Papaver 'Drama Queen' Makes Another Entrance

Two more poppy flowers appeared yesterday, back, way back, in the Japanese Maple bed by the Koi pond.  For balance I hung on carefully to the Maple's slender trunk, stepped over the Coprosmas and volunteer Impatiens, over the Corsican Hellebore that did finally grow a few new leaves, around the Geraniums madeirense and 'Rozanne', to reach a place where I could photograph the poppy flowers that rose like tropical birds out of dark jungle. 


The first poppy flower of a few days ago has morphed into the distinctive globular poppy seed pod:

Crimson meets violet-fading-to-burgundy.



'Drama Queen' is giving the Epiphyllums a run for their money in the race to gaudy. 
  
The poppy may be ephemeral, but the entertainment value has been considerable.   And that's it for May, 2012.

The Remaining Huntington Photos, Mostly Roses

'Paul Bocuse':
 
More photos from the Huntington visit from this past weekend.  One thing I thought odd:  in the two big double beds of Austin roses, someone had stuck in a couple of random HT's, the red striped  'Rock and Roll' was wedged in between something like 'The Nun' and 'Hilda Murrel'.  Were they that desperate for space?
'Perdita':

The 'Temple of Love' was surrounded by a mass planting of 'Tamora' for many years.  It appears 'Tamora' has been replaced by 'Iceberg'.  I love the curve of that path.

'English Garden':  Their 'English Garden' is a little bigger than my 'English Garden'.  Flowers look identical, though.

'Teasing Georgia' was a large shrub with just a couple of flowers that day:

'Sally Holmes', looking great that day, but she won't do much else for the rest of the year.

In general, the roses were in full spring flush, much later than mine!

The can-be-beautiful 'Pierre de Ronsard' (aka 'Eden'), so often ruined by thrips and botrytis, looking miraculously good that day:



I couldn't id this one, and there was no tag.  What species rose is yellow?  Rosa foetida?


The bees were enjoying it:

Also in the rose garden, the bark of a giant Mexican Cypress forms a complex pattern:

In the nearby Shakespeare garden, a Sambucus nigra 'Black Beauty' looked great.  I thought they did not like southern California, but this one obviously does.  It was large and apparently thriving:

A new young 'Black Beauty' mixed in with cannas, rush, salvias.  Pomegranate in the background.  

What would be a fine companion for the black Sambucus, but in another area of the Huntington, the Children's Garden.  Santolina 'Lemon Fizz', looking both lemony and fizzy.

Also in the Children's garden, a once-low-rosette of ornamental kale had become an odd Cussonia-like tower.

The sky blue of Plumbago (ariculata?):

The remodeled Japanese garden was reopened, but we did not see the new bits.  When one visits with a large family party, once must go with the flow.  

Massed or Massive

We visited the Huntington during the holiday week end.  Two themes presented themselves:  mass plantings, and massive plants.  
Massed Shasta Daisies (Leucanthemum x superbum):

Massive Quercus agrifolia:

Massed Arctotis 'Pink Sugar':

Massive Beaucarnea (Nolina) recurvata:

Massed Cosmos:

Charming!

A massive Yucca rostrata, in glorious bloom:

Sweet!

Masses of Cineraria:

Masses of Yarrow:

Masses of flowers on a massive 'Sally Holmes' rose:
 
Masses of seed pods on an Aloe striata:


A beautiful mass of Agave bracteata:

And a mass of flowers on a hybrid Callistemon.

Oscularia deltoides:

The stems are pink too, not just the flowers.  But with so many flowers, the stems are hidden.

I have no clue what this was--phlox? 

It was a lovely way to spend time with family.

Lawnless Front Yard #12

This nearby home was converted to the lawn free look this past week.  It caught my attention before the conversion, because the landscaping consisted of the lawn, a clump of three birches in one corner, a huge, thriving native Romneya coulteri, and nothing else.  The lawn was removed, the birches left untouched, and the Romneya was split into to pieces and replanted.  For some reason known only to the landscaper, a meandering DG path diagonally across the area crosses a meandering dry streambed via a dinky little wooden bridge.  Dry stream beds seemed popular in early lawn free designs; now not as much.  Perhaps a There's-a-drainage-problem-so-we-really-had-to-get-rid-of-the-lawn-and-add-a-streambed idea helped with neighborly relations back when the lawn free style first appeared.  Now it seems a little quaint and possibly unnecessary.  Or they had a lot of rocks.  Or there was a drainage problem.

A Lagerrstroemia behind a Salvia--greggii, maybe:

Stream bed of imported river rocks and DG path.

A Penstemon, a dripper, and a rock in the hell strip:

The existing Birch trees were left as is:

There are a couple of mounds rising abruptly from level ground.  A little too abruptly.  I think that's a manzanita on the mound. 

The tree is a...native elderberry?  Not sure. 



I think the plantings are incomplete.  It does look a little blank, even for a newly planted area of California natives.  I will check back and see if more plants go in next week.