When I started posting First Views of my garden a few months ago, I was hoping for a better history of the garden itself. Yes, which plants bloom when is important, but I wanted more than close-ups. I envisioned colorful photos starting in February with the pink manzanita, but I'm realizing how difficult it really is to get a garden photo that makes the flowers stand out. Above, the Salvia spatacea (humminbird sage) is beautiful in the morning light, but do we see the flowers?
This photo is a little different. The first poppy really stands out against the bright green of the feathery poppy leaves. Poppies are early this year, and many of the plants are stunted from the lack of rain. I hope the extra two inches we got in March will help them recover.
The bridge view is similar to the first picture - only when you look closely do you see the Heuchera maxima's lacy flowers at the other end of the bridge. In front, the Zauschneria californica is starting to green up after heavy pruning in December.
A little to the right of the bridge are the Japanese maple in a pot, with redwood sorrel and Western bleeding heart (Dicentra formosa) in the background.
Here's the Dicentra, looking pretty against the dark leaves of Carpenteria Californica (which I hope will bloom in 3 weeks for Garden Tour day).
In the front garden, the big news for the pollinators has been the arrival of Phaeclia tancetifolia. See the fuzzy purple flowers in the foreground? Also blooming early this year, I see bees and bumble bees each time I'm out there. I'm also hoping the Salivia apiana (White sage) to the right will recover from the very dry winter and bloom soon.
And above, from the other side, the Lepechina fragans (pitcher sage) shows its pretty lilac flowers. I wish I could share the fragrance with you!
The side strip in the front is starting to look filled in, with Salvia leucophylla, Phacelia, deer grass, and succulents.
Of course I'm hoping others will join and show off the first views of their gardens (first week of the month is fine). I'm putting a Mr. Linky widget below so you can add your own post, and I'm looking forward to visiting!
Comments
Looks good at your place. We had rain yesterday. Let me go out and look, maybe you'll see me later.
You have such an incredible variety of salvias growing in your garden, and some of them always seem to be in bloom! Happy April to you.
Your salvias are lovely. It takes fine tuning to get everything just right. You've done a great job.
I'm lagging behind, but as I say in my blog post, I've taken a fulltime job at a garden center. If only my back will hold up! I've been too tired to read any posts, much less write any. I can't complain, though...my employers read my blog!
I love all your color,...the Cleveland sage already blooming? You have a lot of structure in your garden that really shows off your plants.
What we all should do is have the best of our first views photos put in one of those self published books you can get online.
I really like your hummingbird sage and am hoping that mine will get bigger and bloom this year.
My Western Bleeding Heart pooped out this winter. It was doing great, and then just disappeared. Sigh.