Orange

Yesterday, I saw my first hummingbird of the season sipping from the red hot pokers near the street. Of course I didn't have my camera.



The lantana I overwintered in the basement is blooming. The original planting did not survive the winter.



The Knockouts are taking a break while the ditch lilies do their thing. I was wondering what it would be like to have orange and pink/red blooms together in this space. I guess I don't have to worry about that now.



California poppies have been flopping all over. I've yet to see a flush of blooms on upright stalks. I'll let them reseed though I have yet to find a seed pod.



Cosmos are blooming here and there.



Joseph's Coat?



Rosa chinensis.



A ladybug. I've been seeing a lot of them this year. I've not sprayed for insects this year. I see a few issues with the roses and some blackspot. We'll see how it works out when the humidity and temperatures return this summer.



It's 63 degrees. More rain passed through overnight. The high today should reach the mid 70s.

Not all those who wander are lost.

I opted for a glass of tea this morning instead of coffee as I wandered around the yard. I had planned to post about the progress in the backyard, but it's not very pretty from a distance. There's a lot of green. It's at the same stage the perennial bed was last year at this time. Plants will grow and mature as the spring turns to summer, provided we receive enough rain. I can't keep dragging the hose all over the yard.

From yesterday, this is a closer view of the perennial bed arbor and beds. I'm very happy with the way it's turned out this year. It should only get better with each passing season.



Wintersown in 2008/9, Rose Campion has found a home in several spots. I've already planted out seedlings in the backyard from seeds sown this year. The scabiosa bloomed a little last year. There are lots of nice buds on the plants this time around. Stargazers will be the next plants to bloom in this area.



Rose Campion with Red Hot Pokers.



Another Rose Campion. I'll let these reseed and pull the unwanted ones later.



On the backside of the arbor, the Pink Maiden dianthus are really showing off this year.



They'll continue to bloom on and off all summer with another flush in the fall as the temperatures cool down. I'll be checking for seeds and probably take cuttings soon.



Self-sown petunias are blooming. I love the variations in color.



Someone sent me seeds of Cornus kousa. I sowed them all in a clump in the garden last fall when they arrived. I think they like the spot. Brugmansia from cuttings (pink and yellow) are in the background. Beyond that, two clearance hydrangeas have found a shady home behind the camellia.



Near the mailbox, in some of the driest, hardest soil in the yard, the first breadseed poppy has opened. More to come. No idea what other colors may arrive. There were some peony poppy seeds sown as well. I guess it will be a surprise. These too will be left to reseed with a little help from me.



Gold Flame Spirea in the Shady Corner is happy. The two small plants I picked up last year for cheap have not returned. I will take cuttings of this one once the blooms have faded. I'd like to scatter them in the crape myrtle bed for some foliage contrasts and the pink blooms work well with my color scheme there.



Salvia subrotunda seedlings were pulled from the perennial bed yesterday. I'll be setting these out in the upper meadow once we've gotten some rain. It's very likely over the next few days that something will fall. The other containers hold cuttings of Autumn Joy sedum and Montauk Daisy. The Montauks will be planted around the backyard for some late fall blooms. More cuttings will be made as soon as the S. subrotunda is planted out. The containers hold in humidity which helps the cuttings retain moisture. I leave these in the shade on the side porch. The sedums should root in a couple weeks.



From the photos I was planning to show, this is the driveway border I started last winter. There's rosemary, a couple Rosa chinensis, peonies, a yucca, the one surviving Honeycomb butterfly bush, a lilac, and weigela. I'm sure I am forgetting some things.



And what it used to look like on February 17, 2008. I like the way it's matured.



It's 72 degrees and mostly sunny. There's a haze in the sky as the humidity is up. Rain possible this evening after 8pm. The best chances seem to be Sunday and Monday at 50-60%. I wouldn't care if it rained all day.

More planting out.

Pineapple sage
Rudbeckia Prairie Sun
Achillea Summer Pastels
Culver's root
Pink Obedient plant
Four kinds of sunflowers
Monarda - annual and perennial
Sage
Milkweeds

and plenty more. From this



To this



Maybe 200 holes dug this morning going through 2 full charges on the cordless drill. The remainders are either too small or their locations aren't decided. I'll get around to them.

A bicolor California poppy has opened near the street.



The Mountain Bluet is going to seed. I scattered five seed heads around the backyard in beds that need early blooms.



Red hot poker.



Dianthus. It just glows in the garden on cloudy days.



A single white gerber daisy survived the winter.



Today's been just about perfect for working in the yard. It's 79 degrees. Mostly it's been overcast with a breeze. There is some humidity in the air, but it's tolerable. The first mosquito bites are itching.

Sunlight.

On a cloudless day, the colors are more vivid.



Every flaw, every weed, every nuance is highlighted. Texture is more visible with hard shadows. Fuzzy becomes apparent.



Red is true.



Orange.



In dappled sunlight, things are fuzzier. Weeds blend with the foliage of other plants making them less recognizable.



Backlighting is useful when photographing dark colors.



In deep shade, the colors are more muted.



Details are clear if you can focus.



But once in a while, the sun breaks through for just a few moments.



It's 57 degrees. The chance of rain has been downgraded to sunny and warm. The high will be in the upper 80s today.

The Meadow's Progress

Last fall, I sowed Crimson clover seeds in an area that had been treated twice with RoundUp. I scattered chopped leaves over the "soil". I sowed a lot of seeds. Things are starting to happen. Right now, the clover is blooming.



Next up, we have larkspur and poppies. I sowed a lot more seeds than I have plants to show for. Perhaps the soil will improve when the clover collapses and begins to break down. More leaves will be added again next year in addition to more seeds.





Cosmos have germinated with just a few infrequent waterings. Wonder what will happen when it rains?



Rudbeckia. Lots of rudbeckia.



Datura. I'm not surprised. I have it popping up in just about every bed in the yard. I think I sleep-scattered some seeds one night.



Even a sunflower from a few handfuls of bird seed (for feeding the critters during the winter) has sprouted. This has got to be the toughest sunflower ever. The soil is so dry, it'd be just as happy growing on a rock.



Other things are coming soon. There should be some agastache, amaranthus, more cosmos, Salvia subrotunda, and even Perilla. I'm curious about how this bed will develop over the course of the year. I'm going to start tracking the results. I might even take a picture a week again. I'll have to look back to see what my most common point of reference has been. I should have some late fall and early winter photos.

As long as the bees are happy, I'm gonna be eating squash and cucumbers this summer. No sign of them sprouting yet. The clover will keep them busy for now.



In the upper meadow, I've been working on planting out pineapple sage seedlings and Yvonne's salvia. They're tiny for now, but they grow fast with ample rain and heat. The red flowers should attract hummingbirds this summer. Salvia subrotunda seeds were scattered in the fall and late winter. I've seen a few sprouts already. Black eyed susans and other heat loving perennials have been planted along the path I created as well.

Yvonne's salvia (S. splendens) - grows to 4' or taller.



Pineapple sage.



It's cloudy and 52 degrees. The high today should reach almost 80. Scattered showers are in the forecast today and all weekend. Sunday, we might see some thunderstorms.

12:12pm - Planted out a few more containers this morning after the charges at the courthouse were dismissed. Expired registration. All good now. In the meadow, I planted goldenrod, agastache Apricot Sprite, Golden Jubilee, and Apache Sunset. I planted pink and purple cleome seedlings in the crape myrtle bed. I moved the dwarf loropetalum from the shrub island to the base of the lavender crape myrtle. It can spill over the brick wall now, hiding the broken bricks and missing chunk.

In its place, I planted one of the Foster Hollies. The other 6 were scattered through the lower meadow, also known as the gully. I've got seedlings of Poncirus trifolata that will go in next week, after some rain. They've got the wicked thorns good for creating a natural barrier, or a boma, as supplied by FlowerLady some days ago in the comment section. The final Foster Holly was installed to provide shade to what was once a shady corner before the oak tree died last summer. Brugmansias, hydrangeas, and other shade tolerant plants are already in their home. It should be a stunning display this year. Morning sun only.

Several rooted figs were planted where I had stuck cuttings this winter. I stuck them too early and only one of 12 had any roots at all. The ones in the hoophouse were potted up a while ago and have done much better. I have a system now, but I think 6 fig trees will be plenty for me and the birds.

All that behind me, I feel a little better than I did when I woke up. I've got a case of the crud coming on, I believe. I woke up sweating. That's not good. Especially in a house that was only 62 degrees.

It's 70 degrees. The sun is out and the clouds are gone. Unless something drastic happens, we won't see any rain today. Tomorrow there's a much better chance.

12:57pm - The first California poppy has opened. Love the orange.

Anticipation.

One of my favorite plants in the garden is the hardy hibiscus. I have added several over the past couple of years. The blooms are huge compared to the coreopsis, shastas, and other daisy shaped blooms. I like to mix them into borders. In the shrub island, I'm using them as fillers among the foliage. For me, they begin blooming in June, as pictured here.



But for now, the anticipation is the best part. I found several just starting to put out new growth. They're a bit early this year, probably from the heat of the past few weeks.

Red Texas Star



Turn of the Century



White Hibiscus. Never bloomed.



Luna Red



Pink Hibiscus, Disco Bell.



Unknown hibiscus, dark red, maybe.



Lord Baltimore



Other plants are returning too. I'd never grown brugmansia before last season, so I was excited to see them returning even after a hard winter for our zone.

Brugmansia



Joe Pye Weed, maybe. Could be milkweed, but I think that's further down the slope.



California Poppy. These seeds were scattered in the fall. A few germinated over the winter and this one has a bud. Can't wait to see the orange flowers in the backyard.



Another "large" bloomer, Miss Bateman clematis. This one is hidden behind the nandinas on the back of the house. I had a vision of it growing up the wire trellises I hung last spring. It prefers to sprawl across the ground. I keep picking it up. It falls down again.



It's 54 degrees. Yesterday, we had a splash of rain. Ok, it drizzled for all of 2 minutes. The smell of the rain on the asphalt in front of the store made me dizzy. People were saying we have another chance today, but I don't know where they're getting that information. My weather forecast says a 20% chance. More anticipation, I guess.