GBBD: The Town Mouse Report

Today, I started a 10-week drawing class. When I mentioned to the teacher that I wanted to learn how to draw plants, she said:"Oh, too bad this time of year nothing is blooming." Mmmm. Let's have a look at nothing...

In the front garden, above, Eriogonum arborescens (Channel island buckwheat) still puts on a good show, and I enjoy the colors of the slowly fading blossom clusters. Also in the front, several self-seeded and transplanted Zauschneria Californica (California Fuchsia). I'm hoping to plant even more this fall.

The back side garden still looks fairly lush, with Eriogonum arborescens, Eriogonum grande rubescens, and Sedum Autumn Joy, all near the Christmas fountain and offset against a lush dark green Toyon on the right.

Here's a close-up of the sedum.

And here's a close-up of the Eriogonum together with the mystery sedum (Ms. ElephantsEye from South Africa will attempt to identify it, I'm planning on a post with blooms soon -- but it's done blooming so I can't include it here)

The mediterranean mounds look much better than last hear because it's been unusually cool. Here the ceanothus, still quite green, with another native buckwheat and Stipa gigantea (giant feathergrass), a very drought-tolerant mediterranean grass.

 

A close-up of this buckwheat, which really shines this time of year with silvery foilage and white blossoms, beloved by pollinators and butterflies. 

But we also have color! Here, a deep red salvia, revived with a 20 minute soak after the irrigation had been shut of for 3 weeks in my absence. 

 

This salvia is a big hit with the hummingbirds as is, despite of its blue flowers, the Agaphantus. This one is over 5 feet, and I left a few blossoms during a recent clean-up. 

The big surprise has been that we have a few monkey flower blossoms in the garden. Usually, monkeyflowers are just a sorry heap of dead-looking leaves, with a bit of green mixed in. But this year, a few blossoms. 

 

And in the shade, the plant playing tricks on me is Rhododendron occidentale. This California native rhododendron was supposed to bloom in spring but did not. It's decided to bloom now, while the leaves are starting to turn at the same time. The beautiful white flowers are tinged with a bit of yellow and fragrant. 

 

I'd hope that my drawing teacher would be impressed with my collection of California natives and other mediterranean climate plants. But if she were not -- some are not so showy -- I think I'd surely win here over with the waterlily.

And now, I'll briefly head over to Carol at May Dreams Gardens who has faithfully brought us Garden Blogger's Bloom Day for many months and years. Tomorrow, I hope I'll have time to visit longer and see what's blooming in other parts of the country (and the world).