what's blooming now

Camassia leichtlinii 'Blue Danube' was purchased during my mad "must buy something" spree last fall. I figured it would be perfect for that area where the water from my roof drains, and where my neighbor's swamp cooler dumps its water every night. It was very quick to appear in the spring, and the flowers are a medium violet blue. It doesn't carry as many flowers at a time as I expected from the pictures I've seen. Maybe it needs cooler temperatures and even more water, such as in its native habitat in the Pacific Northwest. Still, it's charming. I'll have to wait and see if it survives the summer heat.



This muscari appeared in a group of M. paradoxum. Obviously it's not M. paradoxum, which as in previous photos, is a dark dusky blue. The leaves of this one are shorter, somewhat twisted, and the flower stem is a short inch or two rather than the 6-8 inches of the M. paradoxum. The blooms are yellow, fading to navy however. It's cute, but it's another yellow in my blue garden.


Rosemary Gorizia has given a slow buildup to a fine show.


Artemesia versicolor, though not "blooming" is putting on its spring show of silkiness.


The blackfoot daisy (Melampodium leucanthum) is starting to bloom.


Euphorbia Redwing has lost nearly all of its red foliage color (only the stems have any trace of red now). The flower bracts are starting to expand. Another month and there will be hardly any foliage to be seen.


The Eriogonum umbellatum that was a beautiful burgundy red two months ago, shows no evidence of that color now. Leaves are a spring green, and flowers are yellow and minute.


The Apache plume (Fallugia paradoxa) is starting a burst of flowers. You can see why it is in the rose family. The flowers only last a day, but are immediately found by the bees. There is no worry about pollination. Soon the namesake plumes will appear.