To save some repetitive photos, the aloes are mostly over, the grevilleas, passiflora, and anisodontea continue, and now these shaggy brutes are making their blooming appearance this week, the tree dandelions, Sonchus palmensis. This is a plant with a big presence when its chrome yellow discs flare into bloom like a klieg light.
Salvia ‘Savannah Blue’ was clipped hard, so is dense and bushy and just about to bloom, and there’s three of them massed around that brown jar. I’ll miss seeing that but am trying a few cuttings up north. Teucrium betonicum and Geranium maderense ‘Alba’ will be in bloom next week (edited to add photo from 3/17 at end of post.) There’s no telling if the Giant Fennel will bloom this year, or ever, but it’s pushing out a wedding dress’ worth of lacy leaves. The kangaroo paws will be up late April/May.
And the Salvia greggii hybrids are spilling more and more flowers. ‘Mesa Azure’ has a particularly uniform habit of growth, hardy to zone 7.
Salvia x jamensis ‘Nachtvlinder’ has exceptional depth of coloring and velvety petals, but its habit slightly sprawls despite regular clipping and cutbacks. Could be the crowded conditions at fault, not the plant.
Gerberas flower so strongly here in zone 10 with just a little attentive irrigation. The Garvinea series is hardy to zone 7
Another plant purchased locally for the Oregon garden, that I ended up planting here in Long Beach, Halimium x pauanum would struggle in the rich, moist soil up north. It has better odds with the hot, dry SoCal garden.
And for some unknown but very irritating reason, I can’t get the link to work to May Dreams Gardens, Carol J. Michel’s host site for all Bloomday reports.
We’re heading back up north the end of this week with a car full of stuff I’ve dug up from the Long Beach garden, the dog, the cat — what a caravan! I hope you find good things to read and see and keep you busy. More soon. Affectionately, AGO
Everything is looking great, Denise! As usual, you have some plants I’ve never heard of and will need to look into, like the Tinantia. I tried Halimium several years ago on the south end of my garden but it didn’t last long. Your post sent me off to check the status of the Sonchus seedling you gave me. Tucked into a corner next to a Melianthus and adjacent to an Arbutus, it doesn’t get a lot of water but it looks happy enough at about a foot tall – no flowers yet but perhaps that’s a good thing.
I hope the caravan has a peaceful trip, to the extent that’s possibly with Banksy and Billie in tow. I look forward to seeing the progress of your norther garden 🙂
@Kris, I can get you lots of tinantia, trust me! I’ll drop some off next time I’m in town. I wonder if the sonchus will like your more exposed site — it will be an interesting experiment!
So many cool plants that I’m not familiar with: Brassica cretica, Halimium x pauanum, Titantia pringlei, etc. I love it when I discover new plants I can research!
My fennel has never bloomed either. I wonder what the secret it?
And after seeing your Sonchus palmensis, I’m inspired to try again.
Enjoyed your post with all the out-of-ordinary plants making up an out-of-ordinary garden. A vintage Craftsman home _is_ like a boat. My mom & dad’s house creaked with its wooden floors on a raised foundation–it felt alive. Klieg lights–now I know the name. Always called them search lights or movie-premier lights.
Have a good and safe trip back up north. Enjoy the rain for us.
I love the description of your home as a creaky, beloved boat. It looks utterly charming, as does your spring garden, Denise.