Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Color in the Garden - Part II

My garden is becoming colorful now that summer is here and more perennials begin blooming.

Violet Carson with nepeta and a penstemon



Penstemon is one of my favorites.


It is generous with blooms that come in spikes and so compliment roses well.

Penelope


The pointy leaves provide a good contrast to roses, and finally, garden hybrids especially are quite tolerant of regular irrigation that my roses receive, and so they grow happily together and often through the roses.




I have tried lots of salvias, and surprisingly they have not all done well for me. For some of them our area is still too chilly, and some supposedly perennial ones have not come back for no apparent reason.

Pope John Paul II and salvia Hot Lips

I have to mention California poppies because they can't seem to leave my yard. This year, I actually bought a hybrid with small yellow flowers - it blends better with my other flowers. But wild poppies will stay whether I want them or not, so here they are.



I fell in love with abutilon at the Carmel Mission. Mine blooms year-round in dappled shade and has become a large and lanky shrub. It leans on a camellia and a rose for support.







Posted by Masha at 1:05 AM
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39 comments:

  1. AnnetteJune 8, 2011 at 2:28 AM

    Dein Garten, deine Rosen und Stauden sind einfach wundervoll. Du machst super Bilder! Ich schaue mir gern deinen Blog an und freue mich immer, wenn du einen neuen Post einstellst. Viele Grüße Annette

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  2. Roses, Color, and LightJune 8, 2011 at 2:37 AM

    What a lovely post. I love penstemon, too. Mine all reverts to pink, but that's fine. Abutilon is fascinating. I just saw one for the first time in a nursery greenhouse in Sedona a few weeks ago. Yours is such a rich red. They are charming flowers.
    Beautiful photos. Thanks for sharing!
    Sandra

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  3. Dani P.June 8, 2011 at 2:44 AM

    Lovely colors. Perfect photos. A wonderful post, Masha !

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  4. AnonymousJune 8, 2011 at 3:27 AM

    Your hummingbird photo is fantastic. I saw my first one of the year yesterday in my garden, but no photos. Stunning photos all around as usual, Masha. I so wish roses grew like that here. They do I guess with lots of chemicals, but your climate is so much more conducive to healthier, therefore prettier, roses.

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  5. FlowerLady LorraineJune 8, 2011 at 3:38 AM

    More stunning photos from you of the beautiful blooms that fill your gardens. Your purple/blue Penstemons are wonderful. Penelope is one of my favorite roses.

    That last photo with the hummingbird is amazing.

    FlowerLady

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  6. GabiJune 8, 2011 at 4:11 AM

    Wow... !!! Piękne zdjęcia Masha...

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  7. DarlaJune 8, 2011 at 5:28 AM

    Gorgeous photos, I love the Hot Lips Salvia!

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  8. Jennifer@threedogsinagardenJune 8, 2011 at 5:46 AM

    Hi Masha, Each and every picture is just so beautiful. Wow!

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  9. HolleyGardenJune 8, 2011 at 6:28 AM

    Wow - Penelope is gorgeous! Love how Pope John Paul II is being kissed by the salvia! Your hummingbird pic is incredible - and adorable.

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  10. letrecivetteJune 8, 2011 at 8:43 AM

    Wow! Amazing this post!! BELLISSIMO!
    Hugs from Italy!
    Monica

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  11. VWJune 8, 2011 at 8:52 AM

    What is that first lavender penstemon? Such a pretty color. I love my delphiniums with my roses, they seem to work well together. And I love how oriental lilies bloom right after the roses finish their first big flush and are taking a break.

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  12. sherryocalaJune 8, 2011 at 9:31 AM

    Oh, Masha, you have outdone yourself! So gorgeous. What are the fuchsia/magenta and white flowers? Really stunning. And then you finish off with the darling hummingbird. How creative you are!

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  13. MashaJune 8, 2011 at 9:45 AM

    Thank you, Anette. I appreciate your compliment.

    Sandra, thank you, My penstemon do not revert, they are semi-evergreen here and never completely die back. Pink penstemon are pretty, I grow a few.

    Dani, thank you. I am glad you liked it.

    Donna, you are right. Roses get few diseases in a dry climate, and those they do get are not lethal. I do think though that there are healthy roses for every climate.

    Thank you, FlowerLady, I was thinking of you when I was taking that photo of Penelope...

    Thank you, Gabi, Darla and Jennifer. I am so happy to hear from you again!

    Thank you, Holley. Penelope likes it here and blooms a lot. I am glad you liked it.

    Grazie, Monica, for your wonderful compliments.

    VW, you are lucky to be able to grow delphs, they are expensive annuals here, so there is really not that much if you want blue spiky flowers (lupines don't do well either)... That penstemon is a California native, I am not sure what its name is.

    Sherry, thank you. The purple and white flowers are a penstemon, I love them!

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  14. Wife, Mother, GardenerJune 8, 2011 at 12:13 PM

    Wonderful!! I love the hummingbird.

    Abutilons are a vision filling a greenhouse in winter time with their color. I will never forget that sight.

    My roses are just starting this week. Drinking in the fragrance as deeply as possible.

    Thanks!
    Julie

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  15. MashaJune 8, 2011 at 12:44 PM

    Thank you, Julie. Enjoy your roses!

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  16. LonaJune 8, 2011 at 12:52 PM

    They look so beautiful together. I never even thought about planting Penstemons with roses. Thanks for the beautiful tip. What a great image of the Hummingbird. Beautiful!

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  17. irinapicturesJune 8, 2011 at 1:14 PM

    Thank you for making me happy to see these beauties. And the bird! Please inhale as much as you can, as if you do it for me too))

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  18. MashaJune 8, 2011 at 1:27 PM

    Thank you, Lona. Penstemons are perfect with roses - the same requirements, and a good range of colors.

    Irina, thank you for a lovely compliment. You are very gracious.

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  19. GirlSproutJune 8, 2011 at 10:03 PM

    Everything looks so delicate and lovely. Thank you for a beautiful post.

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  20. organicgardendreamsJune 9, 2011 at 1:29 AM

    Lovely post about your colorful garden, Masha. Your penstemons are so beautiful! I don't grow any up to now, but your post reminded me that I really should try them. It surprises me that some salvias don't do so well for you and I am curious about how they will fare in my garden. I just have started to plant out a couple of "Black & Blue" salvias this year.
    Christina

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  21. GigaJune 9, 2011 at 2:49 AM

    Widzę, że u Ciebie goszczą też inne piękne kwiaty.Kamelia zawsze mi się podobała, ale niestety u nas w ogrodzie nie może rosnąć. Pozdrawiam serdecznie

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  22. MashaJune 9, 2011 at 7:18 AM

    Thank you, GirlSprout, for such a lovely compliment.

    Christina, thank you. I need to work more on finding good salvias. Black and Blue are very invasive so I dug mine out....

    Giga, thank you for your comment.

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  23. Connys CottageJune 9, 2011 at 8:48 AM

    was fuer eine Bluettenpracht....

    wundervoll.


    sei ganz lieb gegruesst ich wuensche dir ein paar sonnige Tage...Conny

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  24. MashaJune 9, 2011 at 8:54 AM

    Thank you, Conny and nice to meet you.

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  25. donaJune 9, 2011 at 9:38 AM

    Your garden is really colourful! I thought you grew only gorgeous roses, but I was totally wrong... :)

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  26. MashaJune 9, 2011 at 10:22 AM

    Grazie, Dona. Roses on their own are a bit boring, I think, so I try to have some variety.

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  27. MonisJune 9, 2011 at 10:54 AM

    Thank you for visiting, your roses are beautiful.

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  28. MashaJune 9, 2011 at 11:10 AM

    Thank you, Monis. I am glad you liked them.

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  29. Hannes hageJune 9, 2011 at 11:28 AM

    Your garden is like a dream.

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  30. MashaJune 9, 2011 at 11:39 AM

    Thank you, Hanne, for such a nice compliment.

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  31. OlgaJune 9, 2011 at 1:32 PM

    If anyone has this garden, they practically already live in paradise! Very beautiful photos.

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  32. MashaJune 9, 2011 at 1:35 PM

    Thank you, Olga. I appreciate your compliment very much.

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  33. Tatyana@MySecretGardenJune 9, 2011 at 2:14 PM

    Masha, great job! The abutilon picture is outstanding as well as the hummingbird's.

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  34. MashaJune 9, 2011 at 3:21 PM

    Thank you, Tatyana. I am glad you liked them.

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  35. AnonymousJune 9, 2011 at 4:06 PM

    Masha, Awesome post. Companion planting with roses is a favorite subject of mine.

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  36. MashaJune 9, 2011 at 6:06 PM

    Thank you, RR. I, too, think companion plants are really important.

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  37. sweetbayJune 12, 2011 at 7:52 AM

    A stunning photo of the hummingbird!

    Oh, I love your penstemons. Both the deep electric blue-violet/ pink and the cherry wine with the white throats. Such charming companions to your beautiful roses!

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  38. rosa complicataJune 13, 2011 at 7:48 AM

    Your Penelope is absolutely lovely! and i'd wish I had Escholzias all around... I just love the lovely silky flowers. your rose collection is trully amazing!

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  39. MashaJune 13, 2011 at 8:21 AM

    Thank you, sweetbay, somehow I knew you loved penstemons. I do too.

    Thank you, rosa complicata. You have a lovely name.

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I am so glad you have stopped by!

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