December Bloom Day

This last month has been a slow one. I was extremely happy to get a delivery of plants for the garden but as most of them are going to grow into large accent shrubs and trees, even though they been planted, they don’t look awe-inspiring yet. Even so, let me run through the list. A couple of them even have blooms so it fits well in today’s post.

Erigeron glaucus 'Wayne Roderick'

Up close, the flowers are wonderful and the new growth from the base is promising but the actual plant as it came was appalling… So in early spring, I guess, I’ll show a picture of the full plant, revitalized.

Ribes sanguineum 'White Icicle'

I’ve planted this in a small indent I’ve carved out just where the rain pipe drops its water. Reading Las Pilitas’ website, it seems that Ribes plants like our wet wet winters so I’m putting my Ribes in the depressions I carve out whenever make a mound for a Ceanothus.

Ribes sanguineum 'White Icicle'

The blooms are quite understated this year but still beautiful. Only 2 inches long at the moment, I expect I’ll have 5 inch long racemes next year.

There are though a few plants that I’ve planted at the front corner of the yard that already look rather nice.

Cercis Occidentalis

Sisyrinchium bellum "Blue-eyed Grass" and Redbud

Blue-eyed Grass

Blue-eyed grass seedpods!

I absolutely love the texture of the foliage on Blue-eyed grass. I’ve never had it before but I will be dividing and propagating this one next year.

Best Angle (at the moment) in the Front Garden

Everything still needs to grow in but I think from this angle you can just about see that the front of my yard will one day look beautiful.

Papaver setigerum "Poppy of Troy"

On to the backyard, I planted three different poppy plants a month and a half ago but only one has given me any blooms. Now on it’s second bloom, I can say I love “Poppy of Troy” even if the foliage is better on other poppies.

Monardella villosa 'Coyote Mint'

Next to that, the Coyote Mint is getting long and lanky but I haven’t had the heart to prune it back yet because it’s finally blooming and in earnest. I will definitely make myself before the new year.

Tricolor Gillia

The wildflowers that have reseed from last springs plants already look ready to bloom and the Gillia actually has.

Yarrow Buds

As has the yarrow, sending up two sets of buds in the past two weeks. Aren’t the lines around the just about to open buds beautiful.

Yarrow Flowers

Then I had to show the flowers open, but I prefer the picture of the buds.

Achillea millefolium 'Sonoma Coast'

Also, I know it’s a foliage picture on bloom day but I love this particular yarrow. It has these wonderful ferny arms that kind of reach up as they first start to lengthen.

One Last Echinacea Flower

Then, you know I don’t have much blooming in my yard because I want to showcase this on Bloom Day. But honestly, I love this picture. I took it last month just as the plant was starting to go dormant…

Purple Coneflower

And this month, it’s still trying to bloom!

Pea ‘Oregon Sugarpod II’

Now, it’s not actually a flower but it came from a flower so here is my first ever peapod. Not that I have any idea what to use it for.

Now off to look at the other people on Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day