Spring has sprung

To fill in the front of this border, today I planted some greenhouse-raised annuals-- 'Apricot Chiffon' California poppy and Salvia 'Blue Denim'. I had first seen 'Apricot Chiffon' poppies blooming at Annie's Annuals. But at $5.95 a pop, I'm glad to have found a seed source. Just this little section required 23 plants. That's $136.85 in Annie's currency. Seeds were $2.35 from Territorial Seed Company. Now normally I simply broadcast California poppy seeds in autumn, but hybrids like 'Apricot Chiffon' never come up (for me) while regular old Eschscholzia
californica always does. Go figure. Anyway, these hybrids are a spectacular pinky peach color and are stunning combined with something blue like 'Blue Denim' Salvia from Select Seeds. I'll try to post an updated photo once these babies fill in. I'll be on snail patrol tonight. I can apply Sluggo, but my dogs like to eat it. Even if I sprinkle it when they're not around, they make a beeline for it as soon as I let them out. Little rascals.


With the break in the weather, I've been trying to fill in some gaps in the garden. The fence is an eyesore I'm hoping my princess flower shrubs will cover, but they defoliated after we had a few winter frosts. Still, they've grown to about four feet tall from the little 4" inch babies they were when I plunked them in my shopping cart at Whole Foods last summer. On impulse, of course. Despite their frost-induced nudity, those purple flowers and fuzzy green leaves make P.F. shrubs worth the wait.



My "heuchera/columbine bed" has grown rapidly in the last few days.



I'm cuckoo for heuchera...





Late afternoon light illuminates reddish grasses and grasslike plants like Stipa arundinacea and New Zealand flax.



I had to flip my Smith & Hawken firepit over so it wouldn't collect rainwater. With the change in weather, I might be able to flip it back over soon. Woo hoo! It doubles as an outdoor grill.