Yellow Sundrops

I got this cute little ground cover last Fall at Matilija Nursery out in Moorpark.  It's worth a visit.  The plant has been flowering since I got it. I am not kidding!  What a fabulous plant! It's a Western US  native called Calylophus berlanderiera or Sundrops.  I can never remember what it's called and always have to look it up.    It was in a 1 gal. can and is now 2' across.   Here it is in my garden next to my bottle border and a Mum, an Iris and a Narcissus.  Research says it will grow up to 1' tall and 3' wide. It likes full sun and well drained soil. It must love my sandy soil.

Calylophus berlanderiera

Calylophus berlanderiera

 And I just had to share a pic of me in my new Matilija t-shirt!  What a great design and I love the mint green shirt color!  Thanks Bob!


Happy Gardening! 

Star Jasmine

Last year I in August posted about making my third rebar arch for my Star Jasmine- Trachelospermum jasminoides here: Rebar For Vines.  Here is an update so you can see how far the vine has grown. And it's in full fragrant bloom!

In SoCal Star Jasmine is so easy that it grows everywhere from ground covers to hedges to 20' vines.  Do you grow it? 

Wooly Blue Curls

I'm so happy to have Wooly Blue Curls- Trichostema(say TRY-ko-STEM-ma) lanata alive and blooming in my garden! California native plants are often difficult for the average homeowner unless that's all you've got. Then all your watering is similar. Must of us have a variety of plants including roses. And that means more water.  I killed it trying to grow it in containers several times.  But now it is happy in the ground in my sandy Burbank soil.   I wish you could smell it's sweet herby fragrance. And it's the leaves that smell yummy.

Happy Spring! 

Surprise Poppy

Have you ever put out seeds and forgotten you ever did it?  That must have happened here.  I thought I put out Ladybird Poppies saved from a visit to The Getty over a year ago, maybe.  But these are Oriental Poppies(similar but with no black dots) and they came up in another couple of places. They looked like weeds at first but were in a patch that I haven't got to weed yet and....so they flowered. Pretty.  

Oriental Poppies

Oriental Poppy bud with ladybug larva. 

Happy Gardening!