Friday, May 10, 2013

Checking back in...

As I mentioned yesterday I was away from the garden for a couple of days earlier in the week. I know, just a couple of days! But after all it is spring and things are happening fast. Wednesday morning I took a stroll through the garden to see what happened in my absence. I was surprised by not one...

But two Hesperaloe blooms emerging from the foliage...

The Lupinus arboreus that I'd been wondering what color would bloom? Turns out they're purple. Once upon a time would have prefered white, but now white flowers seem too stark, I was excited to see the purple.

Speaking of purple (blue?) my Parahebe perfoliata is finally going to bloom! (after almost 2 years...)

Turns out when you actually leave a Rheum palmatum in one spot for over a year it can get big...very big!

Verbascum bombyciferum 'Arctic Summer' getting taller...

Every callistemon is putting on serious growth and most are showing signs of blooming. This C. ‘Woodlander's Hardy Red’ is going to be covered in blooms very soon.

The C. viridiflorus in the front garden has never before bloomed. This is going to be it's year...

My Grevillea rivularis from The Desert Northwest is blooming, such a big bloom on a little plant...

More crazy callistemon flowers forming in the back garden, here is C. viridiflorus...

And C. ‘Clemson’...

The much anticipated (and appreciated) Melianthus major 'Antonow's Blue' blooms are maturing. What a great color contrast Mother Nature dreamed up!

New growth on the Albizia julibrissin ‘Summer Chocolate’...

The Circle Pot from Potted is back in the garden...summer can't be far away!

My (about to bloom) Echium wildpretii lost it's top! Not that it matters the other blooms have plumped up to round it out.

I couldn't get my camera to see quite this magical composition the way my eyes do, but the Podophyllum are looking good!

New spines on the Horse Crippler (Echinocactus texensis)...

Just last weekend I was worried because the new growth tip on the Pseudopanax ferox was kind of shiny and sticky. Turns out I didn't need to worry because now it's broken apart and clearly will become new leaves.

I swear this time of year we could all post multiple photos daily of the activity in our gardens, ain't it all grand?

All material © 2009-2013 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

20 comments:

  1. So many beautiful sights in your garden and such variety. That Grevillea rivularis is stunning. I must look for it. And I prefer the flowers of Callistemon viridiflorus over the ubiquitous red-flowered callistemons that are so common here in the Sacramento area.

    Sorry about your Echium wildpretii...

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    1. I am smitten with that G. rivularis, luckily I planted it where it's easy to look at as I come and go throughout my day!

      You know I was a little upset when the top of the E. wildpretii decided to rot away but it's actually been kind of fun to watch the flowers grow and push the leaves up. Now you can't even see the tip of the stump!

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  2. Wow! its funny you post about your hesperaloe parviflora because I have been tossing and turning all night about whether or not to purchase the most beautiful hesperaloe I've ever seen that just came in at Cedar Rim. My concern was that I would be deceived by all the beautiful blooms only to have it never bloom again. But you just gave me some hope.

    And your callistemons are wonderful!!! Major plant lust going on!

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    1. Get the hesperaloe! I went the longest time thinking I too had been sold on the blooms never to have them come again but actually now all of my (5) plants have reblommed, just not every year (btw Sean said the key is summer water).

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  3. It's very exciting seeing everything doing so well in your garden Loree.

    I like that Lupinus a lot. I will try and track one down over here.

    I am still stuck in early Spring other here, sigh! Oh well, at least I am no longer stuck in winter! Ha, ha!

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    1. Three cheers for no more winter! May your early spring be short and sweet and late spring stretch on for awhile.

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  4. Wow, I saw Grevillea rivularis at Ian's table and almost got it a couple of times because of the fabulous foliage alone. Now the gorgeous flowers too...Cool plant. The grouping of the three different podophyllums together is something I'd not seen or thought of before - groovy. Ain't spring grand?

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    1. It was pure luck that I happened to plant the podophyllums all together like that. Eventually when they grow to be larger clumps (fingers crossed) they maybe too crowded but for now it works.

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  5. Grand, indeed...and more so in your garden than most places. I was surprised to see a Rosa pteracantha at Joy Creek in full flower and the stems and thorns looking quite gray. Yours, in the background of the first photo, has the glowing red thorns I love. Is that because you cut it back hard in early spring?

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    1. Yes it is. This spring I cut it especially hard and it took a long time to see any growth, I was scared I'd been too drastic but thankfully it's okay. I mainly cut it back because the old growth gets ugly (in my opinion) and it's the new red thorns that I love, however there's no room for it to grow any bigger than it gets in a single season so chop chop every year...

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  6. That C. viridiflorus is awesome! I wish you would open your garden for a tour. :P

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    1. Hey...you've been here, and are welcome any time. Oh and you need a C. viridiflorus, for sure.

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  7. I love that Lupine...it's perfect...and, you know, I'm insanely jealous of your Rhubarb!

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    1. Is it silly to love the Lupine a little extra because it was a sad little cast off from a tough love sale? I do.

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  8. You have so many plant delights Loree, and we never get tired seeing photos of your garden!

    Things happens so quick in the spring that even two days absence the difference is so noticeable. We're almost home now and being away for a week, we're curious how much movement has happened in the garden whilst we were away.

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    1. Oh gosh I bet your garden has exploded! I exaggerated a bit of course in that I wasn't actually away for even two days, I took a quick look as soon as I got home both evenings but you don't discover everything unless you have the time to really look. I can't wait to see photos of what you found upon your return.

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  9. I LOVE your garden. I'm glad everithing is looking so fabulous.

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  10. DG, you must be so delighted in this warm spring weather. Perfect for your spiky wonders! I am however, beating the rain drums. All this hand watering so early in the season is driving me crazy!

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  11. I am jealous of your Podophyllums.

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