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| Blue-eyed grass |
Yes! It's spring in California and the gardens are blooming. Usually, by now, I'm worried about the impression that the garden will make on the Going Native Garden Tour - like the mother of a debutante going to the ball. But the garden and I are taking a year off - that means you can visit the other gardens - almost 60 this years. The tour, on April 22 and April 23 this year, is free but you have to sign up at
gngt.org.
But back to the Town Mouse garden. The
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| Salvia brandegii 'Pacific Blue' |
My Salvia brandegii is going crazy this year - and has been blooming for 6 weeks already. Clearly, it's resisting all efforts to constrain it and this year, I'm letting it go just a little bit wild. It's so pleasant to brush against it and notice the fragrance of the leaves - and the pollinators have very much enjoyed this early bloomer.
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| Fritilaria and Coral Bells |
I'm also enjoying the color harmony of this half-native fritiaria and the coral bells. Both live in a pot and somehow make it through the long dry summer - then, some magic happens in sprint.
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| Western bleeding heart |
The shade-loving Western bleeding heart goes completely dormant in summer, but is especially stunning this year. I love the dainty little flowers and the fresh green. The plant with the shiny dark leaves in the background is a Carpenteria - look at those big buds!
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| Iris 'Canyon Snow' |
Canyon Snow is a Pacific Coast Iris hybrid that is vigorous - and does justice to the name. I have yet to get a good photo of this plant. The white is so bright that it always washes out. But you can see that this has been a good year for it.
All the plants in the pots are also doing well. Heuchera maxima is looking stunning, and a few iris will soon join the party - more about it in a few week.
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| Ceanothus 'Tilden Park' |
Right at the peak in early April we have Ceanothus 'Tilden Park'. This California wild lilac tolerates more shade than most, and blooms reliably every sprint. Still, I must say, this year it's especially stunning -- mmmh maybe we should have joined the tour after all!
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