And The Winner Is...

Every spring I sit back and watch to see which rose bush will be the first to put forth a blossom. This year, the winner is Rosa mutabilis.

Rosa mutabilis, the first rose blossom in my 2015 garden! 

Weigela florida 'Variegata' is about to bloom! One of my favorite shrubs. 

A new Phlox. I've already misplaced the tag, dang it.
Oh, found it. Phlox subulata x stolonifera 'Paparazzi Lindsay' 

My pink lilac... Syringa meyeri x microphylla 'Tinkerbell' 

Delopserma cooperi 'Jewel of Desert Ruby' 

Geranium phaeum 'Samobar' 

Stipa barbata with a volunteer viola

Euphorbia griffithii 'Fireglow' is blooming

Kalmiopsis leachiana is really putting on a show this year. 

Pulsatilla vulgaris 'Red Bells' is happy. 

Heuchera 'Midnight Rose' is one of the best Heucheras in my garden.
Unlike so many that I've lost over the years, this one seems to be impervious to root weevils (knock on wood). 

Love the Solomon's Seal's crispy, clean foliage.  

A first bloom on Saxifraga x geum 'Dentata' 

Hakonechloa with a few volunteers--Hypericum, Viola and Impatiens. 

I'm very pleased with how my brick terrace experiment is working out. It's much more interesting than a boring old lawn.  

I love how all the different sedums are mingling with the creeping thyme.
I didn't have the heart to pull out the volunteer English daisy. 

The golden 'Angelina' is extremely happy. 

Well that's about it for this week. Actually I've got about fifty more photos I could show you but I'll save those for next week. Happy spring, everybody! 

Signs of Pink, And Other Happenings

UNLIKE THE PREVIOUS ONE, the past weekend was rainy and icky. Gardening was a hit and miss operation as raindrops kept forcing me back under cover to wait it out. I could have (and should have) gone inside to tackle some much needed housework but you know how that goes. The bare minimum got done both inside and out. Such is life.

I took photos but rather hastily, so they're a little blurry. 

This is my favorite look on Spiraea x bumalda ‘Pink Ice.' Later the blooms will open white, then turn brown. But right now it looks pretty cool, all pinky.

Despite having worked this bed multiple times,
my shovel has, thankfully, avoided a few of these stalwart tulips. 

Not pink, but cute nonetheless, little Violas are popping up all over. 

Slugs have been here. 

I'm not a big yellow lover, however this Leopard's Bane (Doronicum orientale)  blooms faithfully every spring.
So I let it.  In early spring, any flower is a good flower.

Loropetalum survived the December and February freezes!
The leaves look tattered and tired but flowers are in its future.  

Kalmiopsis leachiana
I bought this little gem last spring from one of the plant vendors at the local Farmers' Market.
Since then I've learned that it is one of the discoveries of the late Lilla Leach
of Leach Botanical Garden fame, in Portland, Oregon.
She spied it in 1930 while exploring the Siskiyou Mountains in Southern Oregon.
 

Lamium, the purple-flowered variety, for lack of the official name.
I bought this a few years ago. It's not quite as vigorous as the one below. 

This is Lamium maculatum ‘Chequers' that grows (and spreads) from a small cutting I received from a now-deceased friend years ago. Seeing it reminds me of her. The early-rising bumblebees love to tunnel into the blossoms.

I'm not a huge fan of blue, but I enjoy these little Muscari.

Here they are in a row, with 'Angelina' and 'Autumn Joy' Sedums.
Plus a bazillion Laurel seedlings waiting for me to kick their butts in to the yard debris can.

Darmera peltata flowers jutting upwards before the leafy main event. 

I know. Pretty, ain't it? 

What could it be? 

It had me at "...pink speckled leaves." Never mind the pink flowers,
which, from the looks of things, might be here earlier than "fall" as the tag says.
I bought it last year.

Persicaria 'Painter's Palette' 

After several years, my Hydrangea macrophylla 'Lemon Wave' has gained confidence.
It is almost four feet tall. 

I don't remember which Heuchera this is but it's sure a good one.
And by that I mean, no problems with the dreaded root weevil. 

Ditto for Heuchera 'Paris' which has the best of both worlds:
gorgeous foliage and an ongoing display of deep pink flowers. 

Heuchera 'Green Spice', yet another stalwart. 

Thalictrum ichangense ‘Evening Star’ is really gaining some girth this year, planted under the Star Magnolia, as evidenced by the white petal-fall.

Aquilegia 'Woodside Strain' always dazzles me. 

Persicaria 'Red Dragon' 

Blushing chicks 

Hosta 'Sum and Substance' despite being in a huge container
remains huddled in the center. 

Artichoke awakenings, amid the sea of Pacific Wax Myrtle foliage,
a plant that was not happy with the mercury dip last December.

This was the first in its ten year history that my
Acanthus mollis went completely dormant.
Wakey, wakey! 

Variegated Comfrey, Symphytum x uplandicum ‘Axminster Gold’ looks better than it ever has in early spring.

My baby Syneilesis is, um, still a baby. I think I see one more tiny leaf jutting up.

In the midst of what looks quite disgusting, there is life on my Musa basjoo.
And it is coming up even earlier than last year. Go figure.

It has become evident that my Wire Vine (Muehlenbeckia axillaris) is going to be a no-show. Dave's Garden says it is hardy to -28 but, I suppose that's when it's planted in the ground. In a container, it's apparently much more vulnerable. Fortunately it's common and cheap enough to replace.

The waterlilies survived. Just look at that foliage working its way to the surface. 

And check out our resident tadpole population! Hooray!
I love these little guys.

Last Friday, this bright rainbow entertained me the entire 12 mile drive home from work.
My photo doesn't do it justice.

I hope all of you are seeing signs of spring in your gardens. I'm going to try my best to visit you all this week.