It’s definitely hummingbird time in the danger garden; I’ve wished a thousand times over that I had my camera in my hand to capture the hyperactive little creatures as they buzz around the patio. The Crocosmia, Hesperaloe and Bee Balm are all hummingbird magnets. I’m so glad to have them as frequent visitors. Finally I got a couple of shots of this little female, which we think is an Anna’s hummingbird, on the Crocosmia.
Hesperaloe
Bee Balm...This is my second year growing Bee Balm, I think that they look like old-lady swim caps, LOVE them!
Last year this Acanthus had 7 bloom spikes, just one this year.
I bought this Agapanthus not knowing the color (it had already bloomed but was only $2), love the deep blue.
And not to be outdone, the white.
The Agavafolium just keeps producing more and more buds, usually the bees are all over them. Of course I go out with my camera and they all split.
The Black Mondo grass is blooming, I don’t care for the flowers but the berries that follow are wonderful, and the birds enjoy them too.
The Eryngium Blue hobbit is living up to its name.
We spied the Dichromena colorata, White Star Grass at the grocery store one night when just making a quick dinner stop. Had to have it. These little flowers are at the end of some of the grass looking stems amongst the grass blades.
The Echinops is starting to flower! Love it. The stems have not started to turn red yet, although I still have hope.
And the Eryngium pandandifolium is blooming on such a tall stalk I had to tie it up.
I already talked about the Hydrangea in a post last week but it’s so hot right now that it bears repeating.
Normally I hate the flowers of my Ligularia ‘ rocket’ for some reason this year I am enjoying them. We’ll see how long it lasts.
The Lupines are still going strong.
The Nicotiana looks like a flower that would be pollinated by a hummingbird but I haven’t seen any go near it. Love the big leaves.
The Scadoxus multiflorus hasn’t slowed down after almost 3 months in bloom.
All over the garden the Sempervivum are in bloom. While they are amazing and somewhat alien looking it is also a little sad as they are monocarpic and will die after blooming.
Don’t like the Water Canna bloom at all but it’s so tall and stately at over 8 feet and the hummingbirds like it so it stays.
And lastly the Yuccas are all blooming in full force, over 12 of them in the front garden alone. They smell so good!
Happy Blomday everyone! Click on over to
May Dreams Gardens to see what else is bloomin around the world today...
It’s definitely hummingbird time in the danger garden; I’ve wished a thousand times over that I had my camera in my hand to capture the hyperactive little creatures as they buzz around the patio. The Crocosmia, Hesperaloe and Bee Balm are all hummingbird magnets. I’m so glad to have them as frequent visitors. Finally I got a couple of shots of this little female, which we think is an Anna’s hummingbird, on the Crocosmia.
Hesperaloe
Bee Balm...This is my second year growing Bee Balm, I think that they look like old-lady swim caps, LOVE them! 
Last year this Acanthus had 7 bloom spikes, just one this year.
I bought this Agapanthus not knowing the color (it had already bloomed but was only $2), love the deep blue. 
And not to be outdone, the white.
The Agavafolium just keeps producing more and more buds, usually the bees are all over them. Of course I go out with my camera and they all split.
The Black Mondo grass is blooming, I don’t care for the flowers but the berries that follow are wonderful, and the birds enjoy them too.
The Eryngium Blue hobbit is living up to its name.
We spied the Dichromena colorata, White Star Grass at the grocery store one night when just making a quick dinner stop. Had to have it. These little flowers are at the end of some of the grass looking stems amongst the grass blades.
The Echinops is starting to flower! Love it. The stems have not started to turn red yet, although I still have hope.
And the Eryngium pandandifolium is blooming on such a tall stalk I had to tie it up.
I already talked about the Hydrangea in a post last week but it’s so hot right now that it bears repeating.
Normally I hate the flowers of my Ligularia ‘ rocket’ for some reason this year I am enjoying them. We’ll see how long it lasts. 
The Lupines are still going strong.
The Nicotiana looks like a flower that would be pollinated by a hummingbird but I haven’t seen any go near it. Love the big leaves.
The Scadoxus multiflorus hasn’t slowed down after almost 3 months in bloom.
All over the garden the Sempervivum are in bloom. While they are amazing and somewhat alien looking it is also a little sad as they are monocarpic and will die after blooming.
Don’t like the Water Canna bloom at all but it’s so tall and stately at over 8 feet and the hummingbirds like it so it stays. 
And lastly the Yuccas are all blooming in full force, over 12 of them in the front garden alone. They smell so good!
Happy Blomday everyone! Click on over to May Dreams Gardens to see what else is bloomin around the world today...
still chuckling about the old lady swim hat -flower.
ReplyDeletehavent' seen that type of nicotiania before, love the flowing/drooping effect of the flowers.
DG~~ Oh thank you for the Mondo Grass tip. I was going to clip the blossoms off mine but I'd like to see the berries so I'll leave them.
ReplyDeleteI sooooo wish my Hesperaloe would bloom. It's growing and I'm grateful but I'm impatient. Your photo doesn't help any! :)
I am fond of the white flowered Agapanthus. I found a dusty, packaged bare root at Bi-Mart [I think] on clearance. The gamble has paid off. Lots of foliage and one flower stalk on its way to stardom.
I must look in to Scadoxus. Man is she a beaut!
I was just in San Francisco this weekend and can only imagine what you would be gardening with if you lived there! Saw many of the plants you show here, and the zone is quite different so you probably have to work harder to keep yours happy in PDX. I don't have any bee balm this year (yet) - wonder where they went? Funny that something called sempervivum dies out after flowering! My latin sucks but doesn't that mean "always living"? Happy Bloom Day, I skipped it this month and will just enjoy others'.
ReplyDeleteI'm so thankful you identified that water canna. I have one in my pond, it is hardy here and I love it. But I had no idea what it was.
ReplyDeleteI wish agapanthus was hardy in my zone. I do love how it looks, white or blue.
The Sempervivum blooms are so beautiful! Others are nice as well. The black mondo blooms are amazing also. What a lovely day it is to be in this garden with so many amazing flowers. Have a wonderful day ;-)
ReplyDeleteI used to grow that white star grass in my old pond as a marginal plant. Are you growing it in the ground?
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed by your yucca blooms. Can you believe I've never had one bloom for me? Maybe next year for my big softleaf yucca.
Wow you have a lot blooming and I so adore hummingbirds. Love the Crocosmia the Eryngium and the other "teasel like" blooms.
ReplyDeleteI guess my acanthus aren't going to bloom at all this year, and neither are the yuccas. I just realized it should have happened by now. They don't like my yard.
ReplyDeleteThat Dichromena colorata is wonderful. Now I want one.
I've been more forgiving of yellow flowers this year, too, not sure why the change of heart, but maybe it's all the color loving bloggers I follow winning me over a little bit.
Muum, glad I could give you a chuckle!
ReplyDeleteGrace, it's taken awhile for the Hesperaloe to get with it but I am really enjoying the very long lasting bloom. I got my Scadoxus at the Rare Plant Research open house in May, one of the other shoppers told me that his multiplied fiercely, I hope this is true for me.
Karen, my bee balm from last year disappeared too! I bought another because I so enjoyed it. I had read that it could be invasive...guess I won't have that problem. Oh and the sempervivum does have "babies" before it dies so in a way it does live on.
hmh, glad I could help!
Stephanie, you are so right! It is a wonderful time of the year to be a gardener.
Pam...never had a yucca bloom? Wow. That's crazy! Here they are one of those tough guys that you see in deserted lots blooming their heads off with no care what-so-ever. I hope next year is the year for you! I did put the white star grass in the ground...it's in a protected area that gets a lot of water run off in the summer.
Nicole, I had never heard that word "Teasel" until someone at work recently used it to identify the thistles (as I called them) in the vase on my desk. Thanks for giving me the spelling so I can look it up and learn more!
Megan, that's odd about your Yucca and Acanthus! I have 2 Acanthus and only one has the one bloom, the other = nothing. The Dichromena colorata is from Fred Meyer...they had a few left at the Hollywood store when I was there on Tuesday...and they were on sale! BTW your mother was right about the tree trimming...HORRID.
Oh! Now I am kicking myself for breezing through the Rare Plant Research open house so quickly and missing out on the Scadoxus. To think those spectacular fireworks might have been mine as well. The sempervivums always remind me of sea anemones.
ReplyDeleteThe sempervivum (Always Living) dies after blooming??
ReplyDeleteThat's too funny.
Bet the nicotiana is moth pollinated.