I take picture after picture of these, you cannot go wrong, they are just beautiful for photos....and they just get Bigger and Bigger...and Blue'r and Blue'r...and we know how I feel about Blue.....such a problem, I don't want to try to move them until Winter when they will go into tubs in back...don't feel that I can give them away since they were given to me, but when accepting them had no inkling at all that anything could be that Blue...lol..





















This will be interesting.....things pop up here and there in spots where I would not have planted them and sometimes I find that I like it and usually just leave it.....

There was this charming little wild rose, I liked it and yet...wanted MORE for that spot in front of the window, so I finally pulled it out....then planted this hydrangea, which I do like, have no idea how large it will get....and wow, there must have been a piece of root left there of that rose, cuz it's come back and I don't know if I have the heart to pull it out again....a rose with a hydrangea....huh..nope, would not have put them toether, but we will see how it works out...and to make it even more odd, there's a Viper's Bugloss (echium vulgare)in there also, originating from seeds from Mike several years ago...we shall see how it all looks together...lol..

They look really nice, Sherry.

Edited because I put my text in the wrong thread.

This Buddleja is in the overgrown berries and wild cucumber, on the edge of the 'wilderness'. I'm sure that it's pretty old and must be B. davidii, which is allegedly invasive yet this is the only one that I've seen around, not another on the surrounding properties that I've seen. The first time I encountered B. davidii was in Washington many years ago. I did not know what it was, but saw a good stand of it (must be rather invasive there) on empty land and I quickly went home and grabbed a shovel, that was my first Buddleja (s)...lol...even there the stand was thick but not widespread.

So, I'm thinking that this year I wll grab seeds from this big one and sow them. I do have several Buddlejas that are sterile, but I want this one also and don't think it will be a problem...









Then there is this stand of Euphorbia...this is my big mound where I've been piling all of the dug-out sod, it's good topsoil...I also pile my waiting to be shredded prunings, etc there also and apparently some pulled Euphorbia ended up there....actually, I'm kind of liking it as a group and the bumblebees have been at them a lot, so they're staying there for now..

Now, this is more like it !!!! Purple Hydrangeas ! I really like the red coloring of the leaves....

You're strange, Sherry! You hate blue and you hate pink, but you like purple. ?????

I know....I do like some pink, but it has to be just right...cistus, for instance...and I like blue in echium vulgare and echium Tajinaste, etc...love purple, but have some Spike Speedwell that is a deep purple and looks great in a pot, in the ground it's just too dark, weird...I do use a lot of purple...

It is so strange here, overcast and almost cold all day, after 5, I can go over to the beach and read and it's sunny and warm...

I wish I had room for those Echiums here, if for no other reason, for the bees. They do love most anything blue, and my creeping bellflower is just about done for the year. I may have to resort to statice again

This is fun.....

I've noticed in the last few days, on a street by us, a nice stand of Lucifer crocosmias and usually I'm not real fond of red, but do like those and was thinking that maybe I need some....came home, went out to water and found this...






They were in a pot with a Dwarf Buddleja that friend Bex had given me....lol..

Sherry
the crocosmias are like weeds here, i will trade you a doz nice bulbs for one blue hydrangea
and i have a bunch of Podophyllum if you have any shade ?

hahahaha....Dick, you are welcme to one of these Blue Hydrangeas...come Winter when I can dig them....or...I have more hydrangeas in tubs and I will check at first light to see if there is /are more Blues...seems like there were. The two in front are absolutely gorgeous, really, but that blue just does not fit in well here, especially with the tall red penstemons in front that I really DO like (and the Hummers LOVE) I'm afraid that I will have to put wire cylinders around them (penstemons) from now on as one of the neighbor's cats destroys them, just gets right in there and tramples them.

Thank you but don't need more crocosmias now, Rebecca has a bunch she will pass to me.

Dick......HOWEVER......in my joy to pass on a Blue Hydrangea, I forgot....the reason that I've not been sharing plants and seeds is that this year I lost several plants to Verticillium Wilt and anything from my property may carry it...your call, but I wouldn't risk it....

Edited to add that if I have a blue one in a tub, it would be safe, having come from Rebecca and then put into sterile potting soil...

Dick.......Nope, sorry...the ones in the back in pots are purple, those I keep....love purple !

Sherry
i will pass even if blue
BUT
you are still welcome to some Spotty Dotty if you have a moist shady spot
https://www.plantdelights.com/...
and mine are 3 years old enuff to flower
just come and pick the ones you want, i have plenty
you will eventually have something to trade me someday

Dick, I have mostly all sun now.....
I really miss trading seeds, but the only ones I will trade in seeds come from other than my own plants...I did not think that VW can be carried by seed, but apparently it can....also, plants that I grow from seeds from an outside source and go into potting soil are okay...

I can't believe that I would end up with VW....I will get through it...fortunately my main focus is grasses and they are immune, but I lost coleonemas, digiplexis, caryopteris, 2 out of 3 prostanthera cuneatas, one physocarpa ninebark, romneya, a couple of Hopseeds......my Vine Maple is thriving and it's in the same area, so I may get lucky there...

My Adenium obesum is in full summer show:
nice bulging caudex

pretty during daytime

pretty as well at night

Love that caudex!

Sherry
have you seen any of these yellow Lotus uliginosus ?
they showed up this spring for the first time for me

No, Dick...I've not seen those before...awfully pretty ! Since we've been up here I'm seeing lots of things that are new to me. Just since I started revamping and caring for this yard, things pop up and I find myself still asking, "WHAT is that?!"...lol...I love being able to grow things that I was not able to before. I do miss everything that I grew in SoCal, but having had them once, it's fun to move on to new things also. The couple of different years that I aspewnt in Iowa were wonderful for the Peonies, acres of Violets and wild Tiger Lilies and all of the Lilacs. I'm happy to be able to have Lilacs here....and I really do like the small crocosmia x crocosmias here, isn't that what you called them? They're so abundant here that I'm sure they're underappreciated...

Pretty little Aga...seeds came from Duane in Oregon......






The Lobelia tupas are starting....





My much-loved Dieramas.....

















The Verbascum blattaria.....








Banner year for the Privet, lucky for me that I like it, many don't...








The crocosmia x crocosmias are starting....pretty little things !

The Lepechinia hastatas are starting their long run....









Lobelia tupas are going strong....














Leycesteria formosa...the hummers love this and it produces berries for the other birds..








hahaha...took a moment to figure out what these are...avocado seedlings from where I'd been burying kitchen scraps...