Bob and Bonnie are selling their Tall Bearded Rebloomers at the moment. These irises are not native to California but they do have similar water and climactic requirements that allow them to thrive here. I have a few Tall Bearded Rebloomers in my patio garden and I’ll be adding an entry for them to this website soon. For those who don’t know, the Tall Bearded Reblooming irises produce very large complex looking flowers in wide array of colors and patterns. As the name suggests these plants continue to produce flowers throughout the year bringing plenty color to the garden.

Louisiana irises from the South East and Pacific Coast Hybrid irises from right here in California and up the West Coast will be available to buy online very soon.

CLICK HERE to check out the website and maybe even buy some irises of your own!

Our Ceanothus ‘Dark Star’ (pictured) is showing some tiny blooms for the first time. This month our Western Columbine, started from seed 18 months ago, has shot up a lovely long flower stalk which promises to burst into color very soon. Of course I’ll fire up some pictures of that when it happens.

Not all our our plants made it through the summer. The Fremontodendron survived so I’m happy about that. They are particularly susceptible to root killing pathogens if soil retains too much moisture during hot summers. To survive the first summer gives it a really good chance to become established through the upcoming wet season.

Not so lucky specimens include Wayne Roderick Seaside Daisy (Erigeron Glaucus ‘Wayne Roderick’), Bush Anemone (Carpenteria Californica), Bush Poppy (Dendromecon Rigida) and the Bonita Linda Coffeeberry (Rhamnus Californica).

Our patio area is a real suntrap, I’ve mentioned this before. When the temperature in Camarillo is in the 80′s, our patio is often a good 20° F higher. Given these harsh conditions it is no surprise plants from cooler microclimates struggle. Over the summer I started to experiment with native Buckwheats. We have Red Buckwheat (Eriogonum Grande Var. Rubescens), Bliss’ Buckwheat (Eriogonum Blissianum), St. Catherine’s Lace (Eriogonum Giganteum) and Santa Cruz Island Buckwheat (Eriogonum Arborescens). You can see pictures of these in the plant journals section. Buckwheats are known to take heat very well, they have foliage similar to some succulents. They bloom profusely in the summer when many other California native plants are dormant. They are also great wildlife plants providing food for butterflies and caterpillars.

I’ll be back as soon as something else interesting happens

The hummingbirds are happy to see the California Fuchsia (Epilobium Canum) flowering now. The scarlet trumpet-shaped flowers should be with us right the way into fall. Other summer blooming plants here include Indian Mallow (Abutilon Palmeri) and Red or San Miguel Island Buckwheat (Eriogonum Grande var. Rubescens). Some of the flowers that we normally only see blooming in Spring are making the most of the higher precipitation this year along with the lower than normal temperatures. These include Island Bush Poppy (Dendromecon Harfordii), Red Fairyduster (Calliandra Californica) and the Foothill Penstemon (Penstemon Heterophyllus ‘Margarita BOP’).

Two new plants in the garden are flowering right now. A hybrid Penstemon x mexicali named ‘Sweet Joanne’ has pretty deep pink to lavender flowers that the hummingbirds have been checking out. I’m happiest to report that I now have a Trichostema Lanatum specimen (Woolly Blue Curls). It seems pretty hard to get a hold of this plant and so far attempts to propagate from seed have failed. I have not given up on the seeds though, I consider it a challenge!

In the garden we are enjoying our first blooms from the iconic California favorite – Matilija Poppy (Romneya Coulteri). The gorgeous fragrant sages have also burst into color much to the delight of the hummingbirds. Purple Sage (Salvia Leucophylla) and Aromas Cleveland Sage (Salvia Clevelandii ‘Aromas’) dominate while some pretty blue flowers on the Brandegees Sage (Salvia Brandegei) have started to show. I’m expecting the later to flower more profusely over the next few weeks so that will be pictured in the June showcase.

Our Bonita Linda Coffeeberry (Rhamnus Californica ‘Bonita Linda’) recently woke from its winter slumber and now displays lots of tiny white to light green flowers. While unspectacular this is hopefully a precursor to a healthy fruit production.

The mystery Irises continue to impress. Most recently blooming is a variety of Pacific Coast Hybrid named “Gold Dust” which sports bright purple petals with a sprinkle of gold colored specs towards the center.

The biggest surprise so far is a solitary bloom on the Red Fairyduster (Calliandra Californica). The bright red puffs are quite unique in our garden and for our young specimen to show one off is a pleasure.

Our newest plant, Santa Barbara Sage (Salvia Leucantha) is a compact hybrid of Mexican Sage. So while not strictly native to California, it certainly does well in our climate. Potentially blooming most of the year, it slots into the May display since that’s when we planted it.

Can’t wait to see what June has in store!

We are delighted to have our first Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium Bellum) flowers. I’ve previously mentioned how short lived our first two specimens were. The third time is a charm for sure as this plant is showing off its tiny but impressive blooms.

Three brand new plants in the garden came with flower software pre-installed; Purissima Tree Mallow (Lavatera Purissima), Wayne Roderick Seaside Daisy (Erigeron Glauca ‘Wayne Roderick’) and a beautiful PCH Iris called ‘Orchid Eyes’. The Ray Hartman Ceanothus is boasting some pretty blue flower clusters right now and it continues to grow quickly making “Air conditioner corner” look a whole lot nicer.

In non-native news the Bougainvillea Brasiliensis that I heavily pruned in the winter to remove an aphid infestation has bounced back beautifully and right now lots of pretty purple bracts are opening up in the warm spring sunshine. The tiny white flowers are sure to follow.

Saturday and Sunday, April 10 and 11, 2010
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Gardens throughout the L.A. area. Tour is self-guided.

Learn how to save water, eliminate or reduce pesticides and attract wildlife (birds, hummingbirds, butterflies, etc.) to your garden.

Fifty gardens – in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Theodore Payne Foundation – are featured. This year’s tour includes cities and communities throughout the Los Angeles Basin, including Long Beach, Lakewood,Torrance, Sherman Oaks, Woodland Hills, Sylmar, Reseda, North Hollywood, Culver City, Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Santa Monica, Topanga, Glendale, La Canada Flintridge, Pasadena, South Pasadena, Altadena, Echo Park, and Atwater Village.

To buy tickets or for information, visit www.theodorepayne.org/Tour.

The picture used in this post is taken from the Theodore Payne Foundation website.

Click here for complete event details.

Event highlights include:

• One of a kind Irises hybridized by the Matilija Nursery
• Reblooming Bearded and Louisiana Irises
• Tours and advice from experts from the San Fernando Valley Iris Society
• All California native plants discounted 20% for orders over $50

The event runs from 9am until 3pm both days.

The nursery is located at:

8225 Waters Road,
Moorpark, CA 93021

Click here for complete event details.

The wildflowers are no surprise, this is their time of year and the Desert Bluebells (Phacelia campanularia) are still out in force. Joining them around the birdbath we have lots of Tidy Tips (Layia platyglossa), a few Bird’s Eyes (Gilia tricolor) and also Chinese Houses (Collinsia heterophylla). A new blooming wildflower in the garden this month is Meadow Foam (Limnanthes douglasii). This small annual has pretty little white and yellow flowers leading to it’s nickname “Poached Egg Flower”.

In the shrubs and perennials Galvezia Juncea has valiantly maintained some flowers throughout the winter. Now it’s joined by Hummingbird Sage (Salvia Spathacea), Apricot Mallow or Desert Globemallow (Sphaeralcea Ambigua) and the very fast growing ‘Candy Cane’ California Morning Glory (Calystegia Macrostegia ssp. Cyclostegia ‘Candy Cane’).

Interesting to note our Western Redbud (Cercis Occidentalis) is bursting to life with lots of new apple-green leaves, however it completely skipped the pink blossom (red buds) stage. The Desert Willow (Chilopsis Linearis) still looks like a stick so I think we need to climb a few more degrees before dormancy ends for our future hummingbird tree.

Mid way through February the winter storms appear to have passed and most of the California native plants here are showing a bit more life as the sun comes out and the temperature rises. Our thermometer peaked at 100°F this afternoon, the patio is a bit of a sun trap. The Galvezia Juncea is blooming as always, I’ve not seen it without at least one or two little red trumpets. Amoung the wildflowers around the bird bath there are some as yet unidentified flowers about to show but most impressive so far this month have been the Desert Bluebells (Phacelia Campanularia). The Apricot Mallow (aka Desert Globemallow – Sphaeralcea Ambigua) has loads of little buds appearing with orange just starting to poke through. It looks like this will be in full bloom really soon. Watch this space!

Speaking of blooms, my wife and I took a trip to the Theodore Payne Foundation in Sun Valley (Eastern part of the San Fernando Valley) yesterday to grab some wildflower seeds and pick up the latest addition to our garden, a juvenile Red Fairyduster (Calliandra Californica). There are a few stunning sights around there right now, most impressive are the California Poppies dotted around the grounds. There is also what looks like a large Howard McMinn Manzanita which is covered in tiny white flowers and as a result it is also covered with Honey Bees. My wife looked a tad startled by the buzzing noise, it was quite remarkable. I told her we have two of these in our garden. I don’t think she’ll want to sit out in the sun as much this year.

When I was a youngster my dad used to build bird houses and I remember there was a problem with cleaning them out after a family of birds had used them. So, this one has a detachable roof just in case someone decides to move in. The wood has been weather treated and the roof is lined on the inside with plastic. If we do get any residents at 6062½ Thisisasecret Street, I’ll be sure to post an update right here.