Upcoming excitement

Are the rest of you excited about the upcoming May Garden Bloggers Bloom Day? The gardens in Napa are crazy right now and a few more folks in my neighborhood are taking out their lawns. Generally speaking, on this side of town lawns still tend to rule, but change is on the wind. I've been walking the neighborhood snapping photos with my cell phone of gardens that are moving more toward native & drought-tolerant. Some people are even planting edible landscapes. I've started giving away plants I've propagated to people who stop to chat while I'm gardening.

It's time for me get a real camera.
Folks, I'm lovin' this.

(all photos are of my streetside garden)

GBBD - April 15, 2009

Too lazy to label plants right now. Later.

Introducing Bloom Day Super Gardener Ginger Harness

This is not fake, exactly. I saw these calla lilies with my own eyes and took these photos today. The gardener, Ginger Harness, was on hand to talk about her annual Easter tradition of painting the hundreds of calla lilies that grow outside the door of her apartment at Rolff's Manor in Napa. Rolff's is a senior residence facility which is better described as a village. Many of the residents have small gardens outside their doors. Part of Ginger's garden happens to extend the length of one of the facility's entry driveways. You can read about Ginger's calla lilies here in the Napa Register. By the way, more than five dozen of the painted blooms were stolen over several nights before Easter. Ginger wouldn't want me to tell you that because she'd rather have the more honest folks enjoy viewing the flowers without knowing about the thefts. She's a love, so kudos to Ginger.

Garden Blogger Bloom Day

This photo is especially blurry, but this is the first bloom on one of my Pacific Coast hybrid irises. This is a naturally occuring hybrid. The photo doesn't do the colors justice.

Tulips and daffodils from neighbors Paul & Terry's garden

These violas are from my neighbor Irene's garden. Irene bakes me cookies.

A California native wallflower; very fragrant

I don't know what this is, but my best guess is Bridal Veil viburnum and a bird-sown wild cherry.

Linaria 'Flamenco' forrest, self-sowers from last year's garden

An opportunistic golden feverfew

Camelia

Narcissus (unknown cultivar) & linaria 'Flamenco'

Narcissus, Thalia (white) and Barrett Browning

This is one of the many wallflowers native to California.