Summer Drought of Color

These photos show my garden in transition to its summer "fallow". Soon I will harvest the foxglove seeds to be scatter at the forest's edge. The Euphorbia spp. dry a golden color before they set seed and "walk around" my garden. Most of the lavenders were really knocked out to a grayish blue due to 90F to 100F dry heat. I have about six still in bloom-the Lavandula angustifolia 'Alba Compacta', L. angustifolia 'Alba' , L. x intermedia 'Dilly Dally', L. angustifolia 'Frost', and several species of Spanish lavender- L. stoechas. Once these are pruned back the garden goes fairly "dormant" except for a Grevillia sp., Lychnis corneriaa, some mulliens, and a glorious radiant-blue Salvia coboreinsis behind a deer fence. I would love to grow cultivars of the California fuschia (Epilodium spp.) but deer love them. Alas, one of the great late-summer native and colorful species is missing from my garden. My garden will be patiently waiting for the fall rains.

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Note: I somehow lost the usual section "Post a comment". To leave a comment, simply click on the area/button that says "___ Comments" below. Or,clicking on the title of a Post under "Blog Archive" also gets you to a view that gives the option of leaving a comment. Robert

Grevilleas & Hummers

This is a photo of my Grevillea spp. in bloom. Alas, I lost the species name. However, that hasn’t stopped the humming birds from frequenting these remarkable flowers all year round. This plant along with most Grevilleas blooms throughout the year. During Spring the amount of bloom dramatically increases. They are all deer-resistant and drought resistant (hardy). I have never watered this plant when I planted it in the fall some 12 years ago. These plants are from the Mediterranean climate zone in Australia. They come in every shade of red, orange, yellow, pink, and nearly white. I don’t know of any with blue flowers. I find the unusual form of the flower to be quite fascinating.

Please post a comment - I want to know what you think.

Visit my web site to learn about my other gardening books.

NOTE: The comments section at the bottom of the post has disappeared. Click on the "___ Comments" button or the title under the "Blog Archives". Thanks, Robert