1202 - Clarkia

The clarkia in the garden between the garage doors has done quite well this dry, warm winter.

101013 - Clarkia

A native to the West Coast and all of its varying climates, the clarkia was outstanding this year.

Over the last year or so, I managed to isolate a pale white with pink stripes and had these growing en masse at the base of the terraces to the right of the staircase.

100711 - Terraces

Yesterday, I took a few hundred photographs of the terraces before cleaning up the beds and seeding cosmos for late summer through winter.

091231 - Clarkia and Cala Lilies

There are two cement retaining walls separating the terraced gardens from the lower gardens against the house. When Phil and I moved into this house, there was a row of cala lilies along the lip of the upper most retaining wall.

You can see in this photograph cala lilies coming up to bloom, with clarkia and candytufts sprouting between them.

Nursery

Here you can see growing inside the nursery Phil made for Christmas, 2007, six packs of canterbury bells, winter sweet peas and stock. The columbines planted in the six pack to the far right haven't come up yet.

The bottom row has two pots with clarkia, which readily reseeded itself from fall, 2008. Out of view are six little pots containing a red echium each. These are the descendants of the nine-foot-tall mammoth, commonly called "Tower of Jewels," which grew in the fride (FRont sIDE) garden in 2008.

The second photograph shows the view of the terraced gardens from the nursery. Everything's pretty much dormant or growing steadily for a spring show. The fountain works rather well now, though there's still a leak somewhere.

Phil loves the cala lilies near the blue base of the waterfall.

The tinfoil you see hung from string is the most effective way I've found to scare birds out of the yard. It's a bit unsightly, but not nearly as bad as bird netting I used to string up like beleaguered tents across the backyard.

080831 - Clarkia

The clarkia has done really nice throughout the gardens this year, though the ones in the backyard near the lemon tree have performed especially well.

This particular plant is almost two feet tall, with its trumpet-shaped flowers about one-third the size of your hand.

As I likely mention in another post, this is the second year I've had great success reseeding this rare native of Mendocino and Humboldt counties.

070722 - Clarkia

I've recently given away clarkia seeds to friends, so here's another photograph of this rare and beautiful flower from Mendocino and Humboldt counties, for their reference.

To learn more about this flower and its care, please jump to this post:

06 Summer - Clarkia from Mendocino and Humboldt counties

06 Summer - Clarkia from Mendocino and Humboldt counties

This is a rare clarkia from Mendocino and Humboldt counties.

With a little protection from birds, each seed will sprout. The small plant is very green and grows low over the ground, with pink or purple veins in its leaves. It eventually grows to about three feet by three feet and takes on a drier, woodsy look. Almost over night, flower buds develop, and soon there are as many flowers as leaves.

I leave the spent flowers on the plant and collect the seed pods, when they are black or brown and very brittle.

This plant is from the summer, 2006, and I have already started its descendants in six packs and seeded our fride garden with good results.