What’s blooming now?

My garden is best described as an English Mediterranean garden, lovingly influenced by my close association with Great Dixter in East Sussex England where I have spent volunteer days and several weeklong symposiums. Like Dixter, my garden is a densely planted mixed border perennial garden. Our climate here in the Sierra foothills in northern California favors Mediterranean plantings, including many ornamental grasses and drought tolerant perennials. Succession planting techniques learned at Dixter create a new scene every week throughout the year with constantly changing and contrasting colors and textures.

The mixed borders include trees and shrubs, evergreen and deciduous perennials that surge back year after year, and seasonal annuals and bulbs adding exclamation points of color. Bulbs might include tulips that bloom above mass plantings of annual violas or pansies in the spring and dahlias that bloom mid-summer until the first frost.

I have added a little whimsy and fun with gazing balls, birdhouses, metal garden art, chimney pots (collected in England and Scotland) and a secret garden with an old wooden ironing board overflowing with ipomea and geraniums and a claw footed tub overflowing with color and much more!!
A stroll along the garden pathways transports the heart and soul to a place that is delightful and tranquil.