...Starting off with bog sage (Salvia uliginosa). It's really starting to take off again.
All of these photos are of the established patch I planted last year, but the new one in the Oval Bed is doing very well, too-- already tall and blooming, just not as dense as the "old" clump.
I think it looks its best when viewed against a dark background. I'm pleased with this plant, which is good, because it seems to be establishing healthy colonies.
The pieces I transplanted to the Long Island Bed in the front are just sitting there. Maybe it doesn't like the clay soil. Whatever the reason, it's not doing much, but the summer is young.
I was amazed to see that the forsythia sage (Salvia madrensis) has a small spike of buds ready to open! This plant doesn't usually bloom until very late in the summer. I guess this early flowering has something to do with the mild winter and early start it got, this spring.
It's just the one spike of buds, so far, though.
The piece I dug up and moved to the shady corner by the shed is not in bud, but it seems happy enough. It may not like the dampness of the soil in the winter, but I think I'll leave it and see what happens. It's only a small piece, so no great loss if it doesn't overwinter.
Annual coreopsis has a way of popping up here and there, sometimes where you least expect it. I saved seeds from last year, but haven't gotten around to planting them, so I'm glad to see that several plants took it upon themselves to grow unaided. It's a simple wildflower that can sometimes look weedy, but it has pleasant associations for me (I got my start from Granny L.), and the sunny yellow goes with anything, so it's fine that it wanders the garden and will reseed itself hither and thither. It's also easy to pull up, if it ever tries to grow where you don't want it.
Some of my older purple coneflowers are getting tall this year. I guess they're getting better established, now. It looks like I may need to stake some of them against heavy rains, though.
They are very easy to grow from seed (or have been, so far), and I have plenty of seeds, so I should be able to get more of them growing to fill in empty spots in the flower beds.
Mom gave me a couple of starts of a different type of airplane plant/spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum). The one I already had (also given to me by Mom, years ago) has white/cream edges and a green stripe down the center of each leaf/blade (probably C. comosum 'Variegatum'). This one is inverted, with the cream down the center and the green on the edges (C. comosum 'Vittatum', or possibly 'Bonnie', if the leaves get curlier as it grows). Pretty!
I love these plants, because they're so easy to grow-- and they work very well as houseplants.
Wider shot of the garden (rose arbor on the right, looking down the curvy path:
Rose of Sharon, looking especially dramatic against the dark corner of the semi-shade garden:
The French hydrangea (unsure of variety, maybe 'Merritt's Beauty'?) is blooming. It's very purple this year.
The next photo focuses on succulents surrounded by roses and a purple coneflower (not yet in bloom) on the eastern edge of the semi-shade garden. In the background are a hydrangea, giant plume ginger (Curcuma elata), annual coreopsis, and forsythia sage.
Purple conflowers in front, giant plume ginger (and others) in the mid-ground, and hydrangea in the back:
Looking the other way, you can see one of the pale pink roses of Sharon, the forsythia sage's bud spike, and bog sage-- as well as the big sago palm across the lawn:
The red passionflower vine ('Lady Margaret', I think) has quite a few buds, and I think I caught the first flower:
Rose arbor from outside the fence:
The white crepe myrtles seem to be blooming earlier than usual, this year:
These gladioli ('Vulcano'?) are nearing the end of their bloom:
Agastache 'Golden Jubilee' is in flower!
I was excited to find the blooms (which are a pretty, soft lavender), but some of the leaves look a little scorched.
I've already moved one of these plants to the front yard-- a spot I hope will provide some relief from the afternoon sun. I'll be keeping tabs on them to see which location works best.
More photos soon!
