Sundial lupine (Lupinus perennis) as of yeseterday
And as of today:
The second bloom opening today:
The first bearded iris opened its first bloom finally overnight. Check out the height of ‘Mme. Chereau’!
Hailing from 1844, ‘Mme. Chereau’ is one of the oldest bearded iris cultivars still regularly grown. Here it is as seen from the other side:
From what I’ve read, Iris swerti AKA Swerti – a natural hybrid discovered in the wild and introduced to gardens around 1672 – is very similar to ‘Mme. Chereau’ and often confused with it in today’s gardens. Apparently the easiest way to tell them apart is that the blooms of ‘Mme. Chereau’ uncurl as the bloom further opens whereas Swerti’s remain partially curled.
The Small’s penstemon (Penstemon smallii) that has been doing the best (out of two planted this spring) is opening its first bloom:
It’s unfortunately difficult to tell in this picture, but the silver thyme planted below it is opening its tiny blooms right now as well. They’re a pinkish color, a lovely counterpoint to the purpley blooms of the penstemon.
The Carolina lupine/false lupine’s (Thermopsis villosa) first bloom is finally spent:
I can’t tell yet if it’s going to put out any more blooms.
I can’t remember if I mentioned here that I got a second erodium (storksbill/heronsbill) to go with the first one since it was doing so well. This one is doing just as well! I’m so pleased with them. This one was labelled as the cultivar ‘Charm’, the pale pinkish blooms with richer pink veins that’s the focus of this shot from today:
With it is in this shot is the first erodium I planted (white with pinkish stripes), the perennial sweet alyssum (yellow blooms), a bloom of the creeping Mt. Atlas daisy (white with yellow center; ferny foliage; a second bloom is in the background by the thyme), foliage of autumn-blooming crocuses (arching over the lot of them), and the lemon thyme I got at this week’s farmers’ market. ‘Charm’ seems to be the most widely available erodium in the States so far.
Yesterday the first California poppy bloom finally opened. Here it is pictured today with the blue-on-blue felicia and a still-opening chive bloom:
A bumblebee yesterday on one of the felicias:
(Click photo for larger view) The accidentally-planted blue-on-blue felicia seedlings (Felicia heterophylla) have turned out to be wildly popular with the bees and smaller wasps that visit the front garden. The bee in this shot wandered from felicia to felicia the majority of the time I was taking photos yesterday.
The same bee also stopped briefly at the sweet alyssum:
Agastache blooming:
I thought this one was called ‘Acapulco’. It was only when I tried to look it up that I realized Acapulco is a series, not a specific cultivar. Regardless, this agastache goes better with the lantana planted next to it (not blooming at the moment) than with the pansies and violas planted at its feet (they were there first, in their defense). I didn’t think it would be blooming so heavily so fast; I figured the violas would be dying by the time it really got going. So for now I’m trying to have patience with a color scheme I wouldn’t have chosen, till the weather changes it.
The amsonia has opened its first blooms as well:
That is the anise hyssop in front of it there.
