Blackbird and Silver

One of the easiest and most dynamic plant combinations in my perennial garden this time of year is this dark euphorbia 'Blackbird' next to the Japanese Silver grass. I swear that euphorbia has looked just like that for well over a year. Excellent staying power with very little care. Of course the grass gets cut back in the late winter, but comes back with a surge in the spring and looks great all summer long. Summer should be about easy plants.

Evelyn

I scoured my photos for a picture of the David Austin rose called 'Evelyn'. I had one in my garden in Laguna and it was a beauty, one of my favorites. I eventually took the rose bush out because it became overrun with growth from the 'Dr. Huey' rootstock. The reason I have been searching for a picture of this beauty? We have a new granddaughter and her name is Evelyn!

I have a new favorite Evelyn!

Aptly Named

Okay, I must admit that I do have a lot of peachy-pink rose varieties. This is one that I like a lot. As the name implies 'Livin' Easy' is an easy rose to grow. I never have any problems with pests or diseases with it, even in this weather we have been having where the sun rarely shines. It stays a reasonable size and has a lovely structure. Aptly named indeed!

Pretty, But Sprawling

Alyogyne huegelii ( Blue Hibiscus ) is a show stopper in the garden this time of year because of it's intense purple flowers (it comes in a number of shades of purple as well as white). Oddly enough, it is not really blue or a hibiscus, but a member of the lilac family. It was once in the hibiscus family and everyone knows that gardeners call purple blue, thus the name. It grows easily in Southern California, maybe a bit too easily because it is hard to keep it looking neat and compact.
It is one of those plants that needs almost weekly pruning. It will get out of control if you go a couple weeks without looking at it and then it is hard to get back into shape without sacrificing a great number of blooms. My advice? Plant it where you walk by it everyday so you can remember to cut it back regularly, and so you can admire those beautiful blooms!

Bye-Bye Betty White

If you grow roses and live near the beach, you learn that big, overblown cabbage roses do not like it there. Just not enough heat to open their voluptuous blossoms without turning brown on the edges.
When we moved to SJC a few years ago one of the first things I did was run out and buy the most beautiful, full blossomed hybrid tea I could find and that was 'Betty White'. I brought three of them home and put them in a lovely spot in the garden with the lavender and jasmine that were already here. SJC is about two miles from the shore and supposedly much warmer than Laguna Beach.
Well, I finally have to admit that it is not warm enough for what should be a beautiful rose. I must have two dozen photos I have taken of this rose in the past few years and not one of them has ended up on my blog. They just don't look very good.
I finally must admit that roses with a high petal count will just not do well in either of my gardens and stick to the ones that like it here. Luckily the David Austins do well in our climate and I do love single petaled roses so I will be happy with what I have. My three 'Betty Whites'? They will find a new home in the fall with someone who lives in a very warm climate.

Daylily Dilemma

I am having a tough time with my daylilies this year. There are just not many blooms. It may be my own fault because I have been moving them and dividing them while I get the garden beds the way I want them. Or it may be the cool, cloudy weather we have been having isn't delivering enough sun or warmth. Maybe I have chosen the wrong ones since I order out of a catalog and not all daylilies adapt well to mild climates. I do have a few that are blooming consistently, like this 'Ed Brown'. I hope they are just waiting to put on their show later in the summer - if summer ever comes to Southern California!

Moon Over Miami, Maybe

I have always known this rose as 'Moon Over Miami' which is what it was labeled when I bought it. I have one in my Laguna garden and went out and bought two more to put in a prominent spot in my SJC garden because I am so fond of it. All three look like this picture, although when they first open they are much more pink. It is one of those roses that evolves into a different look as the bloom matures, each more beautiful than the last. It is not bothered by bugs or disease and has a tight, small stature that blends into the flower bed with other plants well. The only problem is I can't find a reference to it on the Internet. The only rose that comes up in a search for the name is a white hybrid tea. That is not this rose. I am confused!

A Happy Mistake

Remember last year when I bought all those Asiatic lilies that were supposed to be white and turned out to be pink? I moved them from the Moonlight Garden to the Perennial Garden where they blended in nicely. I am thrilled with them this year. They have beautiful blooms and nice structure. However I am missing quite a few due the the fact they are located right on the inside bend of Flying Rabbit Island and when the puppy races around the island they were just too convenient for her to grab the small stems in her mouth as she raced by and run with them in her mouth. Nevertheless, those that remain are lovely and turned out to be a good mistake!

Fourth of July Red

I do things that would make any respectable garden designer cringe. Like the year I planted these reddest-of-red cannas. I did it because I never had red flowers to make red, white and blue flower arrangements on the Fourth of July to take to parties. I had lots of blue, lots of white, but no red, thus the cannas came to grow in my Laguna garden. It wasn't long before I realized that they just didn't belong in my garden. I love cannas but they are definitely a tropical plant and my garden is far from tropical. I have tried many times to remove them, but they are stubborn buggers and insist on staying. At least I'll have a red, white and blue flower arrangement on the Fourth this year.

Perennials of Summer

Yarrow
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Gaura
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Pentas
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While many of the plants that have been putting on a show for months take a break, the billowy, bushy perennials of summer take over. These form the backbone of my summer garden beds, often going months with little care or concern. They are not show-stoppers in their own right, but do bloom nonstop all summer. Along with summer ornamental grasses, they tend to pick up every little breeze, adding interest and movement to the scenery. An additional characteristic that make them indispensable to the summer garden; they attract the butterflies!