf snapdragon and its box too.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The few sunny days sure did make our gardens wake up even more. You've got lots of gorgeous things happening in your slice of paradise right now. Love the frog picture! The weather guy on the radio announced yesterday, "Our long sunny ordeal is over." as the rain started pouring outside again yesterday. Grrr!

    ReplyDelete
  8. ok, the plants are fantastic. can we talk pathways? a decision i am faced with is round gravel or crushed gravel. you have both. which one is your favorite and why? back to plants- Persicaria 'Purple Majesty'- oh lawdy, gimme dat! Does it seed insanely?

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'm always amazed at the variety of plants that you have - and even more so that you can provide identification for them! Thanks for the lovely tour.

    ReplyDelete
  10. re your 'beefy and leafy' conundrum, what about repeating your Symphytum (Axminster Gold?)? It is so lovely and draws the eye in your photos, and supports the gold foliage motif you have going on.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow is your garden looking beautiful! I love that Late Snow Primula! It's kind of sad that 2-3 days is now considered a stretch of good weather, I sure hope that the rain and cold goes away soon!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I really think you win the award for widest varieties of unusual plants! And that euphorbia is just stunning. Wow.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Euphorbias always make me drool, and that one is stunning. They don't like my wet winters though, so I've given up on them.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I really want to have a garden like this.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for being here! Your comments feed my soul.