Springtime at Sherman Part 2

 

Above,  the "Sun Garden" hosted a tapestry of low-growing Felicia amelloides, Osteospemum, Chrysocephalum apiculatum, and tufts of blue Fescue.
  

More images from last week's visit to Sherman Gardens in Corona del Mar, California.  Part 1 here. The previous post was a roughly counter-clockwise stroll from the beds surrounding the garden entrance,  through the shade and Mediterranean gardens to the central plaza.  This post contains a more random path--the places we missed. 

 

These small beds by the gift shop usually always hold a collection of Heuchera fancy-foliage hybrids, which are mostly short-lived annuals in my garden.  Surprising to see something other than all Heucheras. On a previous visit I asked a docent how they kept their Heucheras alive for more than a few months.  She said they don't--they simply replaced them frequently.  

Next, the xeric garden.  It was being worked on as we visited.  Some parts of the main bed looked tired--perhaps that was up for maintenance as well.  

One area of the main bed looked refreshed as a "crevice garden", a style of planting effective in providing healthy growing conditions in colder or wetter climates for alpine and xeric plants.  Here...useful if the soil is gooey clay, but plants must be able to handle the reflected heat from all the stone:

Exiting out of the xeric garden.  The picturesquely rough trunk of a big old Callistemon viminalis. 

Walked past the lath house entrance, a bit of which we saw in the previous post.  Another old Callistemon on the right:

The striking tapestry in the "Sun garden" again. 

Now moving towards the conservatory, the area is more shaded.

 

Schizanthus pinnatus flowers there.  Thanks Kris P. for the ID!:

Now inside the tropical-filled conservatory filled.  It felt like 90F/90% humidity in there.  We did not linger. 

The plants looked so very happy, but the visitors made a hasty retreat back outdoors into cool, fresh air.

In years past, this southeast corner held an increasingly tired formal rose garden.  This visit it was transformed into something possibly of interest to the very young. 

Now we walk through the sub-tropical and damp-shade plants that grow well outdoors in this choice climate--various bromeliads, ferns, tropical palms, orchids.

How's this for an ornamented palm trunk? 

Fledgling(?) hummer taking a rest on a Tillandsia leaf:

A Calothamnus upper left, Dyckia in flower below it, some Sarracenias(?) middle right:

We skipped a couple areas--lots of people gathered in them.  Time to depart. 

 

The last image from the parking lot:  a young Banksia in the bed surrounding the lot, similar in size and foliage to the Banksia prionotes at home.  This one had emerging flower buds: 

 

A fine way to end the visit.