Saturday, May 9, 2015

More Spring from my Garden

As usual I have taken tons of photos this spring in my garden, that I didn't get around to publish. So I thought I will just put a post together with at least a small selection of them.



The calla lilies, zantedeschia aethiopica, which are growing in urns by the pool, were flowering fabulously in early spring this year, when the temperatures were still relatively moderate.



I am always fascinated by the elegance and simplicity of a calla lily bloom. 



Two new chartreuse/lime green colored heucheras with ruffled leaves (did I tell you that I have a weakness for chartreuse colored plants?), made it into my garden. The name of the variety is heuchera 'Lime Marmelade' and they are supposed to retain the chartreuse color well year-round.



Ajuga reptans 'Catlin's Giant', also called Buggleweed or Carpet Buggle, was blooming generously in a lovely deep blue hue, which you don't find that often in the plant kingdom. The green-bronze foliage is quite attractive as well.



My white bearded iris 'Platinum' reluctantly gave me only a few spring blooms, but at least it did. I was taking photos of the blooms in different light conditions. Here it is on a gray overcast morning.



Same variety back lit in the late afternoon...



... and hit by sunlight from the front. I think, it is amazing how different the flowers look depending on the changing light conditions.



The 'Lavender Crystal' miniature rose, produced blooms in an absolutely stunning bluish/lavender color. Apart from the color I also like the flower form of this variety very much.



I have transplanted 'Lavender Crystal' from a container into the ground last year November already, but the rose is still struggling, only able to grow into this spindly very small shrub. I guess, it is time for some pampering with fish emulsion and hopefully that helps. 



Alstroemeria Princess Lilies 'Claire' blooms continuously and tirelessly since weeks and is one of my favorite plants in the garden right now.



My white cyclamen (variety unknown) in the blue container bloomed very floriferously this spring, which I believe is due to a good feeding with fish emulsion. This stuff can help some plants to achieve amazing performances. Martha Washington geranium 'Regal Elegance Purple Majesty' in front of the cyclamen just started to flower in this photo. 



Here are some close-ups of the blooms of the Martha Washington geranium 'Regal Elegance Purple Majesty'. It was flowering very happily and still is, but right now needs a good deadheading. 



I am really in love with the color of this particular variety.



It is very easy to grow in my garden...



...and the blooms are almost always perfect. 



I have another Martha Washington geranium 'Regal Elegance Rose Bicolor', which seen by itself is pretty as well,...



...but the color is very bright and bold and not so easy to integrate in my cool color garden scheme. I seem to go back and forth by the week, if I really like it or not in the front yard. 



Floriferous 'Climbing Iceberg' rose strutting her stuff.



'Grandmother's Hat in her full swing. This rose has a wonderful perfume...



...and the blooms can be outstandingly beautiful.



'Reine des Violettes' is a little bit of a diva in my garden, that requires extra attention and the bush itself so far is not a lovely sight, but the blooms and fragrance, oooh my...



My white camellias 'Nuccio's Gem' were a mess this year. I blame the drought, early heatwaves and the water restrictions for all the scorched, brown and balled blooms. But every now and then one opened to perfection. These camellias were so breathtakingly beautiful last year (here is the link to my post about them from previous year), so it is really sad to see them suffer like they did this spring. Even though the climate data doesn't give much reason for it, one can always hope for a better next year...



An unknown light green cymbidium orchid was blooming its heart out this spring. You see how many flower stalks it had and, as far as I remember, I had cut already a few to fill my vases indoors when I took this photo. The plant itself is not the most prettiest sight, though. I assume, that is was sitting in too much water, which can lead to the brown leaves. Maybe the drainage hole in the pot is clogged...



The blooms are so gorgeous, pure and perfect...



...and I simply love, love, love the light green color.

Before I leave you I just have to share that we had rain yesterday and the temperatures dropped down quite a bit to 56 F/13 C. Altogether we maybe got a little bit over an inch of rain (25.4 mm) or so (note to the gardener: I have to get a rain gauge!). For most of you this is probably not worth mentioning, but with the severe drought and heat that we are having here in California, it was really a reason to be happy for me and it looks like the plants felt the same. 

See you in the garden!

Christina



16 comments:

  1. Son todas preciosas. Saludos y buen día.

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  2. So much beauty going on in your garden Christina :)

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  3. So so schön, deine vielen blühenden Pflanzen,
    liebe Christina! Zum Glück hat es ein wenig geregnet.
    Ich glaub dir, dass die Pflanzen dann gleich ganz anders aussehen!
    Ganz viele liebe Maigrüße
    sendet dir die Urte :-)

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  4. Wow, Christina ~ What a lovely visit to your flower filled gardens this morning. So much variety and color, I enjoyed the stroll. I think my favorite of all of these today was the Martha Washington geranium 'Regal Elegance Purple Majesty'. I also loved the camellia, your sweet orchids, well, actually all of the flowers were oooh and aaah worthy.

    I'm so glad to hear you got some much needed rain and some cooler temps. That is great news. Hopefully you will receive more 'liquid sunshine'. We had a good heavy rain last night and that was nice for us too.

    Have a lovely day today and a very good week ~ FlowerLady

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  5. What lovely blooms! Such stunning roses, as always - especially the Lavender Crystal - what a unique color, and I agree, great form. The calla lilies are also so beautiful! I've grown them from bulbs in TX and they are lovely for a year, but usually don't return, so unfortunately I don't think I'll be growing them again. I'll just appreciate them in your garden.

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  6. The Martha Washington geranium is fabulous! Fish emulsion is a staple of my garden. I feed everything with it. I bought some special, miracle-working organic fertilizer earlier this year, and after a sniff I re-read the ingredients. Yep! Its main component was fish emulsion.

    Congratulations on the rain. I hope there is more to come.

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  7. Je me réjouis de la pluie qui s'est enfin abattue sur ta région. 26 mm c'est déjà bien pour la végétation. Comme toi, les arums sont des fleurs que j'affectionne énormément ainsi que les fleurs de couleur vert anis
    Quant à tes roses, elles sont toujours aussi fabuleuses et semblent ne pas souffrir du manque d'eau.
    Belle soirée....

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  8. Beautiful photos of wonderful plants, christina. I love 'Lavender Crystal' and that Cymbidium (despite the leaves).

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  9. My heart is singing for you all right now!!!!!! I am so HAPPY to hear that you got some rain!!! Now I will be praying for more for you all! Your lilies are outstanding!!!! Just gorgeous as are your camellias!!!!! All of your blooms are so very pretty Christina! Nicole xo

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  10. Wie schön - deine Iris sind ganz bezaubernd - die Rosen blühen, bei uns habe ich heute die erste Rugosa gesehen, die bald eine Blüte öffnen wird. Du wohnst in einer ganz anderen Welt.

    Sigrun

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  11. I like the 'Climbing Iceberg' Rose, the Camellia, and the Calla Lilies the best, but really everything in your garden is lovely. Yay for the rain!!!

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  12. Very beautiful blooms you have shared with us from your lovely gardens! The miniature purple rose is so unusual. I love the Martha Washingtons - such rich colors! Of course I love all the flowers and I am so happy for you that it rained! - Karen

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  13. I always feel awful when I complain about the rain Christina. It's easy to forget there are far more people in this world in need. Very pleased to read that you've had some rain and I'm sure your garden is very thankfull for it.
    You have so many lovely spring blooms, obviously I'm lucky if I can manage some of them in summer, never mind spring.
    Loving that Alstroemeria too, that's the one from your EOMV isn't it? and of course I can't fail to mention the Orchid, it's gorgeous!

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    Replies
    1. Angie, you have a good plant memory, yes, this is the alstroemeria from my White Garden Bed that I featured at the End of Month View meme!

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  14. Lovely Spring flowers you are showing!

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  15. Your Martha Washington geranium 'Regal Elegance Purple Majesty' is amazing! I love the colors and velvety appearance of the petals.

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