Twilight Stream

Twilight Stream, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.
The day was coming to a close and this cascade just begged to have its picture taken...

And a garden update: plants are waking up, with the 'Kentucky Colonel' mint sending up a multitude of fresh shoots. The lettuce, chervil, and parsley are all growing well, and my French tarragon is sprouting. The containers I planted with California native wildflowers are just starting to bloom, with 'Pennie Black' nemophila putting on a fine show of dark maroon flowers with white picotee edges. The tidy tips, bird's eyes, poppies, and baby blue eyes have yet to bloom, but they will start within a week or two...

French Summer Color

French Summer, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

Red-hot marigolds in a garden at a countryside home in the Dauphiné region.

The marigolds in France are amazing - they grow to be bushes 3 feet tall, the largest I've ever seen. Maybe it's the soil, maybe it's the weather, but the gardens in France grow lush and healthy. There are vegetable gardens, or potagers, in the yards of many of the old homes.

Have any of you grown marigolds that just get huge? Most of the marigolds around here are piddly little dwarves...

Coquelicots - A Memory of Summer

Coquelicot at Sunset, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

These coquelicots, also known as Flanders poppies, were growing along a country roadside in the Dauphiné region of France, near Lyon. Summer sounds so good right now...

Gold Lace Primrose

Gold Lace, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

Sorry for not blogging in the past week...been busy!

This is the 'Victoriana Gold Laced' primrose from Annie's Annuals. The heirloom flower is very pretty and unique.

Annie's Annuals is a wonderful nursery in Richmond, California (which is sadly a dangerous town). When you enter the nursery though, you feel safe as you gaze upon variety after variety of very rare or heirloom plant. Everything I've ever purchased at Annie's has grown extremely well. If you can't make it out to California to visit them in person, you can order online.

http://www.anniesannuals.com/

The Tower

The tower of morning glories in my garden, taller than anything, even the bananas. The ladder is shown for scale.























From below:

Heavenly Blue

Open, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

The 'Heavenly Blue' morning glories are finally starting to bloom vigorously. What an amazing color for a flower...I have never seen anything like it.

Cairo Apricot

My new 'Cairo Apricot' hibiscus bloomed!