Daffodils of Spring

It is that beautiful time of year again when the daffodils spring from the ground in honor of the season to come.  The garden is starting its symphony of color and our pink charm daffodils have begun to naturalize.  They add a touch of seasonal splendor before Easter arrives.

A vase filled with daffodils is always a joy.  They make an elegant display and have a very soft fragrance.  For longevity, it is best to keep only daffodils in the arrangement as their sticky sap will poison other flowers.

Daffodils make stunning cut flowers and there are so many types of specialty daffodils available to grow for bouquets.  These were planted years ago and come up every spring as long as they receive an ample amount of sun and water.

They are beautiful when massed in a bud vase, placed on an accent table, or in an entryway where the subtle scent of spring will welcome guests.

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Highlights of the Early Summer Garden

It never ceases to amaze me when the seedlings I plant in the spring turn into so many beautiful flowers and vegetables by the summer.  Some of my favorite floral varieties this season have been grown from seed along with our vegetable garden which is contained in elevated beds.

Since we have an abundance of seed-grown annuals, I often plant them in containers that hold other flowers.  The heirloom pansies shown above are planted at the base of containers filled with bougainvillea.

The elevated beds are filled with many different varieties of vegetables.  This season we are growing  a mix of tomatoes, melons, eggplants, peppers, and cucumbers.  In addition there are several more large pots of vegetable plants throughout the garden.

These orange calendula flowers were abundant in the patio garden until the heat arrived. They were then replaced with zinnias which tolerate much hotter temperatures.

Queen Red Lime Zinnias are one of my summer favorites.  They grow in full sun and have the most amazing range of color!

Apricot Blush Zinnias are also a favorite and add a touch of brightness to the patio container garden.  They grow beautifully in pots and bloom profusely in the sun.

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Winter Garden Delights

The first month of the year brought an abundant winter garden harvest along with many cold and cozy days to relax inside.  Here in central California the weather is usually mild, so it is possible to grow a culinary garden throughout the winter.  This year, the focus has been on salad greens and citrus which grow and thrive in cooler weather.  The Meyer lemons, blood oranges and limes have been bountiful.

Creating a cool season garden involves planning what you want to eat as well as how you want to access the garden on cold or rainy days.  Since we like to harvest our salad greens right before they are served I keep several salad bowls filled with Mesclun lettuces on our outdoor table.  These are easy access at dinner time as they are right by the kitchen door and one can step out, snip a handful and go right back to cooking.  They are also cut and come again varieties, which means that when they are harvested, they grow back in a few weeks.  The autumn pomegranates from our tree are being dried for use in arrangements.

Head lettuce like the ruby romaine shown above is grown in a raised bed.  

French chervil is easy to grow in pots and can be placed in a windowsill or on a patio.  Here freshly harvested key limes are staying cold on an outdoor shelf until they are used.

These ruffled pansies were a pleasant surprise as I planted seeds in the fall and they are now blooming! I am happy to see the first signs of spring approaching...

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Summer Vegetable Garden

This summer we have been focused on growing fruit, vegetables and herbs in the garden instead of flowers. It is a big change as you know I love the flower cutting garden, but this season I wanted to experiment with growing fresh produce and learning how to cultivate interesting edibles from seed.



As we have a suburban home that is landscaped with many trees and very little full sun, it was a challenge to find a way to integrate the edible garden, but many of our vegetables found a home in pots on the sunniest parts of the patio and in other containers throughout the yard. Here is a large zucchini plant nestled near the plant rack filled with greenery and herbs.



For fun we added this garden bed to a section of the lawn that receives full sun. The elevated style of bed was chosen so the grass would continue to grow beneath and it proved to be more resistant to pests and easy to tend as well. Inside we are growing cantaloupe, bush beans, more zucchini and cucumbers on the trellis at one end.



Growing from seed provides more options for unusual and gourmet vegetable varieties. This is a Persian Baby Cucumber called "Green Fingers" from Renee's Garden Seed Company, where I purchased many of my seeds this spring.



These container snap peas called "Little Crunch" peas make a delicious addition to the early summer menu and also can be eaten straight from the garden!

Soon to be harvested are these mini Sugar Cube Cantaloupes. They are personal-sized melons that grow in containers. We have some in the garden bed and a few more pots trellised throughout the yard with melons hanging from their vines. Looking forward to this special treat! 

Of course no vegetable garden is complete without a few sunflowers to draw pollinators and add color. This year I planted Autumn Beauty sunflowers from Ferry-Morse Seed Company. They are lovely and have been in bloom for about a month with no signs of slowing down. Miniature eggplants, peppers and a few mini pumpkins to line the windowsills in October are also growing. The garden is always full of seasonal surprises!

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Flower Spotlight: Ranunculus

Ranunculus flowers, also called Persian Buttercups, provide stunning blooms in early spring when the weather is still chilly and moist. Boasting a mass of chiffon-like petals, the multicolored flowers are always a favorite for spring weddings and floral arrangements.



These beautiful stems were brought to me by a sweet neighbor who knows how much I enjoy the art of flowers. They were grown by Kelley Flower Farm , and I am dazzled by the quality and color of these unique ranunculus varieties- so dazzled in fact, that I've been researching how to grow them in my own home garden next spring!  In my efforts to learn more, I found some excellent ranunculus resources to share.



Every fall,  I usually purchase a few new varieties of flower bulbs to try in the garden from Erin Benzakien's Floret Flower Farm in Washington.  In addition to many amazing varieties of flowers, she also provides extensive educational resources on her website, like this tutorial about how to grow ranunculus.  She is also the author of Floret Farm's Cut Flower Garden, which is reviewed in this post.

Another great resource is Garden Design's post How to Grow Your Own Ranunculus which includes a buying guide, planting tips and ideas for using ranunculus in the garden and in floral arrangements.



The Gardenista website also adds an interesting twist to the discussion of this flower by including background on its mythology in the post "Ranunculus:  The Little Frog".   Apparently, ranunculus means "little frog" in Latin as it often grows near bodies of water.  According to Gardenista, legend also has it that the original Asian myth (upon which the Western fairy tale of the Frog Prince was based) stated that the prince was turned into a ranunculus instead of a frog.  Fascinating...

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Fall Gardens at Filoli

Fall is a beautiful time of year to tour Filoli in Woodside, CA as the gardens are still in bloom and the  trees are beginning to change color.  We visited there recently since two of my paintings are featured in the current art show, "Fall Landscapes of the Golden State".  We were dazzled by the beauty of the estate and still spectacular gardens in October.



The flower beds throughout the grounds were filled with colorful blooms.  A combination of orange and purple flowers defined the central garden and was stunning.  Layers of zinnias, dahlias and salvia grew in beds lined with boxwood for a lovely autumn display.



The formal garden design at Filoli provides dramatic viewpoints throughout the property.  Many are highlighted with elegant garden sculpture and wrought iron filigree gates.



The rose gardens were in bloom and filled the air with a sweet perfume.  There are many beautiful varieties, which are labelled for the convenience of visitors.  As a gardener, I always appreciate this educational detail, as I look forward to adding my favorites to our garden at home.



There are also extensive cutting gardens at Filoli and these were filled with zinnias, cosmos, strawflowers and a multitude of other fall-blooming beauties.



It was fascinating to see the rows of different flowers and autumn hued foliage plants which would surely look stunning in floral designs.



The dahlias were also blooming in gorgeous vibrant colors.   It was certainly a day filled with garden inspiration!



If you'd like to visit Filoli this season, the current "Golden Harvest" celebration features orchard tours, fall events, an art show, and a display of antique farm equipment through November 4th.  For more information please see the official website.

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Hot Summer Flowers...

The summer high temperatures are often a challenge for gardeners but with a little bit of planning and the right choice of plants, a summer garden can be filled with flowery fun.

During the months of July and August in this part of California, temperatures can be over 100 degrees but we still enjoy cool nights and lovely mornings.  A few flowers I chose for our home garden which perform well in these high temperatures year after year are hydrangeas, dahlias and zinnias.   The hydrangeas are planted in a moist area with partial shade, the dahlias in a semi-moist area with only morning light, and the zinnias in full sun with minimal water.  I find that these flowers keep our gardens filled with color during the hot days of summer.



This year the hydrangeas are all shades of pink which is the natural color the soil produces.  They start to flower in May and then fade to soft green and purple as the summer progresses.  By August they are a gorgeous shade of gray-green...



This bi-color hydrangea variety is a unique and vibrant addition to the summer garden with its striped petals and textural foliage.



The dahlias started blooming in July and will likely last through September.  Dahlias like plenty of sunshine but not too much heat so they are a perfect choice for a space with morning sun.

 

This Creme de Cassis dahlia is a new addition in our yard this summer.  It starts out a deep burgundy and fades to soft pink.



Zinnias flourish in sunny areas as they are tough enough to stand up to the heat.  They are available in a wide range of colors from bright yellow-orange to soft pink.  I favored this miniature peach variety for the full sun flower beds and have been so happy with the results.  Also, they require very little care and keep producing gorgeous blooms!

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Spring in the Garden...

Today is officially the first day of Spring and the garden is clearly celebrating with beautiful blooms and blossoms.  Our magnolia tree is covered in pink and white velvety flowers which glisten on these rainy days.

The daffodils are also coming back to life.  They are one of the first in a parade of flowers that will light up the garden this season.

The potted tulips are growing and starting to grace our patio with pastel beauty. 

Blooming in bright pink and usually buzzing with bees, this redbud tree is already filled with flowers. 

(I happened to get a bee-free photo while out in the rain this morning!)  The branches are so colorful.

Pink jasmine buds cover the fence and are about to open and release their lovely sweet fragrance into the air...

But most exciting, is this sweet little dove living on the top shelf of our plant rack.  She's been there for a few weeks and is very friendly, even when we water her plant!  Today I noticed she has two new baby doves in her nest.  One was happy to pose for the picture but the other is resting.  What a wonderful surprise!

Happy Spring!

Leave a Comment Tagged: Garden Inspiration, Spring

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