Not So Tulip

 

'Golden Celebration' watching the Cuphea growing?

Last week's beautiful tulips lasted five days.  Because the rest of the arrangement ("steel grass") will last  longer, and since Leucadendron 'Pom Pom' is in peak showy, I tried replacing the spent tulips with stems of Leucadendron.

 

Hmm...

The "steel grass" wasn't contributing much, besides as an anchor for the 'Pom Pom's.  What if I opened the grass blades up a little?  In a minimalist arrangement, detail matters. 

Better, but still unsatisfying.  The languorous insouciance of the tulips creates a very different mood.   'Pom Pom' is downright prim.  What about trying something else?  The Iris are also in showtime at the moment, so...

I like!  A happy family of five all sticking their bright yellow tongues at the camera.  

 

The 'Pom Pom's went into a different vase, unadorned.

Could I do any better?   There were a few branches of curly willow surviving from "The Pergola" arrangement of over a month ago.

How's this?

A little more interesting?   I thought yes.  The frailty of the willow contrasting with the bold stiffness of the Leucadendron, yet the stem colors match. 

Meanwhile, back in garden, the first few Austin roses reawaken, all of them nodding--we got tiny amounts of light rain the past few days, enough to weigh them down.  'Golden Celebration' again:

'Bishops Castle':

'Charles Rennie Mackintosh':

Also nodding from the sprinkles, Callistemon (Melaleuca) 'Slim' burst into full bloom this week:

Four or five male hummingbirds were fighting in deadly earnest to rule a nectar bonanza. 

I pulled weeds on the east side slope.  It needs mulch.  Last year about this time I was disabled by knee surgery, so the area didn't get mulched, so the weed seeds moved in, to grow in what rain fell this year.  

 

Amidst weeds, 'Bee's Bliss' Salvia, planted fall 2023 on that slope and settling in since.  This spring it is working as intended:  blissing bees.  'Bees Bliss' is a hybrid of two native California salvias. 

Not as showy as gorgeous 'Love and Wishes', flowering again after a hard winter chop back, but valuable nonetheless.  

Some early Clematis flowers--the plants themselves are barely awake.  Open pollinated seedling of  'Angelique':

'Bourbon':  ....??!!??

 

at this point I must end.   Thanks to an accidental bump, the SD card full of photos of 'Bourbon' and other plants flew off my laptop to parts unknown. I looked through the cushions of the sofa, in my pockets, under the sofa, around the room--no idea.  The thing went to the place odd socks go, I guess.  How's that for ending a post?  Guess I'll go look for more weeds to pull.