Bloomday, February 2012

There is a definite color-story to the February flowers in my garden…yellow and pink, lots of yellow and pink. Let’s start with yellow, actually the chartreuse/acid yellow of Euphorbia rigida.

I had threatened to try this (much adored by me) plant again if it made it through winter unscathed in a neighbor’s garden. Well, when it became obvious we weren't really going to have a winter and I saw one at the nursery how could I pass it by?

The large Acacia pravissima is covered with tiny flower clusters.

I need to pull it out of the shade pavilion greenhouse and enjoy it!

A returning player from January’s Bloomday (actually the only flower to be found in the garden back in January) Mahonia × media ‘Charity’…

My newly purchsased Winter Jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum) over the foliage of Sonchus canariensis.

Before we transition to the pink flowers I’m cheating a bit and sharing a trio of bashful Euphorbia, I love them at this stage. Euphorbia 'Ascot Rainbow'…

Euphorbia amygdaloides var. Robbiae

Euphorbia characias wulfenii

You knew there had to be Hellebores didn’t you? This one is a struggling survivor. Every year it kicks out one beautiful bloom. I bought it so long ago I have no idea what it is.

Helleborus x ballardiae Pink Frost

Above the H. x ballardiae Pink Frost is Helleborus foetidus, the blooms just starting to open.

Getting a decent picture of the dainty Arctostaphylos densiflora ‘Sentinel’ blooms was impossible!

This is such a silly shaped little plant. I bought it with the endearing curve in its trunk, I hope it doesn’t become a crippling issue as the plant grows (the angle of the photo emphasizes it, it’s not really that drastic).

Even though these Grape Hyacinth (Muscari) aren’t technically yet flowers I fear by next Bloomday they’ll be expired and they are such fighters they deserve their moment in the spotlight.

I had them in a container on our front porch last spring. Once they finished blooming I wanted the container for something else so I pulled the bulbs from the soil and put them in a bucket…intending to plant them in the garden "later." Then I forgot about them, only to run across them a week ago. They had started to grow! No soil, no sun, no water…for 9-10 months. Survivors! I planted them in another container immediately.

Finally since it is Bloomday I wanted to share my last photos from the Northwest Flower and Garden Show. There were several flower arrangements in the lobby as you entered the show floor. These were my favorites.

I love how they worked the yellow Billy Balls (Craspedia) throughout the arrangement. In the Calla blossoms…

And tied up with a Tillandsia.

Another Tillandsia erupts from a carpet of green Dianthus.

In this arrangement they actually lit the Chinese Lanterns (Physalis alkekengi)!

Pretty creative!

Thanks to Carol and her blog May Dreams Gardens for hosting another Bloomday…this the first Bloomday of year number six! (way to go Carol!)