Saturday, May 26, 2012

Hippeastrum x johnsonii flowering in the garden for my 60th birthday

I'm honored.  The planting has survived a couple winters, but this is the first time it has flowered. I'm psyched. In the spring of 2010, I planted four clumps, some individual bulbs, some aggregations of bulblets and one or two bulbs. The three planted in Florida apparently have flowered three times now. We've missed all but the first bloom  because of mistimed visits. Those clumps have grown considerably. This one started out as two bulbs and is still two bulbs. I expect that at some point they'll multiply and I'll distribute they to friends and family. It really is a plant that ought to be more available at retail nurseries hereabouts.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Iris ensata 'Ocean Mist'

The Japanese Iris just keep on coming. The good thing is I had an  idea regarding them. So many are far down in the Central Valley that they can't really be seen without binoculars. I'm thinking we may move a few of them to the dry~ streambed below bed C-4 in China Valley. They'll be happy there and a lot more approachable.

Hypericum non patulum

We've renamed it to maybe H. bellum subsp. latisepalum. It doesn't matter, it;s still a beautiful flower.