They're bloooomin in the rain, just blooomin in the rain!

It's a glorious feeling, we're happy again - because it's raining and raining and raining!
I went out earlier this morning and snapped a bunch of pictures which were all blurred. So I reset the camera to this convenient "High ISO" setting and did them all again... Things are starting to bloom around here. It's May Dreams Gardens Garden Bloggers' Bloom day so here we go...

Ribes speciosa, Fuschia Flowering Gooseberry:


And again:


Western Redbud (Cercis occidentalis) - not a very good shot - just starting to bloom...:


Ribes sanguineum, Pink Flowering Currant - the one that's doing well!


Here's a longer shot of it:


The Manzanita below (Arctostaphylos "Pacific Sunset") - in the above picture, it's on the right around the middle but you can't see it for the foliage above:


Here are some rosemary and night scented stock (I think) around my dad's cottage, next to our house (I keep threatening to cut them all down because it's just like kindling piled up against the walls!):


Some geraniums (pelargoniums I guess, properly speaking) - passed along to me by Town Mouse - and Limonium perezii, Sea Lavender:


A favorite of mine - and endemic here - miner's lettuce, Claytonia perfoliata, is everywhere, even pops up amid the mulch:


Sweet pea bush (Polygala myrtifolia) is always blooming, it seems. I planted this one without much thought or planning before I got so much into California natives, and it thrives here:


Likewise the Cape Honeysuckle (Tecomaria capensis). I need to prune this back and train it along the fence:


This is my pet rose. It survived several rounds of rototilling. There were several old roses behind a not-too-attractive fence, surrounded by a lawn, and we removed all of it. But this one wouldn't go away. I'd find it out there growing at odd angles. And so I transplanted it and it's doing fine. Not the best specimen maybe but survives neglect and keeps on popping out flowers. I don't know what kind of rose it is or even if it needs pruning or anything. I'm quite fond of it. I think it is fed by some small pets buried behind it. Hello Hermione, you're coming up roses.


Meanwhile, at the end of the driveway, I keep trying to make a pretty area but the soil is very poor. Even natives are not doing well there. Along our road, we have a custom of planting daffodils in our driveways:


Farther up the driveway I planted Lepechinia fragrans, Fragrant Pitcher Sage:


And Ribes malvaceum (chaparral currant):


and Ceanothus "Joyce Coulter" (I think):


Opposite our porch / front door area, is a Salvia "Bees Bliss" that is indestructible:


Here's how the whole plant is looking. It's another one that has been run over by a truck, whacked back, trodden on etc, and it just resurges every year - AND the deer don't touch it. It wants to spread much bigger - I prune it periodically. I'd say it's about 5 feet across:


Behind the Salvia above is a Ceanothus "Dark Star" that took for ever to get established, and though rather small, is steadily growing year by year. It's another I put in before I got any clue at all about design. But I'm kind of a "rough" gardener anyway and design is not my forte. Fortuitous accidents are what I hope for... It's just starting to come into bloom:


Deer don't bother this ceanothus as much - they prune Joyce Coulter but don't destroy her totally. In general the tinier the leaves, the less the deer like em, when it comes to ceanothus.

Well that's about it. The rain is still falling. In fact -- it's falling on the desk to my left. Oh, I felt a drop on my fingers! Yikes. I'll have to get my resident builder to take a look at this!

Now - off to look at what's blooming elsewhere on other blogs...

Comments

Anonymous said…
Oh, I envy you! We're months behind...
I do have Ribes sanguineum and Claytonia perfoliata in my garden too, but I guess they won't be blooming before April.
But on the other hand, I'm enjoying my winter-flowering plants, like the Viburnum bodnantense 'Dawn' with it's strong scent, and the sweet perfume (and beautiful flowers) of my witchhazels...
And snowdrops and crocusses are beautiful too.
Country Mouse said…
Hi AnneTanne - I enjoyed your flowers and those very squiggly ones from your earlier post - fascinating. Almost makes you want to pop one in your mouth they look so - crunchy.

I'm happy to observer harsher winters at a distance. But I do miss snowdrops and crocusses!
Anonymous said…
The rain just makes the garden come alive! You have lots of wonderful blooms to enjoy right now. It will be another month or so before my garden is as lively as yours. :)
Anonymous said…
Wow, gardening in Santa Cruz — what a nice place to be. I grew up in Southern California and have a very fond memory of the Manzanitas in the mountains there. There is nothing like Manzanita bark. From your other posts sounds like the deer are every bit as much a problem for you as for the east coast.
Wow, you do have lots blooming. Seeing all this makes me crave spring even more. Happy GBBD.
You have so much blooming! I'm anxiously waiting form my pink flowering currant. It's one of my favorites. Even with rain it looks so bright and cheerful with all of your flowers!
lostlandscape said…
Cool! Nice to see so many natives in your garden--and happy ones at that. I planted gobs of claytonia seeds and I'm still waiting for them to emerge. You seem to have the magic touch with them. I'm hoping that now that I've complained about them they'll start springing up everywhere! Enjoy the rain and the blooms!
Gardeness said…
Wow. Tons of great things already. And don't you just love the rain and how it gives everything a nice wash' Enjoy all those great blooms.
Anonymous said…
I know how it feels to be thrilled with rain. We got a little last week and were dancing for joy. The plants suddenly awakened from their stupor.

I like all the blues you have in your garden. The rosemary is luscious.
Country Mouse said…
About Miners' Lettuce - Lostlandscape is hoping to grow some. I thought I'd mention that it just grows endemically where I live. It grows on a north facing slope only, and in moistish conditions. But some of it sprouts in sunny spots near the slope, too. Second, the soil here is sandy and acidic. It is not very high in nutrients. So I'd say good drainage, moisture, and acidic (and perhaps lean?) soil would all help. Good luck!
Town Mouse said…
Oh, very pretty. I have to get up there and have a look around! And you're so ahead of us down here in the burbs. My redbud is barely starting to form buds...Well, rest of the week is supposed to be warm, maybe we'll catch up.
Gail said…
Fantastic. I love your garden and the wonderful native plants! Your joy in rain is a delight and a reminder to appreciate my garden! ...We have a claytonia that I love...we call it Spring Beauty and it carpets the lawns (if you're lucky) each spring! I am so glad you visited my blog and introduced yourselves! Gail
Anonymous said…
Your conditions seem very similar to mine in NW Austin. We're getting light drizzle today, for which I'm extremely grateful. Every little bit helps! Your natives and adapted plants look similar to ones we grow here too. And, as in your garden, spring is showing in the new-blooming redbuds, a few roses, etc. Everything is getting ready to grow or bloom, isn't it?
Anonymous said…
What an array of lovely flowers, you have some great planting.
Your joy at the rain was quite infectious -
K
Dreamybee said…
Wow, so many pretty things blooming in your garden! I really like the structure of the "Dark Star." Are those bloom-covered plants really rosemary?? I never get more than one or two flowers at a time on mine.