Plants I'm Growing: In the Garden Now (May 18, 2014)

This is perhaps the prettiest time of year in the garden. Everything that blooms in the spring sees to be blooming at once. The late Rhododendrons, several different Phlomis varieties, roses, rock roses, and various other flowers. The first blossom on the potted beavertail cactus in the driveway opened yesterday, May 17.

The garden is neglected at the moment, the result of too much time spent working, but the flowers are still pretty. The photo above is the Cistus (or rock rose) called "Sunset." Below pictured are Phlomis fruiticosa (Jerusalem Sage) and one of my favorite roses, a single-petaled variety called "Nearly Wild."

Plants I'm Growing: First Blooms--Monkey Flower, "Sungold" Butterfly Bush, More Roses (May 2, 2012)

First blooms of 2012 on a number of new plants in the past couple of days. The azalea-flowered monkey flower bloomed yesterday as did the butterfly bush (Buddleia) with the odd round flower clusters called "Sungold." The single pink rose by the deck called "Nearly Wild" started blooming the day before.

The monkey flower bloomed on May 3 in 2010. I can't find a record for 2011. "Sungold" bloomed on April 22 in 2011 and May 2 in 2010. "Nearly Wild" bloomed on April 18 in 2011 and April 9 in 2010, so this is rather late for this rose, although one or two mis-formed buds did open a couple of weeks ago.... Perhaps in earlier years, I've counted the outliers....

Plants I'm Growing--First Blooms: White Rock Rose, Rosa Chinensis Mutabilis (2011)

A heavy load of work this week has caused me to miss the first blooms of 2011 on a number of plants in the garden this year, but I note that the large white Cistus on the side of the house, by the lamppost, started blooming on April 15--yet another Cistus, or rock rose, that I've lost track of the name of. One of the first plants I planted here, it thrives with almost no water and blooms reliably.

The blowsy multi-colored rose, also on the side of the house, began blooming around April 15 as well. Rosa chinensis mutabilis it's called. I like the name of this plant--as I may have remarked here before. It means "mutable Chinese rose" and the name is apt. The compact, neat buds begin a promising deep red, but the flowers open a medium purplish pink and then develop apricot centers as they quickly fade to pink and finally to a mottled pale beige. The flowers then fall apart and blow away. Perhaps this flower should be the symbol of romantic love, rather than the scarlet hybrid tea rose that has taken on that role.

First blooms yesterday, April 17, on the deep pink rose by the side of the deck, a variety called "Nearly Wild." It's a very pretty single-petaled, old fashioned-looking rose that reminds me of the wild roses I remember from summers in England as a child. The buds are a deep, deep pink. The long-lasting flowers open to show a somewhat paler center with cheerful yellow stamens. Generally trouble free, although it occasionally needs a light spraying with neem oil to prevent mildew and against aphids. "Nearly Wild" bloomed on April 9 in 2010, so it has calculated a botanical year of 356 days.

The climbing rose "Altissimo" has also started to bloom in the past few days, but I missed the first bloom this year.

Plants I'm Growing--First Blooms: Cistus "Sunset," Rose "Nearly Wild," Rose "Livin' Easy," Echium Vulgare

At this time of year, keeping up with the garden begins to get difficult. Every day brings new flowers. Today the first blooms of 2010 came on the rock rose (Cistus) called "Sunset," on two roses--"Nearly Wild" and "Easy Livin," on Echium vulgare, and on one plant that I can't identify any more. "Sunset" is pictured above, Echium vulgare below.

Echiums are generally very tall plants with spikes of tiny flowers sometimes as much as 20 feet high. They are native to places like the island of Madeira. You've probably seen them on the coast if you live in California or visit here--at places like Bodega Bay and Mendocino. They have common names like "Tower of Jewels."

Vulgare is the smallest and least showy of the Echiums I know, but it's pretty nevertheless. The flowers bloom in loose spikes (the photo here shows only a single small blossom). They start out clear blue and fade to a washed-out violet pink. The plant is only about 18 inches tall. It's strong (tolerating neglect), but it tends to look a bit ratty late in the season. Still, it's a nice addition to the spring color parade.

Like many of the Echiums, it will reseed itself if you let the flowers go. There are about 8 Echium boissieri plants around the garden this year--none of which I planted. The original, single plant was put in about four years ago. It's long gone, but its descendants continue to thrive. The Echium vulgare is a volunteer, too, from a single plant I put in several years ago. Two or three Echium wildpretii are set to bloom this year as well. A few of the Echiums are perennials. Most are biennials (producing a rosette of low leaves the first year, a tall flower spike the second year and then dying). Echium vulgare is an annual.