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.

The Tall Calla Lilies

The stand of really tall calla lilies in a shady corner in the back yard is in full bloom right now. They are easily four to five feet tall and a nice accent plant in the back of the garden. My plans are to pick some of the blooms for a dramatic arrangement for the house. I am not sure why these ones are so big. Must be the cultivar because all my other ones are under three feet tall.

Arborvitae Blooms?

I am a big fan of arborvitae. This may seem a bit odd because I think most people take them for granted as unassuming landscape plants that are rather pedestrian, but I love them. I love their vivid color and structure and the soft fans of foliage that are always perfect. The fact that they are so easy and carefree makes me love them all the more. This week I noticed on a couple of 'Emerald Green' that I use near the entrance to my Palm Alley path what seem to be blooms. They are hard little star shaped 'thingies' adorning the foliage. How nice. I love them even more!

What Would Mrs. Greenthumbs Say?

If I saw this color combination in any other garden but mine I would think it was unattractive to say the least. I do pay a lot of attention to colors in my gardens and plan fastidiously to avoid scenes like this. The school-bus yellow of the tagetes lemmonii bush was nowhere near the magenta colored lantana when the garden bed was originally designed, separated nicely by some purple catmint which went with both of them. As time progressed the lantana inched over to the other side of the bed and is now happy to coexist with the tagetes. Magenta is a difficult color to use in the garden as I learned from reading the books of my dear mentor, Cassandra Danz, also known as Mrs. Greenthumbs. When I first had a full scale garden to plan I poured over her sage advice presented with her great sense of humor. Every time I look at a magenta colored flower I think of her. I miss you Mrs. Greenthumbs!

Speaking of Annuals

I love the color of this tall ageratum that is typically known as an annual but has been blooming in my front garden since last summer. It has been a cold, wet winter, not typically weather that you think of when you think of growing ageratum, but this is a somewhat protected area that may have been the saving grace for this heat loving plant. I am so impressed with it I am going to put in some more since I am so enamored with the shade of purple and the performance. The bees will be so happy!

China Doll Gone Wild

See that two story plant growing in the corner of the little planter that runs under the window? That is what is known as a 'China Doll' plant (Radermachera sinica) that is most well known as a small house plant. It was here when we bought the house and I have it cut down to about the height of the door once or twice a year. I do not fertilize it and it gets what little water there is from the automatic sprinkler in the planter. It just grows like crazy!

Awesome Annuals

Years ago I was asked to write an article for the L.A. Times Newspaper on pansies, and how to grow them successfully. There was a local vendor at the time that sold soil specifically for growing pansies and I was requested to investigate what was so magical about this special concoction. The proprietor (long since gone from this area) was more than happy to share his secret formula. It was just a very rich soil amended with compost and an abundance of the typical organic nutrients used to grow any flowering plants. He explained to me that these annuals (as with most annuals) require steady moisture, good drainage and lots of nutrients to keep them blooming throughout their short but productive life cycle. It was no real secret, it was just that most gardeners don't go through the trouble to provide the optimum conditions for the best performance. Unfortunately, sometimes neither do I - and I know the secret!

Pops of Color

This shady path is home to lots of green plants that enhance the cool, calm ambiance. Queen palms, tree ferns, sword ferns and Australian violets make up the majority of greenery, but there are also some deep red azaleas and peachy primroses to add pops of color that drawn the eye along the path at this time of year.

Apple Blossoms Galore

My two small apple trees in SJC are covered with beautiful blossoms. Their form leaves something to be desired I will admit, a few long branches emanating from the center stems, but every inch of every branch is covered with blooms. The bees are busy doing their job so maybe this year we will get more than three or four apples per tree!

Bluesy-Greensy

As some of the spring bloomers are starting to wake up and produce their bright flowers, I can't help but appreciate the beautiful blue-green foliage at this time of year. Helichrysum, lavender and gazania all blend together with their soft hues.

Add the structural grace of an artichoke plant and the entire bed is soft and soothing before the colors of the hot pink, magenta and purple flowers take over center stage in the next month.