With our recent “heat wave” (3 days of above normal temperatures) there are many blooms at their peak (or about to be) in my garden. Silly things! Don’t they know Garden Bloggers Bloomday isn’t for almost 3 weeks? The Echiums aren’t blooming yet, but every day brings growth and exciting changes. This one grew at least a foot in one week…
And the buds on the beefy stalk are swelling, larger and larger.
My second Echium x wildprettii 'Rocket' (also identified as Echium pininana).
And the Echium wildprettii.
Not wanting to be left out the hardy (zone 7) Echium russicum is also fixing to bloom.
At this point I am so enthralled with the progress of all of the Echium I could be posting about them 5 days a week, but I don’t want to bore you. Also exciting the Asphodeline lutea is stretching up it’s whirling stalk and getting ready to bloom.
Pulsatilla vulgaris var. rubra…
So glad I bought this plant! And it’s only going to get better as the blooms fade. Trust me.
Grevillea juniperina ‘Molonglo’ loaded with about-to-open buds!
All of the Ceonothus are exploding right now; this one is Ceonothus 'Pt Reyes'…
Although it’s a low grower you can still see electric blue as you drive by. And speaking of electric…wow. I am in love with Cerinthe major 'Purpurascens'…
Beschorneria decosteriana
How can you not stop and stare at a bright pink stalk emerging from simple green foliage?
Clematis Montana (inherited, so that’s as specific as I can get)
2012 is the year of the floppy Euphorbia characias wulfenii, not just one plant…
But two! Why can’t these stems stand up?
Euphorbia polychroma in a sea of Galium odoratum
Euphorbia griffithii ‘Fireglow’
Surprisingly I managed to photograph a spider too…
Dyckia choristaminea 'Frazzle Dazzle'
I’ve already purchased my Kangaroo Paw for the season. While last year’s model seems to have lived through the winter I’m not so sure it’s feeling up to blooming.
Here’s an oddity, the tiny flowers of Hymenanthera alpina, with a cloudy white sky back-drop.
This is a plant my friend Megan (and
plant lust founder) introduced me to, Disporum cantoniense 'Night Heron'…
The foliage is beautiful but the blooms are AMAZING!
This one is Disporum cantoniense 'Green Giant' as you might have guessed greener, less black.
Flowers aren’t the only thing happening right now…is there anything cuter than new little Ginkgo leaves? I’m praying their variegation shows up as they get larger.
My little patch of Lily of the Valley is starting to bloom.
And really, it’s not so little anymore…
I bought a random Rodgersia last summer and planted it somewhere near the Saxifraga x urbium 'Aureopunctata' (London Pride). I keep hunting for its leaves…afraid it’s not going to show up. All my other Rodgersias have made an appearance. It wasn’t until I was trying to photograph the flowers of the Saxifraga…
…that I noticed this, one little leaf, hiding in plain sight! Rodgersia aesculifolia...
I think it’s because I was irrationally expecting brown foliage that I didn’t see it, like on the
Rodgersia pinnata ‘Chocolate Wings’ Rodgersia podophylla 'Rotlaub’ (which I clearly need more of because it is HOT!)
Stachyurus salicifolius, love it!
And finally… Sonchus canariensis.
Sure you might think it just looks like a Dandelion…but oh what I would give to have a forest of these growing in my lawn.
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