Mid May Marvels and Mistakes
On Mother's Day this past Sunday we had brunch at a cafe up in the hills above Santa Fe. The mountains are still snow covered -- not just a few patches here and there, but the high elevations are still completely snow covered. Snowcaps to the west, snowy mountains to the east, we are ringed by lingering winter.
Because the mountains are all around Santa Fe, the white peaks give the city a strange wintery look in mid May no matter where you are. But down below, in my young gardens at lower elevation, things are looking very spring like.
There are encouraging signs and plants I put in just last year are emerging and even blooming. Some look amazing, and some are still going to need another couple years to fill in, but they look good.
For the first time a little rock rose (Helianthemum) is blooming by my front walk. The foliage is fresh green and spreading out nicely, and the new flowers are a shy, soft pink. Once again, this is NOT what I bought.
This was labeled as a variety that has sunny yellow flowers. What is blooming now is a different variety -- it's lovely and a sweet, pretty flower, but not what I had planned on.
I got it at Plants of the Southwest, which is a local nursery known for its native southwest plants. I've only bought a few things from them and this is the second mismarked plant I've gotten from them. The other was a native woodland blue clematis I bought, but ended up with a large, yellow Chinese clematis that I didn't want.
I'll keep this pink rock rose even though the other plants I put near it bloom in scarlet and orange and hot colors by design. It's nice enough even though it's a mistake. But I'm no longer buying anything from Plants of the Southwest.
My tulips are gone by, but right up until Mother's Day it was like Holland here and I loved it. I might need to get a small windmill, you think?
I had planted these tulips for succession -- the dark wine 'Cafe Noir' are late bloomers that were supposed to come out after the whites and pinks and oranges to extend the season. But like new puppies, these bulbs got so excited they all bloomed at once together and all went by in mid May. Boom.
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| Bugleweed (Ajuga 'Chocolate Chip') in my front garden on Mother's Day |
Because the mountains are all around Santa Fe, the white peaks give the city a strange wintery look in mid May no matter where you are. But down below, in my young gardens at lower elevation, things are looking very spring like.
 |
| Yellow 'Swallowtail' columbines are flowering behind seedheads of blue fescue grasses. |
There are encouraging signs and plants I put in just last year are emerging and even blooming. Some look amazing, and some are still going to need another couple years to fill in, but they look good.
 |
| Spiky golden Japanese forest grass is still young. It will be a big flowy fountain of foliage in a few more years. Fuzzy lambsear is in front. |
For the first time a little rock rose (Helianthemum) is blooming by my front walk. The foliage is fresh green and spreading out nicely, and the new flowers are a shy, soft pink. Once again, this is NOT what I bought.
This was labeled as a variety that has sunny yellow flowers. What is blooming now is a different variety -- it's lovely and a sweet, pretty flower, but not what I had planned on.
 |
| Once again the nursery sold me a different plant. The pot was mislabeled. |
I got it at Plants of the Southwest, which is a local nursery known for its native southwest plants. I've only bought a few things from them and this is the second mismarked plant I've gotten from them. The other was a native woodland blue clematis I bought, but ended up with a large, yellow Chinese clematis that I didn't want.
I'll keep this pink rock rose even though the other plants I put near it bloom in scarlet and orange and hot colors by design. It's nice enough even though it's a mistake. But I'm no longer buying anything from Plants of the Southwest.
My tulips are gone by, but right up until Mother's Day it was like Holland here and I loved it. I might need to get a small windmill, you think?
I had planted these tulips for succession -- the dark wine 'Cafe Noir' are late bloomers that were supposed to come out after the whites and pinks and oranges to extend the season. But like new puppies, these bulbs got so excited they all bloomed at once together and all went by in mid May. Boom.
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