Oh, the Sunny California Poppy!

Have you ever grown Poppies?

For several years now, I've admired California Poppies (Eschscholzia californica) and Papaver Poppies. I've wanted to add them to my own garden--not on a massive scale, but as highlights of color near the house. I don't have much sun here, and I tend to grow sun-loving ornamentals and annuals in bright corners and in my small potager garden.

While I haven't tried Papavers yet (stay tuned), until recently I had no luck with California Poppies. I tried starting the seeds in pots early in the growing season, and when that didn't work I sprinkled the seeds along the edge of the potager. But a combination of known and unknown factors prevented their growth.

The potager is on the west side of the house. It gets several hours of indirect light, and then several more hours of strong, afternoon baking sun. The Zinnias and Cosmos love it. But all I got from sprinkling Poppy seeds there was a few tiny, feathery seedlings that disappeared soon after they sprouted. I'm guessing chipmunks and/or robins were responsible--digging around or eating the seeds and/or the seedlings. Or perhaps the seedlings got lost in the mulch and in competition with other plants.

Anyway...in late winter/early spring this year I tried a different technique:

I sowed the Poppy seeds directly into a rectangular planter box, and put the planter in the sunroom in March. I figured that would give them an early start, and protect them from critters.

As the weather warmed, I placed the pot in our mini cold frame to acclimate them to outdoor conditions. Then, after the last frost, I moved them to the potager.

I placed wind spinners around them to dissuade the critters from digging in the pot (so far, so good).

Because they're in a planter, I can easily move them around to try new locations. Fingers crossed they'll continue to thrive and bloom over there. If they struggle, we'll adapt.



The foliage is so lacy and fun. Depending on the light, sometimes it has a slight blue cast, and with hot weather it yellows.



The buds are fun, too!

And then the flowers!

I'm thrilled that I've finally had success with these pretty plants bearing beautiful, sunny flowers and lacy foliage! Maybe next year I'll try Papavers!

(Check out this fun, time-lapse video of California Poppies growing from planted seed to flower and back to seed.)

Onions and Oranges in a Vase

Ornamental Onions and Mock Oranges, that is.

We're in a transition time for blooms, but there are always options for vase arrangements. I'm linking today to Cathy's "In a Vase on Monday," over at Rambling in the Garden.

Today, I have a couple of vases--a larger one (above), and



A petite posy.



Both include cuttings from the Mock Orange (Philadelphus), currently at peak bloom. And the smaller vase also has clippings from 'May Night' Salvia (Salvia x sylvestris).



A large 'Ambassador' Allium (A. gigantieum) is the focal point in the big vase.



With buds and cuttings from the Smooth Hydrangea (H. arborescens subsp. radiata).

The little bud vase is equally at home in the house or out back. We're experiencing perfect early summer weather. This gardener and garden are happy.

Visit Rambling in the Garden for more vase ideas from around the world. Thanks to Cathy for hosting!

Balancing Green With Pops of Color

Monarch on Tithonia rotundifolia

My preferences for colors and combinations of colors in the garden shift and change with the seasons, the years, and the specific "rooms" in the garden. I don't have a favorite plant or plants, either. There are a few plants (native and non-native) that I'd prefer not to have in my garden, although I appreciate them in other gardens and in natural settings.

Many people mention disliking orange flowers. I'm going to be "radical" by saying I actually enjoy orange in the garden--from the bright, vibrant oranges of many Zinnias to the peachy tones of some delicate Roses. I find them pleasing to the eye, and I appreciate how they attract hummingbirds and butterflies. But I realize colors, plant choices, and pairings are very individualistic. Each garden is unique!

The color wheel has been a good guide for me when selecting companion plants (in addition to other practical tools like natural pairings in nature, height and size considerations, and companion planting techniques). Using the color wheel, specifically, I guess I lean more toward choosing complementary, triadic, or split complementary combinations. Because there's so much green in my garden, I often tend to balance it with purple and orange, yellow and periwinkle, or blue and pink. And even then, there are so many shades of each basic color.

Janet at The Paintbox Garden really knows her colors, and her blog is a wonderful walk through the endless palette options for any gardener. She's currently working on a book that will be published next year.

I'm not a color expert, and often I create messy mistakes that just don't work after further consideration.

But, again, I do like orange flowers (and just about every other colored blooms, depending on the situation and the combination). Sticking with the "orange and purple, balanced by green" theme, here are some example combinations. Often orange blooms include hints of purple and purple blooms have hints of orange; so their pairing with green emphasizes the triadic concept.

 

'Zowie' Zinnia elegans & Echinacea purpurea

Tagetes hybrid & Angelonia angustifolia

Lantana camara & Verbena hastata

Lantana camara & Salvia x sylvestris

Monarch with Impatiens capensis & Conoclinium coelestinum

Personally, I think it can be overdone, too. But pops of orange, balanced by other colors, are OK by me. Do you have favorite colors in your garden? Are there colors and combinations you avoid?

On Foliage: Pleasant Surprises, Future Plans, and Mother Nature's Ways

For some reason, I'm more fascinated with foliage this spring than I've been in the past. The exception is the lovely Calla Lily (Zantedeschia cultivar), nurtured in the warm sunroom during the winter and blooming now. Even in this case, however, the foliage is nearly as fascinating as the flowers, and they are amazing companions.



But when I pulled together a grouping of pots, I leaned heavily on colorful, shapely foliage. The elements here include spikes of Ostrich Ferns (Matteuccia struthiopteris), and a fun, hairy Papyrus Sedge (Cyperus papyrus) in the middle. Colorful Coleus and Ipomoea plants dance with Caladium, Fuchsia, and Hypoestes phyllostachya. As these pots fill out, they'll be even more fun.



I can't take much credit for the grouping above. With the exception of the Daylily (Hemerocallis) strands and the Rhubarb (Rheum × hybridum), the other plants here (Hostas and Forsythia) were planted by the previous owners. All look particularly vibrant this spring, thanks to optimal precipitation and temperature conditions.



There are several other settings in the garden where we're encouraging native plants to take over. In this case, Mayapples (Podophyllum peltatum) and Ostrich Ferns (Matteuccia struthiopteris) are reclaiming territory around an Oak tree. Their play with the Hostas creates a nifty structural and variegated grouping.



There are too many plants to name in this grouping above, but the main thing that's been different in recent years is the encouragement of native Wood Violets (Viola sororia) along the garden path through the Rose arbor.



Mother Nature takes credit when we walk into the woodland. Hostas line the edges, but the rest of the plants here are naturally occurring. Most of the spring ephemerals have finished flowering, but the foliage still delights.

Finally, one of my favorite potted plants has exquisite foliage--through the winter and early spring in the sunroom, and outdoors as a focal point during the growing season. It's Oxalis vulcanicola 'Zinfandel.' I love the yummy wine and dark green foliage, and especially when it's framed by more Ferns.

Foliage can be as magical as flowers!

Since I've included six examples of foliage combos in this post, I'm linking in with "Six on Saturday," hosted by Jim at Garden Ruminations. Visit his blog to see other fun garden happenings shared by other bloggers.