Wildflower Wednesday -- June 2011

Many of my Pacific Northwest native flowers have finally started blooming.

Dichelostemma ida-maia (from bulbs planted last fall)

This is my first time growing Dichelostemma, it is such an odd flower. Tall and nodding, looking a bit like a firecracker, which is where it gets its common name Firecracker flower.

The pink one has just started flowering as well. It's not quite as tall and gangly as the red.

More PNW natives that are blooming include:

Sedum spathulifolium

 I have a few clumps of this, some are just covered with masses of flowers, others have just a few.

Vancouveria hexandra/Inside out flower

The flowers of this dainty PNW perennial are so tiny, I had no idea how small they were. And it has such interesting leaves, reminiscent of Epimedium, to which it is related.

Aquilegia formosa

Pacific Coast iris

 

 

 

These  started blooming last month just after Wildflower Wednesday, now they are finishing up.

Sisyrinchium californicum/Yellow-Eyed Grass

 

Like California poppies, these open only when the sun is out.

 Lupinus albicaulis/Sickle-leaf Lupine

 Physocarpus capitatus/Pacific Niebark

I am eagerly looking forward to the Calochortus/Mariposa Lily opening. They have such intriguing twisted buds. I should have bought more of these.

 

Clarkia concinna/Farewell to Spring, a California annual

 

Collinsia heterophylla/Chinese Houses, another California annual

I also have quite a few natives/cultivars from natives from other areas of the country.

Heuchera x brizoides 'Pretty Polly', one of the few I have with pink flowers

Dark-leaf Ninebark, possibly Physocarpus opulifolius 'Diabolo' (the tag is here....somewhere)

Sambucus nigra 'Black Beauty'

Aruncus dioicus/Goatsbeard

It looks like this year I will have some "smoke" (seedheads actually) on my Geum triflorum/Prairie Smoke. They're not quite open all the way yet.

The Clintonia that I bought earlier this year from Annie's Annuals has really taken off and has been flowering profusely for a while now.

Polemonium reptans/Jacob's Ladder has just started flowering. I saved seeds from this last year and I sowed them in the late winter in my little portable greenhouse, and now I have quite a few seedlings from it. So hopefully next year I'll have lots more of this pretty native perennial around the garden.

Please check out Gail's blog clay and limestone, for more blog posts and pictures of native and sometimes non-native wildflowers.

Fertilizer Friday -- Columbines, Hardy Geraniums, Lupines and Bees

I've been working in the garden this past week, pulling weeds, planting, and taking lots of pictures. The weather has been a little warmer, and a little less rainy. Mostly cloudy, with a little sun, and a shower every so often. We are edging ever so slowly into early summer (the solstice is only a week away!), but things are starting to flower so fast and furiously now, if I hesitate, I'm lost -- I can't keep up with posting about them. Maybe I should just post every day.

I have lots of different columbines blooming.

Lovely dark ones

Pale pastels

And everything in between:

The hardy Geraniums are flowering too, some heavily, some not so heavily.

Geranium 'Biokovo' and 'Biokovo Karmina'

Geranium 'Vision Light Pink' grown from seed last year

First hardy Geranium ever planted here, name unknown

Same Geranium planted with Armeria maritima

I have Lupines in several different shades also blooming.

 

The other day I watched a bee methodically making his way around the Lupine flowers.

 

Does anyone know if this is a bumblebee? I thought I remembered bumbles being fatter and slower. These guys zip all over, and have been dive-bombing my head if they think they are about to be disturbed in their pollen-gathering. They take off for home without the slightest care whether I am between them and their destination.

He moved on to a paler pink stand of Lupines.

 

My Oriental poppies are opening now, too, and not all at once. They are taking their time.

 

One blown poppy, hopefully this means there will be seeds in the future

What else is flowering?

Salvia 'East Friesland'

 

 Centranthus ruber, grown from seed last year

Dianthus 'Neon Star'

Astrantia

I have plenty more, mostly natives. So I'm going to save those for Wildflower Wednesday.

In the meantime, check out TootsieTime's Fertilizer Friday post for more wonderful flowers. I'm glad she posted early, because we are going to Vancouver tomorrow for a little weekend trip. I haven't been to Canada in about 30 years. We are scoping out the city for an Alaska cruise that we are taking in September to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. The ship leaves from Vancouver. We are thinking we won't let on that we are Bruins fans. Have you heard about the riots there after the Vancouver Canucks lost the Stanley cup finals? Scary.