The red in the foreground is the native Rock Penstemon, Penstemon baccharifolius, which I cut back early this spring. It's another red flower I have come to love and a favorite of there humming bird. It absolutely demands dry calcarious soils which is just what it gets in the sunken garden. No amendments necessary.
Another pretty red annual is the scarlet flax, Linum grandiflorum, seen here with coreopsis and gulf coast penstemon.
Last year there was a lamb's ear plant about 6 feet away from here which withered during the summer. This one seeded here and grew over the winter and I hope some of its seeds will find a happy place to grow.
There are sprinklings of this coreopsis in just about every garden I have. The original was from a packet of seeds planted nearly 20 years ago. It does get a little tall and floppy so I had to stake it up.
Keeping the trailing winecup, Callirhoe involucrata, under control is not easy. It will run across the paving as well as climb as much as 4' among taller plants.
Square-bud primrose, Calylophus berlandieri, with a few seed heads of Nigella and one of two stragglers.
There are several dwarf day lilies including these two which do well along the edges of the rocks.
And scabiosa, which blooms all through summer and even during a mild winter.
And the common mullein, Verbascum thapsus, of which there are 5 in the sunken garden, is just beginning to flower. It is an invasive species having been introduced from Europe.
It gives me great pleasure to walk out there in the morning and see the new blooms of the day. Any yes it is constant work and will they all be there next year-probably because I just love them too much not to allow them to seed.
And who will be up next? The gauras, coneflowers, small flowering coreopsis and the prickly pear cactus.
And who will be up next? The gauras, coneflowers, small flowering coreopsis and the prickly pear cactus.
Your May garden is glorious, Jenny! We share some of the same plants but I'm surprised to see how different the timing of bloom is between our gardens. Generally speaking, your plants have a head start on mine. You received more rain perhaps? After some good rainfall in December, we got next to nothing from January through March, only to finally get a decent drenching in April. And now we're already on our second heatwave of the year...
ReplyDeleteGorgeous. We’ve had some beautiful days and I’m sure it’s been delightful in your garden. Wish we could get together. Someday!
ReplyDeleteLove the diversity of plants in your sunken garden. I'm a sucker for any penstemon. Will look for baccarifolius
ReplyDeleteamazing that scabiosa blooms thru an Austin summer! I wish that scarlet flax had reseeded for me -- no luck yet. Grown locally is a tender succulent with flowers like the callirhoe but on long stems called Calandrinia spectabilis. Those intense pops of color are wonderful against the stonework.
ReplyDeletewhat a lovely garden you've got right now! (and always!)
ReplyDelete