Plants I'm Growing--First Blooms: Yarrrow, Monkey Flower, Yellow Rose (2010)

More new plants are blooming in the garden today.

Two types of monkey flower (Mimulus sp.) started blooming this morning--one a plain orange-yellow, like the native sticky monkey flower but with broader leaves that aren't very sticky, the other known as "Azalea-flowered monkey flower."

The one yellow rose in the garden--I don't know its name--also bloomed today, as did the low, white yarrow I planted last year, which I believe is Achillea kellereri (pictured below).

The Azalea-flowered monkey flower bloomed last year on April 22. A year according to this plant was 375 days. The yellow rose bloomed on May 4 last year, for a year of 364 days.

Plants I'm Growing: Yellow Rose, Other Roses, Scabiosa, Ceanothus "Skylark"

Yellow rose today, but blasted by the rain--unseen perhaps. Other roses the same. We've had more rain today. A bit melancholy, but it's a good thing. Following the two inches we got Friday through Sunday, it looks like we'll get at least another inch or so today. Very welcome indeed.

First blooms today also on the "Skylark" Ceanothus, the pink and purple Linaria purpurea, and on Scabiosa farinosa (pictured). This is an unusual Scabiosa in that it has thick, leathery leaves and it's quite drought tolerant once established. It's extremely easy to propagate from cuttings. It has a tendency to die out in the center, but if you clip away the dead leaves, the bare stems will sprout as soon as they see regular sunlight again. Forms round mounds about two feet across.