Bloomday Deadbeat
I seemed to have been unable to collect myself enough to do a May BD post, even though the blooms are vast , the days are long , the camera is operational. Business has interfered;some days even taking photos is not mindless enough after a day at the office. I can always manage a stroll with a glass of wine though. One must have priorities. Here then are a few selections I managed to snap for this faux Bloomday.
Salpiglossis over-wintered here for me ..even though we dipped into the 20's .
This is Silene asterias from Annies, planted last summer. The plants are tidy and have plenty of flowers , but the jury is still out...do I like it ?
Sidalcea...back story . In 1986 when I moved to NorCal from San Diego, a new neighbor loaned me a copy of Taylors Guide to Perennials. This book, along with White Flower Farms catalog was a revelation to me --and I was in a swoon over the Sidalcea malviflora image in Taylors. I had worked in a garden center in Socal for 10 years and herbaceous perennials were nowhere to be found. Our customers assumed a perennial was plant that bloomed all year, and could not be convinced otherwise. We lived in a sea of Pansies, Ivy Geraniums and Euryops. Here in the north, there was a modest selection of perennials , and among my first purchases was G. Johnsons Blue (which I still have for sentimental reasons) Aster frikartii and a very poor cultivar of Sidalcea which was discarded after a couple of seasons. Last fall I bought a few Sidalceas from Annies, and they have jsut started to bloom, with many buds still to come.
Achellia 'Moonshine' .
Penstemon Mystica...claims that it would bloom till fall did not prove accurate last summer in my garden, still I planted 2 more in the hopes that maturity would assist in a longer flowering . Either way a very nice trouble free plant and a vast improvement over 'Huskers Red' .
Always reliable Verbena bonariensis.
The fabulous Artichoke.
Penstemon Raven, one of my favorite non-floppers.
I grow Symphytum 'Axminister Gold' for the foliage but it's nice to have the little pinkish flowers in spring. I will cut it back moderately hard when the flowers wane, and a new batch of fresh foliage will be the result.
This is Clematis 'Arabella' which is a non-stop bloomer in my garden til the frost lays her low. Last fall I threw some sweetpea seeds around her base, and now they jockey for position on her arbor. I will have to rescue her before long-sweetpeas are not suitable summer plants here in any case.
I love this green Santolina and have them repeated a few times in my front garden.
...but one of them did this ! I hate it when that happens .Ruins the whole damn scheme.
Salpiglossis over-wintered here for me ..even though we dipped into the 20's .
This is Silene asterias from Annies, planted last summer. The plants are tidy and have plenty of flowers , but the jury is still out...do I like it ?
Sidalcea...back story . In 1986 when I moved to NorCal from San Diego, a new neighbor loaned me a copy of Taylors Guide to Perennials. This book, along with White Flower Farms catalog was a revelation to me --and I was in a swoon over the Sidalcea malviflora image in Taylors. I had worked in a garden center in Socal for 10 years and herbaceous perennials were nowhere to be found. Our customers assumed a perennial was plant that bloomed all year, and could not be convinced otherwise. We lived in a sea of Pansies, Ivy Geraniums and Euryops. Here in the north, there was a modest selection of perennials , and among my first purchases was G. Johnsons Blue (which I still have for sentimental reasons) Aster frikartii and a very poor cultivar of Sidalcea which was discarded after a couple of seasons. Last fall I bought a few Sidalceas from Annies, and they have jsut started to bloom, with many buds still to come.
Achellia 'Moonshine' .
Penstemon Mystica...claims that it would bloom till fall did not prove accurate last summer in my garden, still I planted 2 more in the hopes that maturity would assist in a longer flowering . Either way a very nice trouble free plant and a vast improvement over 'Huskers Red' .
Always reliable Verbena bonariensis.
The fabulous Artichoke.
Penstemon Raven, one of my favorite non-floppers.
I grow Symphytum 'Axminister Gold' for the foliage but it's nice to have the little pinkish flowers in spring. I will cut it back moderately hard when the flowers wane, and a new batch of fresh foliage will be the result.
This is Clematis 'Arabella' which is a non-stop bloomer in my garden til the frost lays her low. Last fall I threw some sweetpea seeds around her base, and now they jockey for position on her arbor. I will have to rescue her before long-sweetpeas are not suitable summer plants here in any case.
I love this green Santolina and have them repeated a few times in my front garden.
...but one of them did this ! I hate it when that happens .Ruins the whole damn scheme.
That's exactly why I've never planted Santolina...for every one I see that looks amazing, there are 3 more that are split open in the middle...so sad :-(
ReplyDeleteIt kills me Scott. There has to be a perfect pruning regimen for these dudes..I have yet to figure it out !
DeleteAt the moment the sweet pea and clematis combo looks good. Nice blooms!
ReplyDeleteA few days of over 80 temps and it will be time for the sweetpeas to visit the compost bin. I have enjoyed this though !
DeleteI laughed at your comment about the SoCal perception of a "perennial" plant - so true! In areas without frost (like mine), there develops a belief that all plants should hang on year-round in some form - even the "annuals" that die off can create a sense of outrage if they don't last close to a year in the ground. And let's not discuss the shabby performance of bulbs! Maybe that's why I see so many plastic and silk flowers stuck in gardens here...
ReplyDeleteTo this day I can't stand the sight of Vinca rosea Kris ! Thank god it's not as ubiquitous here as it was in SoCal.
DeleteYour Axminster Gold looks very happy. The two divisions I planted last spring are huge too but haven't started blooming yet. Happy Belated Bloom Day! Better late than never.
ReplyDeleteThis is their 2nd year Sue , so I will be interested to see what kind of size they achieve.
DeleteWow, LOVE Arabella with the Sweet Peas! How wonderful a combination is that? You really have a lot of beauties blooming now. Axminster Gold is among my favorites in the garden. Just can't be beat for bold form and that marvelous color
ReplyDeleteI was actually expecting the sweetpeas to be over with when Arabella started blooming Deanne. I always forget how early she is, 2nd only to Niobe in my garden.
DeleteFriends of mine grow 'Axminster Gold' in their garden, and judging from how well it does for them, I would recommend not turning your back on it. BTW, beautiful images!
ReplyDelete