Annual Lobelia with Sedum 'Angelina' and Dichondra argentea The last Sunday of Spring 2021. Beauty to recall on a dog day in Summer.
Fuchsia with Tillandsia Somnians. T. somnians is one of a small number of species in the genus Tillandsia that are terrestrial. A few years ago I'd hole-sawed a cup in the top of the rock and tried to grow small succulents in the cup. None succeeded. T. somnians, on the other hand, has thrived. Photobomb by T. usneoides on the extreme right hand side.
Tillandsia xerographica living outdoors in the Acer for the summer:I observed over time that T. usneoides ("Spanish Moss") was only happy in the very lowest branches of the Acer, where humidity rising from the soil below kept it moist enough to survive. While T. xerographica is much more xeric, some humidity has appeared to help.
Can onions be beautiful? We're pleased with this year's home-grown crop, of which these are part:
Fresh home-grown figs in a couple of months:
The first flower of the year from red-flowered/dark foliaged Canna:
A big surprise from the Ozothamnus coralloides that belongs in New Zealand, not southern California: new growth! I nestled it into moist shaded soil with a dark-foliaged Begonia. It's probably doomed later this summer in one of our coming horrific heatwaves, but it's a delight to see it manage to grow a bit first, and discover a friend in the Begonia.
Agapanthus 'Black Pantha' flowers have opened. Nice!
Purchased back in early May, Cuphea purpurea 'Firecracker' has begun to flower. The tiny, intensely saturated orange and purple flowers appear to gossip with each other.
The bright yellow centers of the daylily flowers match nearby Hunnemannia petals:
The best of the neighbor's Jacarandas (a trim would significantly increase their beauty). Our rose 'Snowgoose' below:
Aeonium 'Zwartzkop's are settling into summer dormancy surrounded by the foliage of Leucophyllum 'Thunder Cloud'. The Aeonium rosettes will close into fists, drop many leaves, but awaken again around the autumnal equinox:
Grevillea 'Peaches and Cream':
Coleonema 'Sunset Gold''s first tiny pink flowers.
Grevillea 'Robyn Gordon':
'Ned Kelly', aka 'Mason's Hybrid':
Leonotis leonurus against a background of Hunnemannia:
Best for last. House Finch in the urn
Each and every one of these photos is magazine worthy, HB. The bird pics are particularly good. Congrats on the Agapanthus - 'Back Pantha' is as beautiful as you'd hoped. I've killed Ozothamnus coralloides twice but maybe the next time it calls to me from a nursery table, I'll take it home and put it in a shady spot.
ReplyDeleteCould have knocked me over with a feather when I saw new growth on that Ozothamnus. The look on my face must have been funny. So happy it will get a bit longer life than expected. Now, if only I could not kill Acacia 'Cousin Itt'...
DeleteAll so pretty - the birds and the blooms. The jacaranda tree is amazing. Do they bloom a long time?
ReplyDeleteAn individual Jac will bloom for 3-6 weeks--less after a dry winter, longer after a good rainy one. The thing about Jacs, though, is that they all seem to bloom at different times. You can have two right next to each other, and they'll bloom weeks apart. So you can see them around the area in flower for months.
DeleteAll are so lovely as always! Love the birds too! Thanks especially for the tip on Tillandsia Somnians being terrestrial! I am going to try it in some ground out rocks I have. I have lots of Tills without soil in my kitchen greenhouse window where they do great!
ReplyDeleteIt will also do okay epiphytically, but better with soil. Or so I've read. I read VOTS has gotten 5 days in a row at 115F+--yikes!!! Hope you are doing okay. That kind of heat is downright dangerous.
DeleteIt was a beautiful last day of spring in your garden! That photo of the aeonium with the leucophyllum is perfect. We're headed to 97 today and will likely exceed the 100 mark next weekend...
ReplyDeleteSummer. I just love summer! /s Stay cool in that nasty heat.
DeleteYour Ozothamnus coralloides is a pleasant surprise indeed. I got *this* close to buying one at Roger's Gardens the last time I was down there but I figured it would be doomed here in Davis.
ReplyDeleteYour garden looks great. No sign of heat damage! We apparently had 112°F on Saturday according to the UC Davis weather station. "Only" 106°F in our garden.
I fear the Ozothamnus is doomed even here. I'll do my best for it, but...
DeleteHeat hasn't struck here yet. Best not to think about it.
Beautiful plant combinations! And homegrown onions and figs--yum! The house finch and the hummer are so graceful, and your photos are superb.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I was going to say, onions and figs yum, but not together, but then a quick search turned up "caramelized onions with fig spread", "on crackers with a smear of blue cheese"...sounds pretty tasty!
DeleteBeautiful photos as always, to capture the beautiful last day of spring you had in your garden!
ReplyDeleteHope you had a great spring, too!
DeleteThat opening with lime gold and cobalt blue is glorious!
ReplyDeleteAnother serendipitous accident I never could have dreamed up myself. The plants did it on their own.
DeleteSuch fabulous photos of both plants and birds! After NASA reports that the world's heat retention has doubled over the last 15 years, I have a feeling a lot of our plants will show how resilient they actually are, in a frightfully near future. I needed your balmy photos to curb some of my angst, so thank you for that. May this summer be kinder than I think it will be - for all of us.
ReplyDeletePlants of brutally hot arid Western Australia are doing as well here as the CA plants natives to this area are doing--soon I think they will be doing better.
DeleteMay the summer at least be kinder to our fellow creatures with which we share this planet. Much of our own species and most of our politicians seem to forget we're not alone here.
I love your Grevellia and Leonotis, a pity I can't grow them here. I do grow and love Cuphea in pots - excellent for hummingbirds!
ReplyDeleteYes the hummers love the Cuphea!
DeleteMy clematis will never look as good as yours. We can all grow something gardeners in other climates cannot--vive la différence!
As always gorgeous photos of your garden. The last photo of the hummer is award-worthy. Have never been a fan of silver and yellow together but in your first photo with the lobelia the blue really pulls them together so might have to steal your colour combo for my garden as I'm a huge fan of yellow and silver.
ReplyDeleteI am not so clever--the plants themselves created that combo, so take and use it as a gift from nature herself. :)
Delete