Bloom time: Calochortus superbus (Superb Mariposa, Yellow Mariposa)

 This popped up Sunday, April 28th - Calochortus superbus.  It's the largest of the lilies that I have and the latest blooming.  I'm fortunate that it looks like there's several more coming this season.  Normal bloom time for this bulb is May, June, and July, so it was only a few days early.

Meanwhile, the Bloomeria crocea (Golden Stars) are doing great.

Bloom time: Tritelia laxa (Ithuriel's Spear)

A patio pot winner for the second year in a row at the San Pedro Annex, Tritelia laxa (Ithuriel's Spear).




This web page has a nice write up which reads in part:

Triteleia laxa is the latin name for Ithuriel's Spear (formerly Brodaeia laxa). It is a bulb, actually a corm closely related to lilies and onions which blooms in June then goes dormant, requiring a summer dry rest, although it is less picky about that than our other native grassland bulbs. They can be grown in full sun or fairly deep shade. The corms are no more than an inch across and are very delicious to eat raw or cooked, they taste much like a potato. Ithuriel's Spear is an easy plant to grow but is relatively unknown in the nursery trade. Triteleia laxa is beautiful, useful, adaptable and worthy of wider use.

- Posted at great expense from my iPhone

Bloom time: Blue Dicks (Dichelostemma capitatum)

In the foreground is one of several flowers of Dichelostemma capitatum on the porch in the San Pedro Annex. They've been blooming for a week or more. The porch is south facing and it's been a good location for potted bulbs.

How much water and when to stop?

My bulbs are doing nicely but at some point I know they will want to rest for the summer without much moisture, just like they would in the wild. The question is when to stop the water.



I've been watering through the bloom, feeling that in pots on my porch they wouldn't have as much access to ground moisture as they would in the wild. So far, so good. When the blooms fade and any leaves start turning brown I intend to stop watering and put the pots in the side yard until next year. I'm only intuiting that this is the right thing to do.

- Posted at great expense from my iPhone

Bloom time: Tidy Tips (Layia platyglossa)

I have exactly one of these in the yard this year. Last year I had a pot of them and it looks like one of the seeds made it into a crack at the edge of the driveway.
This little guy has been holding fast for a couple weeks.



- Posted at great expense from my iPhone

Bloom time: Iris 'Canyon Snow' and Mimulus 'Jeff's Tangerine'

I did two plantings of Iris 'Canyon Snow'.  The first planting (plants purchased from the Payne Foundation) was near the base of a slope, early in the winter or perhaps late fall, wasn't successful - I think I lost two of three plants.  The second planting, midwinter, has been very successful.  The second planting (plants purchased from the SB Botanical garden) was a bit up on the same slope, so perhaps the iris weren't so water logged or perhaps they had a tab bit more sun or maybe I didn't disturb the roots as much.  Whatever the reason, all three of the second planting have been successful and have flowered their very first year.

 Remember that Mimulus that had one bloom open last week?  Well, here comes the Mimulus.  I've intermixed the Mimulus 'Jeff's Tangerine' with Escholzia Californica maritima.  I suppose if I were a better designer, I'd have not used two orange blooms.

Bloom time: Sarcodes sanguinea (snow plant)

Normally I see this in the northern Sierra in late June but Sunday I hiked up Mt Islip and saw this Snow Plant. This is a south facing exposure at maybe 7000 feet.



- Posted at great expense from my iPhone

Bloom time: Mimulus (Monkey Flower)

This showed up around the 9th of April. There's large amounts of unopened blossoms, so I'm anticipating a good show. If I remember to look it up, I'll add any more information I have about this particular Mimulus.



Edit: I believe this is Mimulus "Jeff's Tangerine". 

Note: The photos uploaded from my iPhone directly don't reproduce so well in the blog, but when clicked look like I expect.  I wonder why the thumbnails in the blog are not as good from the iPhone as they are from the desktop.
- Posted at great expense from my iPhone

Bloom time: Catching up with the Lupines and such

Most of these photos are from April 9 or the week before.

Western Wallflower continues to hold on to its color. 

My Lupines are doing well.  This is the peak bloom.  Days after this, high winds blew away all the flowers.  The seeds glow nicely in this light due to the hairs covering them.

Bloom time: Bloomeria crocea (Golden Stars)

The first of the exotics in my garden may have faded, but the California natives are coming along strong.

Although the saffron crocus seems not to have have enough energy to bloom this year, my Bloomeria crocea (Golden Stars) are just hitting their stride.  You can see how I handled and identified my bulbs in the post aptly titles, "Bulbs!".  Short version: these are in pots after a late season spate of purchases.

On April 2 I could tell they were coming.

On April 4th, it was closer

On April 5th, I got my first bloom.

Bloom time: Calochortus catalinea (Mariposa Lily)

On April 2 I could see this.  Note the aphids on the stem.

On April 4th, this

Bloom time: Exotics

The unknown exotic that I've been so pleased with and featured before has reached and passed its peak.

Elsewhere in the garden, these little guys seem to have thrived on neglect and low water in the past year. I recognize the type, but I don't know what they are.