Plants I'm Growing: First Blooms--Penstemon Heterophylla

This iridescent blue penstemon is one of my favorites. I've seen it growing wild in inland areas of northernmost California and in southern Oregon. It's tough and needs little water. First blooms of 2012 in our garden yesterday, May 11.

Plants I'm Growing: First Blooms--Penstemon, Cleveland Sage, Teucrium, Coreopsis

Because of the recent late rains, which discouraged walking around the garden, and a fair amount of work in the past few days I've missed the first blooms of 2011 on quite a number of flowers, but I note here that in the past week the red penstemon under the apple tree, several varieties of coreopsis, coyote mint, Cleveland sage (upper photo; I believe this variety is "Allan Chickering"), and the low-growing Teucrium cossonii have all come into bloom. The prettiest time of the year has been extended this year by cool weather and rain.

Plants I'm Growing--First Blooms: Penstemon Heterophyllus, Rose "Cocktail" (2011)

First blooms of 2011 on the pretty blue penstemon Penstemon heterophyllus and on the rose called "Cocktail." The penstemon is a variety I've seen blooming wild in northern California and Oregon by the roadside, but it has done very well in the garden here, despite (because of?) getting very little water or attention. The bright blue flowers have a beautiful, almost iridescent purplish sheen to them. Cocktail has been a reliable bloomer as well, with very cheerful bright red, single flowers with beige centers.

I'm surprised to see that I don't seem to have records for either Penstemon heterophyllus or "Cocktail" in 2010 or 2009, so I can't say whether they've bloomed early or late this year. In any case, they're pretty.

Plants I'm Growing--First Blooms: Phlomis Fruiticosa, Cistus "Sunset," Penstemon Heterophyllus (April 24, 2010)

First blooms of 2010 on three plants in the garden today: Phlomis fruiticosa, the big Jerusalem sage; Cistus "Sunset;" and the purply-blue wild penstemon Penstemon heterophyllus. Phlomis is one of the first plants I put into the garden here, not realizing how big it would get. It's now about seven feet across and the flower stalks are nearly as high as me. The photo shows buds in an axial whorl. A pair of big yellow petals will pop out of each of the "cells" visible here. This plant bloomed much earlier last year (April 10). A year according to Phlomis fruiticosa was 379 days.

"Sunset" has been blooming around town for about a week. The one here is comparatively shaded, so it has bloomed later than many. The plant bloomed in 2009 on April 9--much earlier than this year. A year according to "Sunset" was 380 days.

Penstemon heterophyllus is one of my favorite plants. It's almost irridescent. I've seen it growing wild in rocky, higher-altitude areas in California and elsewhere. It doesn't seem to last very long (2-3 years) and doesn't seed itself much, but I'm happy to keep planting it. I have a note of it blooming in early June along Highway 97 in the north-eastern part of the state, but no record of its first flowers in the garden last year.

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Plants I'm growing: First Blooms--Penstemon "Sour Grapes" and unidentified succulent (2009)

First blooms today on the "Sour Grapes" Penstemon under the pear tree and on the succulent with the wonderful pendant flowers--the name of which I can't remember.