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Thursday, March 15, 2012

Monkey and other Flowers

















Mimulus cardinalis overhangs the stream of traffic that flows on and off my front porch.  Sometimes, like this time, a flower falls into the dry streambed and rusted trowel below.  In nature the plant likes a permanent watercourse near its roots, so I need to mind the water in the pot in which it grows.  This is the 'Golden Form' of scarlet monkey flower so that explains the yellow flowers.  I got the plant, a tiny 3" pot, from Theodore Payne foundation last summer and it has grown well in the light shade of the acacia iteaphylla.


















Nearby on the porch an old concrete frog from an old neighbor's estate sale stands guard with the lavendar lobelia.  It's nice to remember old neighbors that way.  Concrete lasts a long time, lobelia not so much but there's always more at the nursery; well maybe not this color but it never hurts to have a look.

The coral aloe, Aloe striata, has been blooming for at least a month and is still in good form.  I often see  hummingbirds hanging inside the inflorescence to feed as I sit on the front porch bench tying on my boots. I'll be scouting another one or two of these for spring planting.  Good for the hummingbirds; good for the gardener.















The trail where we walk on an supposed-to-be daily basis is sprinkled with rockroses which have been in bloom for weeks.  The cistus in my semi-shady yard are just starting to get warmed up.  This is the first flower of cistus not sure which one.  Much more rockrosing to come as the sun rides higher every day.


















Thanks for visiting, gardeners everywhere.  Garden well wherever you garden.  Last but not least, I have grown to like Persicaria capitata.  Weed?  Cute!

8 comments:

Country Mouse said...

I enjoyed your writing. Reminds me to slow down. Yes, that weed - thanks for its name. Persicaria capitata. I did get rid of it in our yard because it was - weedy. But I felt bad because it is pretty, I agree. Maybe these days I'd be more tolerant. My attitude to ineradicable or well behaved non-natives in the natural environment evolves as I am forced to deal with them one way or another! Actually that's a good jumping off point for a post... Hm... thanks!

The Sage Butterfly said...

You have such different blooms at this time of year than we on the east coast...and they are beautiful! The golden color is so very nice. Happy Bloom Day!

vanessa cardui said...

I should say the persicaria is either in pots or being Carefully Monitored by the garden police gnomes to control unwanted spread! Also, I think it won't be getting enough water from me to become a problem . . . famous last words?

Town Mouse said...

I had no idea the mimulus cardinalis came in such an attractive orange. Very pretty.

As for praying for rain, well, when I was a kid I always prayed for sunshine and it seemed to rain a lot. Either I'm having a delayed reaction, or it's just not working...

Happy bloom day!

greggo said...

weeds bloom too.

Anonymous said...

How big is that gorgeous aloe?
Cynthia

vanessa cardui said...

Well we got that rain.
The Aloe is a young one, just about 2.5 feet tall including the flower. I have high hopes for its long colorful life.

Anonymous said...

i love the little persicaria and let it tuck itself into partly shady corners of my garden. to me its definitely not a weed, it is right up there on my favorites list!
cynthia