Pendulant, Promiscuous Cerinthe!

Cerinthe major purpurescens

Although slow to colonize here in Alice's Garden, the richly graduated shades of blue, purple and green of Cerinthe are now rampant, bolstering the planting in the garden's central bed. I extended an invitation to this self-sowing annual years ago, but its promiscuous nature has only recently taken hold in the loamy soil. I find the flower color to be reminiscent of Han Purple, an ancient pigment found in the decoration of China's terra cotta army figures. Oe perhaps the color is more akin to the Royal Purple associated with Medieval Europe. In general, I am put off by the color purple for clothing or decor. But in the garden, I revel in the contrast between the bracts' blue-purple hues and the rounded, pale blue-green leaves.

Frothy Flower Clusters Atop Filigree Foliage .. Sambucus 'Black Lace'

If I were compelled to choose a recently released cultivar, a shrub that appeared in garden nurseries only the past few years and one that elicits a 'happy dance' when the foliage leafs out in Spring, that plant would be Sambucus nigra 'Black Lace.'

Such an easy plant! A beauty that never stirs up a fuss, it deserves a starring role in gardens.

The divine, deeply cut foliage is richly colored, as you see. Darkly dramatic 'Black Lace' forms wonderful alliances when grown amidst a canvas of greenery.

Despite the fact that I generally turn my nose up at pale pink or white when selecting flowers that will occupy important spots in the garden, I love the frothy flowers on Sambucus 'Black Lace.' They enliven two rather sedate, semi-shaded areas of my small plot: One 'Black Lace' grows in the 'secret garden' adjoining a neighboring stucco garage wall;

and on the far opposite side, another plant rises up in a border along the western perimeter.

I received two plants to trial before they were available in nurseries, and they've outperformed my expectations as they've grown taller and matured.

Only May 3rd and flowerheads are forming!

I can't imagine the garden without this lacy character!

Magnificent Succulents at Mrs. Bancroft's Garden

(Bancroft Garden Photo: Brian Kemble)

The Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek is hosting a Workshop Series,

to include a Succulent Propagation workshop on Sunday, May 9th, 2010.

Visit: www.ruthbancroftgarden.org for details.

Link to an earlier post:

Remarkable Australians! Australian plants at The Ruth Bancroft Garden

Fabbest Foliage .. Favorite Shrubs, Perennials & Vines

Alice's Garden Blooming in Spring

In Spring a gardener is allowed to gush!

Kerria j.'Albiflora' .. one of the earliest and most beautiful blooms to appear on a shrub.

Another early bloomer, Weigela f. 'Midnight Wine' with its deep, dark foliage.


Plantings have had to be adjusted as the tree on the property to the west soars ever higher and wider; its branches shading the garden where sunlight once fell.

Couldn't ignore this outrageous Raymond Evison Clematis cultivar, 'Crystal Fountain'

Perhaps the combination I find most enchanting in Spring: dramatic chocolate foliage of Corylus 'Rote Zeller'

intertwined with variegated Porcelain berry vine, Ampelopsis brevipedunculata 'Elegans,' a deciduous, woody, perennial climber - every leaf demonstrating a uniquely complex shape, mottled white and pink flushed.

Click to see more of ... Alice's Garden

Bright Beacons .. Elegant Ixia & Incarvillea

Incarvillea arguta .... aka summer gloxinia is native to the Himalayas. A lovely perennial that's well suited to partly sunny sites. Boasting divided foliage with a distinctive fern-like foliage, it grows as a sub-shrub in the Bay Area. I must wait until midsummer for the blooming to stand out as a focal point. But once the trumpet flowers emerge on terminal stems, the flowering continues well into the fall. A choice perennial, Incarvillea takes its name from a Jesuit missionary to China in the 1700s, Pierre d'Incarville. The species, arguta refers to the plant's "sharply toothed or notched" leaves, according to Gledhill's Names of Plants.

The African corn lilies are strutting their stuff! Ixia hybrids from South Africa's Western Cape province are members of the Iris family: Bulbous plants that have naturalized here, so I can look forward to a perennial show in April, as the wiry stems shoot up into space while the garden is coming to life.

The oval buds are appealing, while the star-like flowers - 12 on a single stem - emerge in rosy reds and golden yellows, none as abundant as brilliant white blooms with edges flushed pink and dark throats. Blooms open when basking in sunshine, but remain closed under cloudy skies. In summer my garden receives little water, emulating the South African habitat: When the Ixias enter a period of dormancy, my garden's exotic dahlias varieties can take center stage.

Link to... Making a Garden - Chapter 1

1999 The early days - to the present.

Sumptuous Springtime Garden Travel!

May I suggest:

Sumptuous settings for Springtime Travel!

Sonoma Horticultural Nursery

Sonoma County Getaway

Click on garden to read full feature on Bay Area Tendrils Garden Travel.

Sonoma Hort Display Gardens - Sebastopol, California

Van Dusen Botanical Garden .. Vancouver, British Columbia

Surface Tension: A Permanent Installation by Andy Goldsworthy

Hess Collection Winery Napa Valley, California

Jardin de l'Alchimiste - Garden of the Alchemist
Photo Courtesy of the Garden

Note: No longer open

Eygalieres, France

Ira Keller Fountain .. Portland, Oregon

Exquisite Rush of Cascading Water .. Multnomah Falls & Ira's Fountain

Cherry blossoms! 2010 Sakura Matsuri Festival takes place May 1 & 2 at:

Brooklyn Botanic Garden

...you'll see Trillium & slipper orchids,

peonies, shooting stars and wisteria amid the garden's glorious blooming displays.

Escapee! Euphorbia 'Fen's Ruby'

Euphorbia cyparissias 'Fen's Ruby'

An itty bitty Euphorbia cultivar, 'Fen's Ruby' was planted early on in Alice's Garden, let's say... nearly a decade ago. Nothing much happened as the years passed, until now.

Fen's Ruby has become an escapee, making its way into the garden's gravel paths, where it's blooming. Atop the red-flushed stems of the new Spring growth, delicate lime-green to yellow flowers decorate the fine, thread-like textural foliage.

The plant pictured is no more than 3 inches across, if that. While the species is considered aggressive, probably invasive in many areas, this variety is found to be less so.

It generally dies back in a cold winter. And like all Euphrobias, the plant has a milky sap that's caustic. I've taken to wearing surgical gloves whenever I garden, and skin problems that troubled me have disappeared.

Click for more about plants and design in: Alice's Garden

Snowy Egrets! The Gardens of Alcatraz Island

Restoration of the historic Alcatraz Island gardens is ongoing.

The island is reached via a short ferry ride from San Francisco.

On a recent trip to see the lush spring bloom throughout the Gardens of Alcatraz,

I took countless photos that must be sorted and labeled.

Look for an in-depth feature to appear very soon on: Alice's Garden Travel Buzz

One delightful aspect of the tour: An opportunity to peek through the vegetation and see the fluffy feathers of young Snowy Egrets!

Sorry, but it was impossible to get a good photo, as the birds are ensconced in such dense thickets.

As the sign mentions, the egrets are able to find plenty of food in tidepools and at island's edge.

No problem getting close to the seagulls!

Getting there: http://www.alcatrazcruises.com/

To learn more about visiting the gardens: www.alcatrazgardens.org

Click here: Gardens of Alcatraz on Bay Area Tendrils Garden Travel

Keeyla's Way with Color! Meadows at San Francisco Flower Show 2010

Keeyla Meadows' Yard - Flickr photo: aroslis

Keeyla Meadows Garden Installation - San Francisco Flower & Garden Show 2010

Artist Statement excerpt: "The purpose of this garden is to focus on a red-headed snake, the San Francisco (peninsula) Garter Snake, which is on the endangered species list... The colors of this snake, red, turquoise and black - inspired the material sections of this garden...."

.. Garden Vignettes ..

Keeyla is the author of ...

Fearless Color Gardens

The Creative Gardener's Guide to Jumping Off the Color Wheel'

http://keeylameadows.net

What's Happening on Alice's Garden Travel Buzz?

Container array .. Great Dixter
England
Have you visited my new web site?

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