Believe it or not, I was worried I might miss the tail-end of the rainy season when returning to the coast in early April. I was hearing reports of a dryish winter, and I seem to remember 2024’s summer dry season commencing at the end of April. Instead, to my great joy, May has provided the best drizzly, overcast skies for shuffling and resettling plants. And I got the rain fix I needed — Marty is not quite as appreciative of the wet weather.
Another good plant that was disturbed in its spring foliar glory is Filipendula ‘Red Umbrellas.’ I’ve been brooding over the lack of softly mounding shapes this spring, which this filipendula does so well. The main clump was dug and split into thirds, and once again rainy May worked its magic on the transplants.
Knowing that Dan Hinkley would be coming to the coast to give a talk in April for the Hoffman Center of the Arts’ Wonder Garden, I assumed he would be bringing some Windcliff plants for the plant sale also in April. But he wasn’t. No idea why I assumed this. So turns out my request to Ketzel to ask Dan to bring Eryngium guatamalense could be construed as very pushy because there wasn’t an overall plant sale order. Incredibly mortifying. Yet they laughed and wouldn’t even let me pay for it. Oh, the shame (but oh, the excitement to see if it likes my garden!)
For me Dan’s talk was a fascinating continuum of the (to me) familiar story of his wildly successful nurseries, plant hunting, and gardens. I knew Windcliff suffered severe damage from winter 2024, and a large section of it was solarized in anticipation of replanting. To hear Hinkley admit how things began to go “sideways” at Windcliff due to septic tank issues, winter damage, and how he managed to become excited all over again from a rogue patch of volunteer opium poppies — for me it answered a lot of questions I had after visiting Windcliff in summer 2024. I mention this because I did hear one comment from someone perhaps not so familiar with the Hinkley chronicles, and his rollicking, often droll speaking style, who wished there was more talk of individual plants. (Which strikes me as expecting recipes from Anthony Bourdain.) But the talk seemed very enthusiastically and warmly received. Loree of Danger Garden gives the next one on May 30 — unfortunately I’m out of town. Go Loree!
The front garden has been both receiving and supplying plants in the ongoing shuffle. All the nonblooming ‘Helen Von Stein’ lamb’s ears have been moved from the back garden to the front. They thicken up too fast in the back garden and are more useful where they will be kept drier over summer.
More soon, AGO.
April’s showers bring May flowers. I guess just fast forward one month. The garden is looking lush and is obviously enjoying all the moisture. Funny story re: Dan Hinkley and the plant however, it’s only a bit of a faux pas I wouldn’t worry. I bet Dan didn’t blink an eye as you are a fellow plant lover.
I fall to Marty’s side of the rain adoration scale, although it was getting very dry here so very early–so a couple weeks of cool and showery is a good thing. I would have assumed the same, re: Dan bringing plants! I’m glad you got the Eryngium guatamalense though. I have two now and while there is no sign of a bloom, the foliage looked fantastic all winter. I somehow missed how planted up your front garden is now. How is the neighborhood responding? (so sad to miss you when I’m over your way!)
@Elaine, yep the showers bring flowers but also astonishing growth in general, and now we’re up for a week of no rain and not much forecasted, so seems like this has been the last hurrah of the rainy season.
I can’t help being very envious about the rain, especially as my collected rainwater is rapidly disappearing. The Hinkley story is amusing – and at least you got a great plant out of it! Your zone 8 garden is as inventive as your zone 10 garden.
@Loree, check out the E. guatamalense at the WG when you’re there. I think I detected a bloom spike last I looked. The WG heats up so fast. The conditions there remind me a bit of the growing-on-sand movement because it’s basically maybe a foot of topsoil over rubble over sand. Stuff like Lobelia tupa struggle, but tap-rooted plants do fantastic, and also the dry garden stuff like cistus. And I’m trying to convince them to plant a whale’s tongue agave, it would thrive there.
@Kris, all those years of drought really make me appreciate rain!
Late spring was a bit of a bust here for rain-though we did hit season normal. Only a little under a half inch in April and maybe a scant tenth in May. The hoses are out. What a great aquisition story re: Eryngium guatamalense ! I have tried and failed to find E agavifolum . I’m attempting this spring to grow rusty foxglove from seed -D ferrunginea ”Gelber Herold’ – it’s a slog ! Takes about a month for the true leaves to make an appearance and then just sort of sits there doing nothing for another month. But they are still alive so that’s something !
@Kathy, full disclosure, D. ferrug. reseeds wildly here, and I’ve got dozens of rosettes that need weeding out. It’s just the species and not a seed selection like yours, but I could box a few to send, lmk. And the more. mature rosettes are already elongating into spikes. Digitalis parviflora hasn’t reseeded at all, just extending into a bigger clump.
How perfect to have May showers when you are planting, and moving things around. Both of the Eryngiums have fantastic spikey foliage! I need to branch out, I think mine is blue glitter from the old Annie’s Annuals. Oh, and somewhere a ‘Jade Frost” if it’s still around? The coloring of the Sobaria is fantastic, your front garden is lovely. I love your ‘best of both worlds’ CA/OR style.
I was out Tillamook way last weekend and was thinking about dropping by to see the WG, but it just didn’t work out. Nice to see the front garden. I too like rusty foxgloves, but despite 10+ years of trying they just don’t last long for me (yet). I wonder why? I probably won’t every stop trying = insanity. D. lutea is a pleasant, reliable reseeder though. Not nearly as assertive as D. purpurea.
Hi Denise! I was researching Celosia Cramer’s Amazon and google directed me here. Love you gardens whether they are in CA or OR. Hope all is well.
@Tracy, thanks for the encouragement on the front garden! I started a few eryngium from seed too that are popping up, but for leaves and bracts that ‘Big Blue’ steals the show.
@Jerry, my D. parviflora is a big clump now with lots of spikes, while the ferruginea seems to die after blooming, reseed like crazy and make new small plants that throw up one or at most two spikes, so needs some space to make a show of several spikes.
@Hi Sue! I tracked you back to Insta — your garden is looking wonderful, what a show of lupines!