Spring arrived in coastal Southern California weeks ago and, aided by a little rain, the garden has exploded with flowers. It's times like these that I'm forced to acknowledge that, yes, I'm addicted to flowers. I really should confine myself to purchasing only foliage plants for the foreseeable future but I suspect that resolution won't last long.
This month I've organized my photos by garden area. I didn't realize that I'd done this before until I looked back at my March 2015 post. There must be something about spring and the multitude of flowers that has me stepping back to evaluate the garden area-by-area.
There are so many flowers in the backyard garden that I had to break things down by section. In the back border, the Osteospermums continue to dominate but they're not alone.
Osteospermum 'Blue-eyed Beauty', shown here with Geranium 'Tiny Monster' among other flowers, rules the mid-border
Other Osteospermums blooming in this long border include (clockwise from top left): O. '4D Silver', 'Pink Spoon', 'Berry White' and 'Zion Copper Amethyst'
Additional flower color is provided by Argyrantemum 'Madeira Pink', Alstroemeria (noID), Gazania 'Sunbathers Otomi', Rhodanthemum hosmariense 'Marrakech', R. 'Moondance', Hebe 'Patty's Purple', H. 'Wiri Blush', Polygala fruticosa, Verbena lilacina, Phlomis fruticosa, Scilla peruviana, and Narcissus 'White Lion'
The most impressive plant in the area surrounding the backyard fountain right now is Felicia aethiopica but it has plenty of company.
Last year I planted 2 Felicia in 4-inch pots and this year I have a beautiful mound of blue flowers
This long border running half the length of the house also contains: Arctotis 'Pink Sugar' (planted from divisions taken from plants in the front garden), Anagallis 'Wildcat Mandarin', Ajuga 'Mint Chip', Alyogyne huegelii, Bulbine frutescens, Dutch Iris, Ranunculus californicus, and Veronica 'Waterperry Blue'
The two smaller beds on the north end of the backyard are also joining in on the show.
One bed has blooms of Grevillea 'Ned Kelly', Lobelia laxiflora, and a hot-pink flowered Callistemon (which I may have to move due to the color clash)
Closer to the house is a bed containing Cotula lineariloba, Solanum xanti and Salvia 'Amistad'
By comparison, the south side garden is relatively reserved.
One bed is dominated by a large Cistus x skanbergii (surrounded by prickly cones from the Magnolia tree to discourage the raccoons and skunks from digging)
This one has a mass of Gazania 'Gold Flame' together with Grevillea juniperina 'Molonglo' and Lotus berthelotii
The front garden is competing with the back to draw attention.
More Arctotis 'Pink Sugar'
Echium candicans just about to bloom in front of a noID Ceanothus
'Joseph's Coat' climbing rose
The planting schemes on both sides of the front walkway include (clockwise from top left): Gazania 'White Flame', Coleonema 'Sunset Gold', Coleonema album, Euphorbia characacias 'Black Pearl', Hemerocallis 'Spanish Harlem' and 'Pink Meidiland' roses
On the north end of the front garden, I have: Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream', Grevillea 'Superb', Heuchera 'Bressingham Hybrids', Helleborus 'Anna's Red', Geranium 'Biokovo', and Jacobaea maritima
Even the less-visited corners of the garden have flowers.
In the area behind the succulent bed that runs along the street, I have what I think is Prunus laurocerasus together with Auranticarpa rhombifolia, Euryops 'Sonnenschein', 2 forms of Pelargonium peltatum, and what I think is Rosa chinensis 'Mutabilis'
Osteospermums dominate my dry garden too (clockwise from the upper left): O. 'Sweet Summertime Kardinal', O. 'Purple Spoon', 2 self-seeded Osteospermums (noID), Geranium incanum (a weed in my garden), 'Goodwin Creek' lavender, Limonium perezii, and Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl'
Even the neglected back slope has some blooms to offer: an Aeonium arboreum flower, Euphorbia 'Dean's Hybrid', a noID bearded Iris, and Zantedeschia aethiopica, which disappears every summer but returns when the rain and cooler temperatures arrive in late winter
Is your head spinning? Mine is! For other Bloom Day posts, visit Carol, our Garden Bloggers Bloom Day host, at May Dreams Gardens.
It feels as though everything in my garden wants to bloom at once. Many of the winter bloomers made late arrivals and the spring bloomers are now off and running too. The embarrassment of riches in terms of floral choices could have set my head spinning but I focused my attention on the climbing rose offering its first flush of bloom and let that direct me in preparing this week's arrangement for "In a Vase on Monday," the meme hosted by Cathy at Rambling in the Garden. However, I did stuff the vase full of flowers.
The front view emphasizes the coral colors of the rose
The back view shows off some of my yellow flowers
The top view merges both colors
Here's what I included:
Clockwise from the upper left: 'Joseph's Coat' climbing rose, Agonis flexuosa 'Nana', Cotula lineariloba 'Big Yellow Moon', a red Freesia, yellow Freesia, Heuchera sanguinea 'Bressingham Hybrids', Narcissus 'White Lion', and a noID Narcissus with Coleonema album
The new vase sits on the dining room table
But wait! There's more. (Do I sound like an infomercial?) The orchid arrangement that had been sitting on the dining room table for 2 weeks was looking haggard but the Cymbidium centerpiece was still in perfect condition. I threw away the other contents of the vase and created a new one using that same Cymbidium flower stalk.
The buds at the top of the Cymbidium's flower stalk have opened since I created the original arrangement for my February 29th "IAVOM" post
Left: close-up of Cymbidium Sussex Court 'Not Peace' shown surrounded by Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl'; right: Coleonema album
I was tired of breakfasting with the Cymbidium so, this week, it landed in the front entryway
No, I didn't stop there. With some rain expected Sunday evening, I decided to "rescue" a few of my Camellias as they don't usually look their best after rain.
Camellia hybrid 'Taylor's Perfection' has been blooming for 6 weeks and hasn't received the attention it deserves
I briefly considered creating a blue or purple arrangement as well but I stopped myself. Maybe next week.
You may recall that we removed the last sections of lawn this past fall. The process of remediating the soil in preparation for planting carried the project well into the winter months. I started planting the area alongside the street at the front of the house in January and, although tweaking will continue ad infinitum, I'm declaring the project complete.
Here's what the area looked like in late January:
The succulent area in the distance was mostly planted but the area along the driveway was still relatively bare
Here's what the area looks like now:
I've finished planting out the area along the driveway, although the plants I've used are mostly small specimens that will take time to fill the space
This photo shows how the new area relates to the borders surrounding the front door in the distance
Turning around in the other direction, here's a closer view of the the intersection between the flagstone path and the railroad-tie/gravel path used to move our garbage bins to and from the street.
The area beyond the gravel path is planted mainly in succulents
About half the succulents in this area are cuttings from my garden and a friend's garden. The 3 small Agave attenuata on the upper right are cuttings from the larger specimen on the left, which I inherited with the garden.
This photo of the same area was taken from a "doorway" entrance through the hedge adjacent to the street. In addition to the succulents (described in my January post), I planted some bearded Iris (moved from elsewhere in the garden), plugs of blue fescue (Festuca cinerea 'Festina'), and alyssum.
I haven't even tried to count the plants I've put in. I've used cuttings, divisions and transplants where possible but I've acquired lots and lots of new plants too.
The Acanthus mollis on the left is one of 2 I moved from elsewhere in the garden. The next two photos show Arthropodium cirratum (aka Renga Lilies) I divided from large clumps in the south side garden where they got too much sun.
New plants grown mainly for their foliage include, clockwise from the left: Dianella tasmanica 'Yellow Stripe' (2 plants were divided to create 4), Abelia x grandiflora 'Confetti', Asplenium x Austral Gem, Aucuba japonica, and Iresine hybrid 'Blazin' Lime'
New plants grown for both foliage and flowers include: Arctotis 'Opera Pink' and Heuchera 'Palace Purple', Ajuga genevensis, Geranium maderense, Plectranthus 'Mona Lavender' and Rhodanthemum hosmariense
Plants added primarily for their floral color include, clockwise from upper left: Cistus saivilfolius 'Prostratus' (aka sageleaf rockrose), Geranium 'Tiny Monster', Pericallis hybrids in shades of blue, and groundcover Prunella grandiflora 'Freelander Blue' shown with annual pansies
For some reason, I've accumulated a lot of garden ornaments in this area. They're a little intrusive at this point but, as the plants fill in, I hope they'll become less so.
Clockwise from the left: The concrete cat my husband bought me for Christmas years ago (he'd be happier if Pipig was also made of concrete); the smiling face I brought from our old house; a wine barrel placed in an area under a tree which would otherwise be impossible to plant; a small birdbath; and a hanging ornament that spins in the wind
Everything is settling in nicely, aided by two good rainstorms just this week. At the moment, everything is looking up in the garden.
A rainbow appeared over the harbor after yesterday's storm dropped almost half an inch of rain
I've been hounded by unwelcome visitors of the furry variety all week. Every morning is spent cleaning up after raccoons who seem undeterred by either rain or the active presence of coyotes in the neighborhood. However, after filling holes, sweeping up dirt and replanting upturned succulents early this morning, I saw this:
Ladybug on the climbing rose, 'Joseph's Coat'
The rose, often blocked from view by my husband's truck, is the first to bloom in my garden this season.
The rose grows up the stone-fronted chimney above a grouping of succulents (previously featured in my favorite plant combinations post)
Unfortunately, annoying furry visitors don't confine themselves to nighttime stalking expeditions. There are daytime stalkers as well.
I saw this fellow from my office window sitting on top of the Xylosma hedge staring intensely at something
Then he moved forward to the Ceanothus hedge
Then he sought a better view from the mimosa tree
A wider view shows the focus of his interest
Seconds later, his goal is achieved (but he looks disappointed to have found the feeder almost empty)
We got rain! It's rained on and off since late Friday night. The latest storm system arrived early this morning (with lots of lightning and thunder!) and the trailing edge is still moving through. Although Northern California and the Pacific Northwest have received significant rain courtesy of El Niño, Southern California, which forecasters originally predicted would receive the lion's share of El Niño's bounty, is still running substantially below "normal" rain levels. According to the little weather station attached to our roof, our total rain for the season to date (i.e. since October 1st) is 4.74 inches. It's not much by comparison with many areas but we've had ourselves a good soak, which is much appreciated.
I took advantage of clear skies between storms Sunday afternoon and cut flowers for "In a Vase on Monday," the meme hosted by Cathy of Rambling in the Garden. I meant to use the pink Freesia blooming in the back border but those blooms were in bad shape; however, I noticed that the pink Alstroemeria were starting to bloom and took off from there, selecting other flowers to complement those blooms.
Front view
Top view
Back view
I don't feel any of the flowers I used can claim the starring role in this arrangement. It seems to be an ensemble cast.
Clockwise from upper left: noID Alstroemeria; Argyranthemum frutescens; Bulbine frutescens; Freesia in shades of dark pink, gold and yellow; Heuchera sanguinea 'Bressingham Hybrids'; and Pelargonium 'Katie'
After bemoaning the failure of my anemones to bloom in comments in response to a few IAVOM contributors, I noticed 3 small blue anemones in the backyard border. Unwilling to risk the chance that they'd be pummeled by rain, I cut those too.
I used a tiny, 3-inch vase to suit the short stems
I included: Anemone coronaria, lavender and white Freesias, and 2 short stems of my new Osteospermum '4D Silver' (plus leatherleaf fern, Rumohra adiantiformis)
After 4 years of drought with no end in sight, most everyone here gets a little giddy when it rains. Articles on rain, or the lack of it, appear in the Los Angeles Times every week and reports of rain are frequently the lead story on local TV news reports. My own mood soars whenever rain is forecast (followed by a frenzy of activity in the garden). If I could sing on key, you'd find me singing and dancing in my garden. However, my singing voice leaves a lot to be desired so I'll pass the task to Gene Kelly, who did it best:
More rain is forecast for the end of the week. It's not exactly a March Miracle but it'll do. Meanwhile, my newest arrangements add color in the face of gray skies.
The sunny floral explosion sits in the front entry
