Wildflower Wednesday

I've missed Wildflower Wednesday, the last Wednesday of the month, more times than I care to think about, but this time, with a timely post from Diana at Elephant's Eye about her South African wildflowers, I actually did remember. Considering it's later September and the days are getting shorter, it's really quite summery here in Silicon Valley. Temps are in the 80s, and in my native garden there are still some flowers. Above, Solidago canadensis looks more resplendent than in reality. The good thing about this species of goldenrod is that it doesn't spread like crazy. The bad thing is that it doesn't spread a lot and it doesn't look like much. But the different pollinators seem to enjoy the offering.

An even bigger success is the Eriogonum, shown above between two ceanothus bushes. The original garden design had a Cistus (rock rose) in that spot. It bloomed spectacularly for one spring and then died just as spectacularly. I replaced it, and the replacement died. I tried again, and, following the three strikes rule I have in my garden, planted an Eriogonum instead. No longer sure which cultivar, but it fills the spot nicely, blooms at a time when I need it, and seems fairly indestructable. Here's a close-up.

The other big attraction with both pollinators and hummingbirds is Epilobium.

And finally, new to the garden, is Abutilon palmeri, an Abutilon from the California desert. I just purchased three of these for the annual fall revamp of the garden, and was delighted to find that butterflies were already gathering there even while it was just in a pot. Exactly what I'm looking for in a wildflower!

And now, I'll go over to Clay and Limestone, where Gail has invited others to join her in a celebration of wildflowers.

(I hope you'll all come back here on Saturday when Country Mouse and I will share the first views of October with everyone, hoping others will join. We've wanted one day devoted to garden pictures, not to close-ups, and have enjoyed visiting each other that way. See you soon!)