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.