Plants I'm Growing: Phlomis, Rose "Flutterby" (April 5, 2013)

A lot of flowers coming into bloom in the garden now. The first Phlomis blossom opened on April 3 (pictured). The first flowers on the big climbing rose called "Flutterby" at the front of the house opened yesterday, April 4. Lithodora diffusa, a ground cover with a pretty star-shaped flower started blooming today. Most of the Ceanothus varieties in the garden are in full bloom. The sound around them is amazing; Ceanothus attracts a startling range of insects. Pacific Iris are in bloom, and leaves are just appearing on the smoke tree in front of the house. Both our pink crabapple tree and our "Pink Lady" apple tree are in bloom. The large salvia "Point Sal Spreader" is in bloom as well. The wisteria behind the house looks like it will start blooming soon, which always attracts many large bumblebees. A pretty time of the year.

Plants I'm Growing: First Blooms--Michelia Yunnanensis, Pacifc Iris (March 29, 2012)

Another belated post about flowers that have come into bloom in the garden in the past few days. The Michelia yunnanensis (a small tree related to the magnolias) on the side of the house started to bloom on March 29. This took a while to get established, but it's now doing very well and looking quite robust (photo). Michelia yunnanensis first bloomed last year on the same date, on March 22 in 2010, and on April 1 in 2009, calculating years of 365 days, 372 days, and 356 days. Also on March 29, the first of the Pacific irises in the garden bloomed. As usual--just a single flower ahead of the others. The plant won't really get going for a little while. The iris bloomed on April 6 in 2011 and April 5 in 2010, calculating years of 357 days and 366 days.

Plants I'm Growing--First Blooms: Halimiocistus Sahucii, Pacific Iris

First blooms today on the low-growing rock rose Halimiocistus sahucii and on the Pacific iris under the smoke tree at the front of the house. Halimiocistus sahucii bloomed on April 2 in 2009 and March 18 in 2010, calculating years of 350 days and 384 days, averaging to 367 days. The pacific iris bloomed on April 5 in 2010, for a year of 366 days, very close to an actual year.

The redbud tree by the garage started blooming on April 2 (I note belatedly). The tree first bloomed on March 26 in 2010, for a year of 372 days.

Plants I'm Growing--First Blooms: Pacific Iris, Monkey Flower, German Iris, Sonoma Sage

After another night of torrential rain (we got a full inch of precipitation), the sky is blue, the sun is out, and the garden is awash with new color. First blooms of 2010 today on some of the monkey flower plants (Mimulus sp.)--I've given up trying to remember which is which--on the small, violet Pacific iris (Iris douglasiana), and the first of the German or bearded iris (the variety called "Change of Pace" that always seems to bloom first). Salvia sonomensis (Sonoma sage) is also blooming today. Yesterday the red and yellow rose "Cocktail" had its first flowers of the year. The Cytisus scoparius called "Moonglow" is now in full bloom, along with the Australian native Isopogon Formosus, and the Rhododendron "Double Eagle," which is pictured here (top photo). In 2009, the first bearded iris bloomed on April 6. Thus, a year according to the irises in the yard was 364 days. "Cocktail" was early this year; in 2009 it first bloomed on April 20. "Change of Pace" bloomed on April 10 in 2009, for a year of 360 days. Scabiosa bloomed yesterday for the first time this year--very late compared with March 15 in 2009, for a year of 386 days.

I particularly like the Pacific iris. It blooms in large colonies on the hillsides in the area. Growers have bred fancier varieties with more frills and a wider range of colors, but this is the unaltered form, and it's quite good enough for me. I wonder if you've ever driven back to Sebastopol or Santa Rosa from the coast near Bodega Bay by way of Coleman Valley Road? There are large patches of this iris on the high bluffs there that look out over the Pacific Ocean. It's a winding, single-lane road for much of the way. It's often windy. In the late afternoon or just before or after a storm, the views can be spectacular. Heading east, it drops you into the town of Occidental. A road well worth exploring next time you're in the area. I wish I could show you.