The Butterfly Bush

There are butterflies everywhere and I have to give credit to the aptly named butterfly bush or buddleia. I have a few of them around the gardens but there is one that is always host to at least one butterfly whenever you look at it, this lovely purple one. Unfortunately it is situated in a bed that faces west and the plant shows its best side to the neighbors horse stalls and we get a look at the rangy back side of the plant, but I'll put up with that because the butterflies love it! It is fragrant and about five feet tall. I do cut the flowers and they are lovely, long lasting additions to bouquets. did I mention it is drought tolerant? I can't think of any reason not to grow this lovely bush that comes in so many different colors, although I have found that the purple ones do the best.

When The Jasmine Fades

I just wanted to say a word about one of my favorite vines, pink jasmine (jasminum polanthum). It is such a sweet thing that is so easy to grow, nothing bothers it at all and it will ramble all over the place with little or no care. It blooms in the middle of winter when everything else is sadly dormant and is so very, very fragrant that it gives even the most discouraged gardener hope of an early spring in our mild climate. It does have one unpleasant characteristic though. It is not self cleaning and it is not easy to deadhead. Once the pretty little pink blooms turn to brown they hang on the vine way past their welcome and look very untidy while everything else is starting to look quite nice. Because the vine is so woven throughout the other plants it can become quite an eyesore.  The solution? My suggestion is to plant it at the base of shrubs and trees where it will grow up high looking for light. That way you will be able to enjoy the strong fragrance drifting down and even the cascading flowers in the winter while little else is blooming, but once the show is over and there are more interesting things to attract the eye closer to ground level, you won't even notice the brown swags that will hang on for a month or so until the new growth takes over and grows past the old blooms. Problem solved!

Loving the Lavenders

I'm not sure I could ever be happy with a garden without lavender growing in it. This year I am ready to replace most of the lavenders that bloom early in the spring with new plants as they are getting a bit woody and unattractive. Those are mainly the Spanish lavenders (Lavandula stoechas) which are one of my favorites. But this time of year the French lavenders (Lavandula x intermedia) take the center stage and they are still looking good. I love the 'Grosso' variety for the tall stems, the perfect domes the flowers create and long bloom period in the summer as seen here. Such an easy, carefree and beautiful perennial should be in every garden - in my opinion!

A Front Door Feast

 I must admit one of the favorite parts of my gardens is the small area right outside my front door in SJC. It was a small patch of grass when we moved in which I promptly ripped out and planted a birch tree. The color scheme in this area is one of my preferred - purple, chartreuse,  and gold. Roses, iris, euphorbia, heliotrope, hardy geraniums, flax, status, lavender and many other annuals in addition to background shrubs, grasses and annuals make it a feast for my eyes and nose.

Lovely Lavenders

I ordered a new garden book on lavenders. I can't believe I have gone this long without a good guide to help me identify one from another. I have many different kinds and I love them all, but I am having trouble differentiating my 'Grossos' from my 'Hidcotes' and I thought a book would be a good resource. Lavenders start to bloom in March around here with the Spanish types being the early bloomers, and they may re-bloom throughout the season, but not with the exuberance of the early spring bloom. I couldn't imagine my gardens without Spanish lavender in the spring. Then the French start to bloom and may in fact bloom for many months, becoming a mainstay throughout the year. I do love English lavender as in the pictures above, that are blooming right now. The foliage is lacy and pretty and the blooms are a vibrant shade of purple held above the shrub, not to mention a lovely scent. Every year I vow to harvest some of the lavender to dry and bundle. Maybe the book will inspire me to finally get around to doing that this year.

Chocolate Mint

This spot in the garden is the lovely (ahem) septic tank access area in SJC. Two years ago it had to be torn up and many plants (including palm trees) moved to find and reach the tanks. Afterwards we put in some faux wooden stepping stones to make it easier to access next time and added a number of plants that had been propagated from cuttings in the gardens. As you can see it has filled in nicely and there is no signs of the massive undertaking that was there a couple years ago. The happiest plant seems to be this 'Chocolate Mint' scented geranium (actually a pelargonium) that gets just the right amount of dappled light to keep it growing happily without getting leggy and yet enough shade to make the dark purple splotches very prominent. If you are not familiar with this beauty, it is very easy to propagate from cuttings, easy to grow, and has a heavenly chocolate-mint aroma when the foliage is crushed. It does bloom, but the flowers are insignificant and it is primarily grown for the attractive foliage. A lovely distraction from the rather unpleasant, but necessary goings-on below it!

Lavender Time

The lavender is starting to bloom. Be still my heart! I love all my lavenders as they signal the start of Spring. Their dusty colored foliage and vibrant blooms means roses, iris and wisteria is soon to follow. Lavender is a short-lived perennial in our area, requiring to be replaced every three or four years to keep it looking good. It is my go-to plant for sunny areas that I'm not sure what to add to fill in empty spots. I have a number of different varieties for different reasons. I love Spanish lavender for the abundance and color of the blooms. French lavender is so elegant and this year I swear I am going to cut the crop and bundle it to fill baskets throughout the house. My rooms will be filled with lavender potpourri and I will sprinkle it in my bathwater. I am counting every opening blossom!

Angel Time

This is the time of year the Angel Trumpets (brugmansia) are in full bloom, sending their sweet scents out at sunset to add to the overall intoxicating charm of summer evenings in our gardens.

Scents of Spring

If only you could catch a whiff of the amazing scent these brugmansias give off in the early evening in our Laguna garden. This is a shrub about 10 feet tall and wide and although this week there are only a few random flowers, at times is covered with hundreds of blooms. It is at the back of a garden bed so the mess it potentially makes is not noticeable. Full and lush with little care, I wish I could remember the name of the hybrid so I could recommend it to you! I need to root cuttings which is so easy with these beauties, to share and add to other parts of the gardens. Just a note, they are very poisonous so they need to be kept away from pets or kids that are likely to ingest them.

Crisp Colors

If I had only a small garden it would undoubtedly be focused on soft, romantic colors and loose, flowing plants. However because I have a large garden with lots of different areas, I can indulge in many different moods and combinations, like this crisp light and dark one in the backyard of SJC. The 'Iceberg' roses were here when I moved in, but one of the first things I did was to skirt them with one of my favorite plants, 'Dark Knight' heliotrope. The heliotrope does well here with just the right amount of light and water and my guess is the organic fertilizer that the roses get trickle down to the heliotrope too. I must admit that I grow heliotrope in other parts of the garden and it doesn't look as good as this. Right place for the right plant I guess, and yes, the fragrance is heavenly!

Angel Trumpet Tree?

I know it is hard to see in this photo, but if you look at the very top (click on the photo to enlarge) you can see the flowers of an Angel Trumpet (brugmansia) shrub, or shall we say tree? This one of the first ones I ever planted in my Laguna garden many years ago and I was walking through the garden a few weeks ago and wondering where it went. Well, over the years it went up! I imagine it was looking for some sunlight as the surrounding trees grew and the only way to get it was head for the sky! I know these plants are a luxury for many people in northern climates, but they seem to do quite well here with little assistance. When I first grew them I read that they needed lots of water, to be fertilized weekly and special pruning. I fussed over the few I had for years until the rest of my chores in the garden made it impossible for me to devote so much time to them. They survive now with little attention and bloom like crazy! Thank goodness because I love their heady scent and charming flowers!

It Smells Like Spring

Southern California has a scent all it's own in the spring. It is the smell of orange tree blossoms. They are just starting to open and fill the air with the sweet, sweet fragrance that is so wonderful.

Chocolate Mint

This is the time of year when I spend time walking around the gardens looking for spots that need improvement. I don't like to see any bare ground which usually means having to put in more plants. Rather than going to the nursery and strolling through the aisles looking for candidates, I try to start in the garden itself, looking for what already does well. One of those plants in my garden is this scented geranium (pelargonium Chocolate Mint). Not only does it grow like crazy, it is ridiculously easy to propagate with cuttings. It does bloom, but the flowers are insignificant white blooms. I grow it for the blotchy foliage and the great scent. Yes, it does smell just like chocolate mint! It even grows in semi-shady areas, but it will lose the dark markings if it doesn't get enough sun. I have about a half-a-dozen new spots for it this year!

Deep Purple

Heliotrope is one of my favorite plants because of its sweet scent. I also love the color of this variety (sorry, I forget the name) which is one of the deepest purples with dark velvety foliage. It is not drought tolerant so it must go where it will not dry out too much and always has a good covering of mulch on the soil. It will get rangy if not pinched back and needs deadheading to keep blooming. I grow this bunch at the feet of my Iceberg roses where it makes a fragrant and colorful combination.

So Fragrant

The blooms on this pittosporum tree are just as fragrant as citrus blooms! It fills the air with a lovely sent for weeks this time of year.

Madagascar Jasmine

I am thrilled that my Madagascar Jasmine (stephanotis jasminoides) is blooming in SJC! I have grown it for years in Laguna and it never blooms, most likely because it is in too much shade. This is the traditional flower used in bridal bouquets because it is so fragrant, white and dainty. It is growing on an arbor in the Moonlight Garden. Just perfect!

Getting A Lift

This jasmine vine has found the perfect companion and the perfect spot in our front garden in Laguna. It is growing happily with our old Monterey pine for support right near the front gate, where its lovely scent greets us when we walk in the yard.

Soaring Pink Jasmine

Pink Jasmine is a familiar sight this time of year in our area. It is very fragrant and easy to grow. I have never planted it in my yard, but it climbs the fence and comes over to visit from our neighbor's yard. I was walking along this path and could smell it, but didn't see it, until I looked up. It scaled the oleander and made a leap into a palm tree for a better shot at the sunlight I suspect. It does have one drawback. It is not self-cleaning and when the flowers are spent there is a big, brown mess to remove or it will haunt you all year long.