June Bloom Day in the small garden

The garden is a crazy, jumbled mess right now. Just the way I like it. But you can see how I could never do this professionally.



It was hot and sunny all day. Not the best light conditions for taking pictures, but...does that really matter? I don't think so. I yanked out the mock orange (Philadelphus lewisii). It's missing in the picture above.



The larkspur has been fun. The plants are fairly erect (unlike Delphinium, which tend to lean) and the flowers last a long time without any water. The bottom of the plant gets a little moldy tho'. That's my only complaint. Here, one spike got snared in the bird netting I use to protect the raspberries.



So Cal native Delphinium cardinale is the only Delphinium in my garden this year. I learned about this plant from Betsy Clebsch. Maybe it looks better in her garden. In mine it's a little ragged. On the other hand, it requires no care whatsoever.



Having the mock orange gone makes it easier to see the abutilon and rusty foxglove (Digitalis ferruginea)



which is not so rusty. At least not yet. The flowers just opened. These are pretty much actual size.



Piet Oudolf likes to use this plant in cold winter landscapes. I'm not sure what to expect from it in mild-weathered San Francisco. I imagine I'll have to cut it down when the flowers die. He also advocates umbillifers, and I have a lot of those.

Like dill...

This is my first time growing dill. I was not expecting it to grow 4' tall. It's planted in the wrong place for a plant that tall, but I'm going to leave it where it is for as long as I can stand it. At least long enough for the flowers to open.



And carrots. I was told carrots left in the ground through winter would go to seed with the first warm weather. Well, it's mid-June and this is about time! I once weeded a garden where carrots had naturalized. I would like them to do that in my yard too. (I would like that better than maintaining a carrot patch.) But I don't know if I have the patience.



Wildflowers naturalizing would be good too. Of course I'd need to add a few new plants every year anyway to keep them from getting inbred.







This one is new to me; Collomia grandiflora (Polemoniaceae). I got the seeds from Seed Hunt over there in the links. Apparently, it is widespread in the west although I've never seen it before. The peach color is unusual.



Although here I am with some peachy runner beans.



Speaking of color, a hideous pairing of red and yellow emerged and I. Am. Tolerating. It.



This Keckiella cordifolia (another So Cal native, I think) is one of my favorite plants. And so easy to grow from seed. Highly recommended for summer-dry gardens. I have three of them!



More red things... I got this Begonia boliviana last year at Dry Garden. It died to the ground over winter, and came back good as new without much care. (I've watered it once or twice this year.)



Some creature is feasting on these nasturtium leaves (Tropaeolum majus). Such is life in the pesticide-free garden. Tho' even with pesticides it's possible, even likely, for the same thing to occur. So why bother.



A yellow nasutrium on the other side of the garden is less molested.



Time for a cool blue... these sweet peas just started to flower.



Phacelia campanularia



Tweedia caerulea



Now for some orange and yellow. The unnamed Senecio



Madia elegans



I'm letting the Cotula lineariloba's yellow buttons spread where they will.



These unnamed yellow lilies just opened today. The flowers point down so I can't see them.



The back of it is really pretty.



If this dahlia had opened today, that would have been swell.



Also:






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