Blooming

I was too lazy to write this blog up last week, but there are some changes with the warmer weather. Butterflies and bees are visiting. Here's a quick list of what has bloomed:

• scarlet flax
• calochortus, pale purple, likely C. Cupido
• tulips: the white T. clusiana "Lady Jane" with red outside, and the pink-and-yellow T. bakeri (I think), and one of the Darwin hybrids ready to open
  
• "bird's eye" gilia tricolor which I promptly pulled out
• plenty of osteospermum African daisies
• plenty of freesias
• the plum tree, covered with blossoms and quite wonderful
  
• a few "Johnny-jump-up" violas
• a little of the Vinca minor periwinkle
• a great deal of the Lithodora diffusa "Grace Ward"
• the scarlet and maroon cyclamens
• two poppy anemones (A. coronaria) gorgeous dark blue/purple
• some California bluebells
  
• in unison on the same day, all of the Falconet daffodils, followed by the Carlton and with the Mount Hood ready to open -- I was ready to give up on these last year, but perhaps that frost helped them along
• still plenty of grape hyacinth (Muscari armeniacum)
• the harlequin flower (Sparaxis tricolor) but only behind the house.
  

And a few things are finished: the true hyacinth, the Tenby daffodils (N. obvallaris), and the dwarf iris. Some purple crocus are still doing well. I've pulled out the scarlet flax from the lower half of the front bulb garden. It grew too tall too soon and made it hard to see the tulips. The snap peas have their first tiny pods.

Last weekend I tore out two shrubs under the north wall of the house that didn't belong there and planted a "Plum Passion" fringe flower (Loropetalum chinensis) and a "Newport Dwarf" (tm) escallonia. I've tried planting out another lion's tail (Leonotis leonuris) after the first one died, and the last of my indoor-grown yarrow seedlings, of which I think all the first lot died.

It's going to be dry. I may turn on some irrigation (groan).