120429 - Delphiniums

Yesterday afternoon, I took this video of the delphiniums at the bottom, left of the terraces, where you can also see cala lilies, red California poppies, ranunculus, bachelor buttons, snapdragons and echeveria in bloom.

Some of the dephinium flower stocks are two feet long.

100427 - Love-in-the-Mist and Ranunculus

I took these photographs today after the rain suddenly stopped.

I like how pretty the red ranunculus looks next to the love-in-the-mist.

And I was surprised how large this particular love-in-the-mist has become. Most are only an inch or so wide.

090330 - First Ranunculus

Here are photographs I took yesterday of the first three ranunculus to bloom this spring.

I think the nice weather we had last week really made them pop.

I planted them late last season and was really surprised when they came up and bloomed. This year, they are much larger and as stunning as I'd hoped. You can see the purple one is growing alongside alyssum, violas, a massive carnation plant, and a succulent almost in bloom.

080831 - Ranunculus

This ranunculus went into bloom the last week of August, when summer finally came to The City.

I planted several dozen late last spring and assumed they would bloom next year, so I was really happy to see half a dozen or so tempted by our cold and foggy summer to put on a show now.

08 Spring - Pink-and-White Ranunculus

We had a terrific heatwave last week, when the daytime temperatures in San Francisco reached into the nineties and the nights barely cooled off.

Our spring plants, especially the ranunculus and anemones, obviously had a hard time and quickly gave up.

This pink-and-white ranunculus did rather well to the far right of the staircase, shaded for much of the day by the tree growing alongside the passion vine.

080401 - White Ranunculus

This is the first ranunculus we planted in the winter, 2006, when much of the terraces to the left of the staircase were nothing more than an idea.

This ranunculus not only surprises us every year when it comes back, but it produces bouquets of flowers more impressive than the previous year's.

Easter, 2008 - Flower arrangement

This is the arrangement I made in the front room on Easter, 2008.

Those are pink, purple- and-white, orange, and dark pink ranunculus surrounded by yellow alyssum, pink prairie mallow, salmon winter sweet peas, and two small, blue anemones.

080306 - Terraced Gardens

I took this short video of the gardens this afternoon, when the sun was descending behind the evergreens southwest of our house.

I'll do a similar video in a month or so to show how rapidly the gardens change, as spring approaches.

080209 - Terraced Gardens

I took this photograph today from the top of the terraces looking down at the gardens to the right of the staircase.

You can see past all four terraces to the row of cala lilies edging the dirt pathway alongside the terraces.

Today, it was sixty-five degrees and stunning. The anemones and crocuses were in full bloom, while the ranunculus continue to charge up out of the ground. I cannot wait for them to bloom, too.

The cacti and succulents have definitely perked up now that the sun is drying out the gardens.

Next to the the hot tub is the white Pacific Giant delphinium I've staked several times to support its flower stalk almost three feet in length. I hope it blooms before the next rainstorm, since flower stalks this long typically collapse under the weight of wet blooms.

I planted poppy and larkspur seeds in the gardens today. The relative barrenness of these winter gardens won't last.