Spring officially arrived at 9:06PM PDT yesterday, which makes today the first full day of the spring season. It'd be hard for me to walk into my garden now without feeling the pure joy of it. The birds are singing, the bees are buzzing, and I've already spotted several butterflies. I'm not even annoyed when I see a squirrel eating fruit from one of our citrus trees. Every stroll through the garden is a delight.
I find new flowers virtually every day. Here are some I spotted after I posted my copious Bloom Day photos just five days ago:
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| The white-flowered Ageratum I could swear I never planted is 4 feet tall |
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| The Babiana stricta bulbs I planted in April 2018 have returned once more |
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| This noID dwarf white-flowered Cistus is another one I've no record or memory of planting |
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| While the Hippeastrums I planted in pots in the fall are close to finishing up, those I planted in the ground are now gearing up to bloom. Four Hippeastrum 'Luna' (2 shown here) have bloom stalks coming up and I noted a Hippeastrum 'La Paz' in another area also has a bloom stalk. |
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| The majority of the 12 Iris hollandica 'Eye of the Tiger' I planted in 2021 are already blooming and the rest are close behind |
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| Iris hollandica 'Mystic Beauty' is coming on in large numbers on the heels of 'Sapphire Beauty', which I highlighted in my Bloom Day post |
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| Iris hollandica 'Pink Panther' had a single flower on Bloom Day but now it has a dozen |
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| The Pacific Coast Iris off and running with Iris douglasiana 'Santa Lucia' |
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| Narcissus 'Geranium' (left) and N. 'Sunny Girlfriend' appeared just days ago |
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| Phlomis fruticosa was hard to photograph because its growth is very dense |
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| Salvia 'Bee's Bliss' lives up to its name |
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| I planted one Veltheimia bracteata (forest lily) in 2015 and another in 2017. They've only bloomed a few times since and there's no guarantee they'll bloom this year but at least their foliage is up! |
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| Despite last year's heavier rain, I got just one calla lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica) but this year's looking much better. The majority of these plants grow on my back slope, where they're left to their own devices. |
But every garden poses its challenges. At present my biggest headache is still the gophers. I remain convinced there's more than one, which may be why using deterrents in the form of granules containing castor oil and solar-powered sonic devices to direct them to the selected exit hasn't done the trick this time.
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| This is a Renga lily (Arthropodium cirratum) I found after it collapsed in late February when its root system was devoured. I found another one one about 15 feet away in the same condition yesterday. Nothing was salvageable in either case. |
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| I initially assumed this Mangave 'Red Wing' hadn't received the water it needed - until I cleaned it up and discovered its roots were gone. I've replanted it but it remains to be seen if it'll recover. |
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| Phormium 'Tom Thumb' was a nice specimen that'd been in the ground with 2 others since 2016. It suffered the same fate as the Renga lilies. |
I can't bring myself to install any more of the sonic devices - even with the birdsong, it's hard enough to tune out those I already have but I'm gradually shifting them from the areas showing no recent activity to the areas showing the most obvious signs of new activity. And I'm ordering yet another bag of the deterrent granules in the hope the critters aren't developing a tolerance for castor oil.
We haven't had any more rain in the past two weeks. A surprise thunderstorm moved into our area late Monday afternoon but, although we saw lightning and heard thunder, we didn't get any measurable rain. That was disappointing but there's another chance of rain in the forecast for this coming weekend.
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| The clouds sent mixed messages |
I hope your spring experience has more ups than downs!
All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
Happy first day of Spring. How lovely to see so many blooms. Darn gophers. It's hard not to feel murderous when they not only nibble but destroy plants. In an ironic twist of fate our first day of Spring is hosting a winter storm. Up to 1 foot of snow over the next few days. Alas, just as my crocus had started to bloom. Spring here is always surprising.
ReplyDeleteIt seems Mother Nature has no interest in being predictable, Elaine! I know you had something of a snow drought earlier so I hope the current storm helps remedy that a bit but also that it doesn't wipe out your crocuses at the same time.
DeleteHappy Spring! Your garden is looking positively joyful, good to hear you are enjoying every minute of it. The dang gophers, get out already!
ReplyDeleteI've never had this extensive a problem with the blankety-blank gophers before, Tracy. As Elaine commented, it does evoke the temptation to commit gophercide but frankly the nasty creatures are so widespread here, I suspect any decedents would be quickly replaced by new tenants.
DeleteThat soft but bright spring light really comes through in your photos -- love the white ageratum. Do I remember correct that 'Eye of the Tiger' iris wasn't a fav of yours? I really love its smoky colors. I pulled a Renga lily from my stock tank just last week. It has a very short season here in zone 8b, doesn't flower and is mush for months. Very different plant in zone 10!
ReplyDeleteYou have an excellent memory, Denise, although if my recollection is any good, you may be one of a few commentators that thought I should hang onto the 'Eye of the Tiger' Irises. I admit that they grew on me over time. As to the Renga lilies, they've always done really well here until the gopher(s) apparently discovered that they're tasty. I've installed some new ones in an area that, thus far, hasn't been trouble by the little monsters. (And, yes, I just knocked wood upon typing that statement.)
DeleteHappy Spring! I am sorry to see that gopher damage, little turds. After a nice long stretch of sunny warm days we're back to the clouds and drizzle. Oh well, it is only mid-March...
ReplyDeleteI was actually disappointed to open the blinds this morning to find that we were completely socked in by fog, Loree. We haven't even had much in the way of a morning marine layer for months. At mid-day, it's partially cleared but still a bit hazy and damp.
DeleteUgh, those gophers are horrible... your beautiful plants, wah! 😩 You need a hawk or a terrier!
ReplyDeleteWell, at least there are new blooms to focus upon. Eliza
There are a lot of hawks - and owls and coyotes - in the vicinity but they clearly need a better work ethic! My husband would probably favor a gopher over a terrier as the former is quieter.
DeleteA most interesting cloud formation in that last photo Kris. Wishing you a happy spring equinox 🌱
ReplyDeleteMy best wishes for happy spring to you as well, Anna!
DeleteYou have some beautiful blooms. I'm sorry to hear about the gopher problem. I've wondered if those sonic devices work but didn't know they were noisy. Would a cat help?
ReplyDeleteWhile I understand that gophers are active both night and day, I've never seen them pop out of a hole or creating a mound in real time during daylight hours - I only find the evidence of their movements and deeds after the fact. As the local coyotes are now working extended hours, I won't let my cat out anymore, even under supervision. She's also in her 80s in human terms so probably not up to the challenge.
DeleteThanks for sharing some highlights from your beautiful spring garden. Spring has started here, too (a few weeks ago, actually), but now it seems winter is making one last, big statement tomorrow. I think I'll stay inside until the snow melts. LOL.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you're experiencing winter whiplash, Beth. I hope it doesn't last long!
DeleteA lot more spring in your California garden than my Seattle one, but I promise that my joy is there, regardless of the weather, as it always is.
ReplyDeleteMy white calla lily is still a mound of melted green organic mass, but not for much longer. All the Dutch iris have sprouted green leaves and blooms to follow eventually. The only one not showing signs of life is Dutch Iris 'lion king'. First year in my garden. Do you have any experience with that one?
In the photo where you talk about the Hippeastrum 'Luna' bloom stalks I was confused: all I could see was sweet alyssum and couple of daisies... eventually, I spotted the stalks :-D
Chavli
Ha! Sorry I confused you with the 'Luna' bloom stalks. Admittedly they're still very short and probably weeks away from blooming but, whenever the Hippeastrums I've planted in the ground come up, I get excited.
DeleteYes, I planted Dutch Iris 'Lion King' in October 2021. It flowered in mid-April 2022 and in late-April in 2023 here. There's a May 1, 2023 IAVOM in which I commented that they lagged behind my other varieties. I checked to see if they'd shown up a couple of weeks ago but didn't see any sign of them then - I'll have to check again as we move into April.
Thanks, Kris, for the Lion King info. I'll remain hopeful then.
Delete(I'm impressed you were able to locate that iris in previous posts...).
Chavli
My blog has a search mechanism that helps with searches like that ;) The search feature is shown in the right-hand column under my blog list, which should be visible if you're reading my posts on a conventional PC - it's not visible on many mobile devices (like my iPhone). As Iris 'Lion King' hasn't been featured often, the 2 references came up immediately. I remembered using that Iris last year but I'd entirely missed the fact that it'd also appeared in 2022.
DeleteEye of the Tiger, now there's a horrific earbug I'll need to rinse out.
ReplyDeleteSorry! I didn't even remember the song until you mentioned it ;)
DeleteI walk the garden daily, one reason is gophers. If you put down a Black Hole Gopher traps immediately before they establish their network of tunnels they are usual trapped within a few hours. Once their network is established, it gets much harder. Root for the coyotes.
ReplyDeleteI haven't been able to accept the lethal strategy - but, given the gopher activity this year, I'm probably getting closer. I do root for the coyotes, owls and hawks, though. While I haven't seen any coyotes in person recently, a neighbor across the street has a trail cam and says they show up almost daily. Last month one recently took out what I concluded was a bunny based on the tail left behind in my front garden.
DeleteI get similar damage associated with mole tunnels in our yard. The experts insist that they only eat insects and worms, so I can only conclude that there are rodents sharing their tunnels that appreciate easy access to the bulbs and roots from below. I used to try trapping, smoking them out with sulfur, flooding them out, putting in deterrent granules, etc, but none of it ever worked. I gave up. Now, I plant the susceptible bulbs, like crocus, into a thick layers of 3/4 inch gravel. I'd be tempted to plant them in broken glass if I thought it would help, but then there's the potential for injuring myself. Not sure if the gravel will do any good, but at least I feel like I've tried something. Love the interesting cloud photo.
ReplyDeleteOne of my neighbors hooked the exhaust pipe from an old sports car owned by a relative into a tube he'd inserted into a gopher hole - to my knowledge it wasn't successful. This is the first time I've actually lost plants due to roots eaten from below - prior losses were more subtle and probably due to collapses of their tunnels. Given that gophers are endemic here, eliminating one (or two) is probably at best a temporary solution. I trying to live with them, relying only on harassment to drive them out of sensitive areas.
DeleteOh dear, the gophers again? We always seem to have a critter in the garden determined to cause a mess too. During winter, we had rats and possums eating our apples. Now, we have currawongs (birds) eating our guavas! I know they have to eat, but do they have to choose my garden? ;)
ReplyDeleteMy Phlomis should be flowering sometime soon. I'm not sure exactly when, but it's during the cooler weather, from memory. I'm going to try them out in a vase this year.
Gophers are all over the peninsula I live one so they can't easily be avoided, or not for long anyway. I tried to redirect them down into the nearly canyon but they're stubbornly staying put, no matter what I throw at them.
Delete