Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Bloomday, February 2012

There is a definite color-story to the February flowers in my garden…yellow and pink, lots of yellow and pink. Let’s start with yellow, actually the chartreuse/acid yellow of Euphorbia rigida.

I had threatened to try this (much adored by me) plant again if it made it through winter unscathed in a neighbor’s garden. Well, when it became obvious we weren't really going to have a winter and I saw one at the nursery how could I pass it by?

The large Acacia pravissima is covered with tiny flower clusters.
I need to pull it out of the shade pavilion greenhouse and enjoy it!

A returning player from January’s Bloomday (actually the only flower to be found in the garden back in January) Mahonia × media ‘Charity’…

My newly purchsased Winter Jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum) over the foliage of Sonchus canariensis.
Before we transition to the pink flowers I’m cheating a bit and sharing a trio of bashful Euphorbia, I love them at this stage. Euphorbia 'Ascot Rainbow'…

Euphorbia amygdaloides var. Robbiae

Euphorbia characias wulfenii

You knew there had to be Hellebores didn’t you? This one is a struggling survivor. Every year it kicks out one beautiful bloom. I bought it so long ago I have no idea what it is.
Helleborus x ballardiae Pink Frost
Above the H. x ballardiae Pink Frost is Helleborus foetidus, the blooms just starting to open.

Getting a decent picture of the dainty Arctostaphylos densiflora ‘Sentinel’ blooms was impossible!
This is such a silly shaped little plant. I bought it with the endearing curve in its trunk, I hope it doesn’t become a crippling issue as the plant grows (the angle of the photo emphasizes it, it’s not really that drastic).

Even though these Grape Hyacinth (Muscari) aren’t technically yet flowers I fear by next Bloomday they’ll be expired and they are such fighters they deserve their moment in the spotlight.
I had them in a container on our front porch last spring. Once they finished blooming I wanted the container for something else so I pulled the bulbs from the soil and put them in a bucket…intending to plant them in the garden "later." Then I forgot about them, only to run across them a week ago. They had started to grow! No soil, no sun, no water…for 9-10 months. Survivors! I planted them in another container immediately.

Finally since it is Bloomday I wanted to share my last photos from the Northwest Flower and Garden Show. There were several flower arrangements in the lobby as you entered the show floor. These were my favorites.

I love how they worked the yellow Billy Balls (Craspedia) throughout the arrangement. In the Calla blossoms…
And tied up with a Tillandsia.
Another Tillandsia erupts from a carpet of green Dianthus.

In this arrangement they actually lit the Chinese Lanterns (Physalis alkekengi)!

Pretty creative!
Thanks to Carol and her blog May Dreams Gardens for hosting another Bloomday…this the first Bloomday of year number six! (way to go Carol!)

30 comments:

  1. You've got so much in bloom already, it's amazing! Thank you for posting these lovely photos.

    I'd be hard pressed to find anything that's blooming in our garden right now. Even the lone flower on our lone hellebore hasn't opened up yet :-).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was a little surprised how much was blooming myself!

      Delete
  2. The water droplets on the Euphorbia rigida are mesmerizingly beautiful! My Mahonia 'Charity' is one of my favorite plants! I love watching the hummingbirds fly around eating nectar from its blooms and they bloom for what seems like FOREVER!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lauren I need to replicate your little Mahonia clump, I remember several plants close together. Did you plant more than one or has your one just branched a lot?

      Delete
    2. Nope, mine is only one plant! I love it and have only had to cut it back a branch or two in its 6 year life in my garden. Great plant!

      Delete
  3. Spring is definitely in your area now Loree! Our Euphorbia rigida doesn't even have any signs of flowering yet! Love the Hellebores btw!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think it's a bit of a cheat that I bought the E. rigida in early January from a nursery. The ones I see around the neighborhood aren't as far along as mine.

      Delete
  4. beautiful blooms. I love looking at your garden knowing that here in Vancouver, BC, mine's just a few weeks away from blooming like yours. Happy bloom day :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would have thought we'd be on about the same schedule? It seems like Seattle is always a touch before Portland.

      Delete
  5. Such lovely plants! I too am enamored of the genus Euphorbia, and want to add more to the garden this year. E.rigida is striking, especially with those fabulously chartreuse flowers with the water droplets! E.c wulfenii is one that I have always thought I would try but can never find it in my neck of the woods, probably because of its tenderness. Who doesn't love Helleborus - working their fool heads off while still half buried in the snow! Your photos bring hope on this bloom day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love hearing that you too adore the Euphorbia. It's been a long lasting love, going back to the early 90's when I first saw it in a garden. There are so many of them! I am sorry to hear that E.c wulfenii isn't hardy for you. I remember moving back to zone 5 Spokane from Seattle and having to give it up.

      Delete
  6. I just love that Arctostaphylos...especially because of the curvy trunk...the bark is such a warm contrast to the foliage.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Are you still Arctostaphylos-less? WHY!? We really need to get that taken care of. On our next pre-HPSO sale adventure (which you are going on this time no matter what!) I am going to make you buy one. Seriously.

      Delete
  7. Arctostaphylos densiflora is such a fascinating plant! Great pics. Happy GBBD! Cheers, Jenni

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree Jenni...do you have one in your garden?

      Delete
  8. That foliage arrangement is spectacular from the garden show. Congrates on your blooms. Well done.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you...and another thank you for "fav-ing" me on Blotanical. I really need to spend more time on that website!

      Delete
  9. Your photos are like poetry! I love the little water droplets between the petals.
    I like the flower arrangement a lot, but your garden shots are still my favorites.
    Happy GBBD!
    David/:0)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you David! The water droplets were unavoidable...so much rain the last couple of days. I wish I could sent buckets of it your way.

      Delete
  10. aloha,

    wow, i loved those lit up chinese lanterns and the other displays are amazing....it looks like a sea of yellow and chartreuse in your garden...i love the euphorbias for their show at this time of the year and also the accacias.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Weren't those lanterns amazing? I think I'm going to have to copy them next fall. Not sure what I'll do but something!

      Delete
  11. Wow Loree, your stuff is about at the same level as mine, particularly the Hellebores, and here in the Napa Valley the Acacias are in full bloom. What a kooky winter.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kooky indeed, but I'll take another one just like it next year please!

      Delete
  12. Did you protect your Sonchus canariensis at all this winter? I think I'm going to have to get one of those...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes I think you should get one. Mine is in a container, so I moved it into the shade pavilion greenhouse for the winter. That way it can be protected from frosts and we've got a small space heater that I've fired up for a few hours on the coldest nights.

      Delete
  13. Beautiful flowers in your garden. I'm going to check out Hellebores as a possibility here. The arrangements from the show are stunning. Using dianthus foliage as a base is inspired.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Beautiful blooms! I love the Euphorbia rigida, I'm a big fan of yellow. Also love the shot of the small round blooms, I think Helleborus Foetidus right before opening. I haven't grown it for awhile (not since Portland) so I've forgotten how beautiful they are...

    ReplyDelete
  15. I love all your Hellebores. Somehow, I have only one and it got moved last year so it's just budding now. That NWFGS arrangement with the callas was amazing. As I looked at it in Seattle, I realized they used wheatgrass around the edge...my cats would have been in heaven!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I got so enthralled by the plants and photography in this post and the previous one I forgot to eat lunch.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I am drawn to that color in the Euphorbia, to me it says spring. Last year I brought home what I think is E. helioscopia, which is an annual weed that grows in farm fields around here. I hope it had time to set some seed in my garden before it died.

    You have some great shots this Bloom Day. I especially liked the Hyacinths, they are as otherwordly as the flower arrangements.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to comment. Comment moderation is on (because you know: spam), I will approve and post your comment as soon as possible!