GardenBook

 Most years I take my spring road trip in April and my first Annies run happens in March. It kind of amuses me to see how my routine was disrupted just because I took the road trip in March. My Annies list was getting long and my garden had an abundance of empty spots-not a bad thing when you have a plant-shop habit. Today I packed up the camera and the plant list and headed south for my first Annies outing of 2018. It was way too sunny for photos but I took them anyway.  It was a flowery day - the Digitalis was  in great form. I love Foxgloves and grew them for years until I had to make some space choices that bumped them off the team. There are so many interesting hybrids now -including the Digiplexis cultivars that created such a buzz when they were first introduced, that I have started to gradually bring them back into the fold.  Lady Hillingdon , the tea rose that is among the small covey of roses that I would consider adding to my garden was in full peak bloom. I

 I've posted previously about my March visit to Lotusland  which focused on the Bromiliad gardens and the Dunlap Cactus Collection . Today I'll share an overview of some of the other features of the garden. I come home from these  trips happy about the plethora of images I was able to take  only to be overwhelmed when  trying to sort through them and weed out the duds and the duplicates. I actually enjoy the process of sorting and editing photos, but sometimes it's hard to be objective . In fact I will suggest that objectivity is a dying art. I will do my part to keep the flame.  Today I tried to select some decent photos that represented the areas I didn't cover in my previous posts. I took many many photos, both good and bad.Because I am a member I don't have to endure the restriction of a guided tour. The tour is ok for your 1st visit but after that  strolling around Lotusland as a member is worth the price. I would never have it any other way.  The residence 

 I managed to get some photos this morning before rain returned-I'm not  complaining , though I have to say I was on a roll in the planting-weed pulling-mulching department. At least now it is still light for a couple hours after I get home from the office so I can get some things accomplished mid-week.    The spring bulb-y action is pretty much a done deal here, and the late spring plants are just coming into bloom. Cistus 'Mickie' however is in full boom, with it's bright white flowers , sunnyside up above the bright variegated foliage.  Only one flower kinda-sorta open on the Phlomis.  Sideritas cypria  is in a new location this year -dry  and  relentlessly sunny. The plant looks absolutely perfect right now and I will be curious to see if it exhibits the behavior of it's previous site. I'm hoping not-it was that lambs-ear-ish crappy beige foliage at the base.  I've had this iris for many years-It's a dwarf so it's out of bloom