June Blooms on the Ridge

(If you clicked here from May Dreams Gardens in July - I linked wrongly! Click Here for July!)

Before the blooms - above is another picture of my favorite critter - this time a baby alligator lizard

[note: earlier I thought it was a fence lizard but I've updated this post to make this correction. See next post for more on this.]

that somehow got in the house. I captured him easily in a handy yellow plastic tumbler and we had a good look at each other before I sent him on his way! He was a tiny little whippersnapper, all shiny with youth and good health! - And he even has a feather in his cap as you can just make out!

As usual these days, I'm in a rush. My free time has been spent in weed removal - so that weed flowers don't become part of my July bloom day! As ever thanks to Carol at May Dreams Gardens for putting on the monthly bloom day every 15th of the month. Here's what's blooming around my neck of the woods...

Our indigenous deerweed, Lotus scoparius, is blooming all over the hill - I just love it. It's funny how the other yellow blooms don't thrill, because we know they are invasive French broom or myrtle! And sage is also scenting the air. The one in the photo (barely) is I think Winifred Gilman.

My elderberries are too young to bloom - here's what they will look like, in a neighboring area of wilderness...


Also blooming on the chaparral side are the indigenous gnaphalium californicum.


Indigenous Golden yarrow is making a huge splash too with its chrome yellow blossoms.


This non-native Mexican salvia was here when we arrived and earns a place because it thrives with absolutely no irrigation and feeds the hummingbirds. I just whack it back each year.

Also indigenous, these tiny-flowered madia are popping up everywhere. Not sure the specific species - the huge sticky Madia sative are sprouting too and they get enormous - I let them grow only in the wilder areas.

Indigenous monkey flower are stunning everywhere right now.

And the garden kind! - here with some seaside daisies, native on the coast just south of here.

But oh the indigenous chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum) - for which the chaparral type is named - are just lovely right now. Forget the fire hazard and just enjoy these creamy blossoms that cover the chaparral right now. Here's a close up...

And here's how they look massed on a hill. (I can't see my hill from below, but it looks like my neighbor's, shown here.)

Too bad the picture is a bit washed out - it is more vivid in actuality.

Above is a bit of yarrow, planted monkey flower, and planted hummingbird sage - I'm excited because this - though it doesn't look like much - is the best I've seen on this lower part of my driveway where the ground is very poor and the light not the best.

In the shade of the Ribes indecorum are a few columbine I planted thinking they were native.
They survive unassisted and don't spread. But when I propagate columbine, they may have to go. I collected some good seed this year locally and hope to grow a bunch.

And California aster, planted, starting to bloom. not showy but in masses, a good effect. These are spreaders - plant with care!

Pitcher sage, planted, not thriving so well this year - the plants may just be old, not sure.

Mimulus guttatis is not growing in my garden but I hope it will be next year! I'm keeping an eye on these seep monkey flower plants that grow in a moist shady spot down the road. Town mouse grows these successfully in her garden. Here's a close up.


(Wow a big turkey vulture just flew right by my window!)

In the same vein - I would like to propagate these little violets, blooming near the seep monkey flower - they are so sweet:

They are Viola glabella, stream violet. Again, good for shady moist spots.

The indigenous yerba santa, Eriodictyon californicum, is blooming profusely this year. Mine was all whacked back as it was growing too close to the road, and it is resprouting vigorously. I wonder if it will start to get the sooty mold again that plagued it before?

Almost finished blooming now is our native black sage, Salvia mellifera. I love catching the sage backlit by the morning sun. A trick I learned from Saxon Holt, and try to use every chance I get.

Happy bloom day all - Be sure to check the lovely garden natives posted by my good friend and co-blogger Town Mouse here!