May Flowers, 2020

  Clematis 'Jackmanii'
The first flush of roses has faded away.  While the next flush develops, there are other flowers to enjoy.  

This 'Jackmanii' was a big box store purchase from last June.  I grabbed it because it was a good price and beautifully grown--someone knew what they were doing.  Clematis take a while to get going;  this one is even better than expected for only one year in the ground. 

The garden has three 'Perle d'Azur'.  Our lavish April rain gave them a good start.  

 This 'Perle' decided to use Euphorbia turicallii as a support.  The unexpected contrast is fun. 

 'Blekitny Aniol'

 The Farewell-To-Aloe-Season Aloes are flowering.  Aloe pseudorubroviolacea with its neighbors, bloomed out Aloe thraskii, pink Bougainvillea, black Aeonium, silvery Leucophyllum, white rose 'Snowgoose'.  A mismatched jumble, but an interesting one.  

 Flower stalk close up, pre- bird assault.  The nectar-feeding birds quickly make a mess of them, pulling off the flowers and flying away with them, leaving a splatter of nectar on the pavement.  That's okay.  I'm happy to provide them with food. 

Aloe camperi also puts on its show at this point in spring.  The foliage is a generic green, but the flowers are lavish.

 Sweet peas.  Their season here is short--heat quickly kills them off, but what a joy while they are here. 

 Nigella damascena is even more ephemeral, but charming.

Ditto for Echinopsis

 A crazy number of flower stems from a crazy number of Graptoveria 'Fred Ives'

A single big flower covered stem from Agave x mitis 'Nova'

The stairway arch, now half covered with blooming Trachelospermum.  An empty square frames the orange flowers of Leonotus leonurus

I've waited years for flowers and foliage to engulf part of the arch.  The long drought was the problem--the Trachelospermum struggled to establish itself.  That's a table grape ('Suffolk Red') growing on this side of the arch. 
The intended effect, finally!

There's the Leonotus again, behind Leucospermum 'Flame Giant'

Hummingbirds love the flowers.

 One of the Salvia clevelandii is being climbed by Nasturtiums.

The Nepeta tuberosa is big this year, sprawling and flopping everywhere.   Not overly thrilled with it.  When summer heat arrives, it will die to the ground until winter rains return.  

 A few roses were late.  A color sport of 'Gardens Of The World' presents a perfect spiraled center. 

'Burgundy Iceberg' was another big box purchase.  Another young plant that needs to develop, it's having a good spring as well.   

The big show from 'Bishops Castle' was damaged by a recent heat wave.  Still, delightful.  A different look to this angle now that the cypress are gone  --the Acer is much more attention-grabbing. 

 'Bolero' was the last-pruned rose of the winter, and is last to deliver a fabulous first flush.  It has been an outstanding rose in this garden.  Yes, it's fragrant, too.  

 Daylilys always come right as the first roses fade.  'Bella Rossa', with Gaura.

 'Spacecoast Starbust'

Name lost:

The Leucadendron 'Red Sunset' purchased last fall in Monterey County, has a few flowers.  It's tucked next to Lomandra 'Platinum Beauty' for protection from excessive heat, because it is still in its container.  Despite its name, it's not red.  Maybe it ages to red? 

'Yellow Bird' still looks good.  The oak now shades it in late afternoon, perhaps extending the life of the flowers somewhat.

 The next-to-last Itoh Peony flower, with the last a bud next to it.    

Wide shot:  the front:

 And by the pond:

 The Canna from last year came back and got a bigger pot to live in.  No flowers as yet. 

 Best to quit looking at flowers and get back to work.  There is still plenty to do.  Bloomed out Agaves to remove...

...and so forth.  Onward!