Bloomin' Road

While there's still very little blooming in my yard, our lane has plenty of blooms to entice me on daily walks. One day last week, I took my trusty camera along......enjoy the floral journey!

On a rather steep hillside, nestled among ferns and Miner's Lettuce........the showy False (or Fat) Solomon's Seal is always a delightful surprise when it's escape the jaws of DD (D@*! Deer) and her family (Buck, Buckley and Buckaroo).

Next comes one of the first flowers to bloom along our road. At first I thought it was wild radish.......but it turns out to be a sweet flower called Milk Maids......it's in the mustard family.......wonder if it's good to cook with?

Though it looks mostly white here, in person, it's a delicate pink and the plant's leaves come in a couple or three shapes......odd!

I may need to dig some of these wild white hyacinths to compliment the blue ones growing in my yard.

This is another one that will be in my yard as of August....when I can dig the bulbs after they've died back......the Bleeding Heart......even when it's not blooming, its feathery foliage will look beautiful against my rock walls. 

Now, for the colorful finale! The richly magenta Money Plant (so called for its silvery coin-like seed pods produced in late summer/fall) and the naturalized Forget-Me-Nots. I've successfully grown the Money Plant from seed in my yard, but I don't have a colony naturalized there. Will have to work on that, since these seem to be annuals. The Forget-Me-Nots will take hold almost anywhere there's bare soil.....I've been working to clear a lot of ivy from my place, especially around my paths.......You do need to clear the Forget-Me-Not plants from your pathways before they go to seed, as they produce a sticky burr that's highly annoying for you and your pets.

Hope you enjoyed your virtual walk down Lorenzo Avenue in April.

If you're interested in looking up scientific names or learning more about our California native plants, here are some books I highly recommend:

• Native Treasures, Gardening with the Plants of California by M. Nevin Smith
• Plants of the Coast Redwood Region by Kathleen Lyons and Mary Beth Cuneo-Lazaneo, photos by Howard King (he was from Boulder Creek)
• Visual Guide to Coastal County Plants from Santa Cruz to Mendocino by George L. Pikkarainen
• Wildflowers of Northern California's Wine Country & North Coast Ranges by Reny Parker

Not sure, but I'd bet these titles are all available on Amazon.com

Even more fun........I noticed Yerba Buena Nursery has a coupon on their site for a free book from their sale rack. Don't know if any of these titles are included or how long the sale goes on......a trip to Yerba Buena Nursery is always a treat, though......to their web site or their gardens.

Enjoy!