AboutOrchids

Our late spring garden is full of great sights and smells, and even tastes and sounds. Orange nasturtiums are common sights in California gardens. Their flowers and leaves are edible, with a peppery flavor. However, the snails make a feast of them much more often that we do. The pink roses have a beauty and sweet scent that’s tempered by their sharp thorns. The third and fourth photos show little purple Cerinthe flowers, which reappear annually in the garden. This hardy Mediterranean plant loves the California climate. Bees return the love, and their buzzing resonates in the little tubular flowers, serving as a natural amplifier for the garden orchestra.

I love this Japanese Painted Fern with silver foliage and bright purple stems. Violets add even more purple to the garden. Calla lilies are South African natives that love the San Francisco climate.

The next 3 photos show irises that put on a spectacular spring show with lots of large, colorful blooms. The final photo shows some urban wildlife:  2 California Slender Salamanders. I’ve seen this native species in the garden frequently over the years, and these 3-4 inch long (8-10 cm) bug-eaters are great for natural pest control. They even eat some of our pesky snails. Since amphibians are often sensitive to toxins, I’m happy to take the salamanders’ presence as proof that a beautiful garden is best without dangerous artificial chemicals.

Explore posts in the same categories: General Gardening, Photos, Problems

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 28th, 2009 at 12:06 pm and is filed under General Gardening, Photos, Problems.

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