I'm Smiling...it's Spring!

As promised: More photos from the garden! The labels are ABOVE each photo.

The wisteria outside my kitchen window - turn on your smell-a-vision...ahhhhh


A tall bearded iris - blue, light blue combo - name is in a file I'm too lazy to find:



Poppies! I love poppies... orange California and one purple Poppy of Troy (Papaver setigerum)



California poppy with borage buds - I love those borage buds! I will plant many more borage seeds - will I regret this???!! They re-seed shamelessly. Stay tuned...


Below: Inside the fenced garden: The yellow area - border iris, abutilon and 'Bronze baby' sedge (Carex comans)...uhh, that cool looking "variegated " leaf in the upper left of photo - most likely chlorosis, a nutrient deficiency. I recently added compost for a long-term solution. But, I kinda like that deficient look ...

Another view of the yellow garden

OMG - this frilly tangerine iris is stupendous and, snifff, ahhhhhhhh , smells so sweet...Must find name of this one, too. I want to be this flower...

A view in the fenced garden:

Baby Blue Eyes! I love this wildflower, too! That's Verbena 'Homestead Purple' and white alyssum over-planted with a wildflower mix.

Closeup of that Poppy of Troy (Papaver setigerum) - another reseeder! I love this guy, too. Crazy stamens.

Below: Back inside the fenced garden: A new rose introduction everyone must have: Ebb Tide - we prefer you spell it EBBTIDE, of course. Too bad those Cupani sweet peas are out of focus - neat combo with the Euphorbia (green, spotty little bell blooms to right of rose). The Cupanis re-seeded, too!

Every year I take a photo like this - Tough, hardy, drought tolerant rockrose (Cistus purpureus) - I can't get enough of these blooms:

Here they are with their just-as-durable buddies: silver 'Powis Castle" Artemisia, purple wallflower (Erysimum 'Bowles Mauve'), pink flowering rockrose (Cistus pupureus):

I'm not being arrogant when I use scientific (Latin/Greek) names for plants: There is a reason. And a story behind this (I knew you were waiting for a story... ). About 20 years ago, when I started this garden in Cloverdale, I brought home a lovely silver, fuzzy plant from the local Ace Hardware, that was labeled DUSTY MILLER. In my search (no internet then!!! Had to read lots of books!) to find out if it would withstand hot hot full sun and rocky dry soil (a large part of my 1 acre garden), I came across no less than 6 plants named "Dusty Miller". The problem? Some wanted shade. Some wanted moist soil. Some wanted full sun, poor soil, and heat. Bingo. But WHO was it??? Many weeks later and with the help of the wonderful garden lady at Ace Is The Place, I found out, it was Helichrysum petiolare: full sun, heat tolerant, drought tolerant. How's that plant doing, you ask? I killed it. I will share a secret with you: When you see a plant that says "Drought Tolerant" (here in California) - you MUST water it regularly through the first 2 or 3 summers before it can withstand some drought conditions (maybe water a few times in the summer - depending on your soil, conditions, etc). That doesn't mean: Put it in the ground and don't water it! There. I just saved you alot of money.

You're welcome.

I'm going back outside now. Let's go, dogs....