May Day garden detail: California poppies, sweet alyssum, camissonia cheirauthifolia (Beach Primrose), senicio talinoides ssp azoides (large kleina)

May Day garden detail: California Poppies, Sweet Alyssum, Camissonia cheirauthifolia (Beach Primrose), Senicio talinoides ssp azoides (Large Kleina).

May Day: Not the distress signal, more like the traditional Northern European folk festival marked by bountiful “May Baskets.” I think the festival developed out of Floralia, the Roman celebration of the goddess of flowers. (I remember dancing around May Poles as a kid. I doubt that’s done anymore.) Anyway, having returned home from a couple of weeks away, I did a quick survey yesterday — May Day — to see what was going on in the garden after our time away (any excuse to practice my garden photography!).

Gruss-an-Aachen roses

Gruss-an-Aachen roses.

The first thing I noticed was that the Gruss-an-Aachen roses are looking good. That’s a key sign, because it means the deer haven’t breached the permimeter. If they broke through they would eat the roses practically down to the ground.

New growth on Citrus Burst Roses.

New growth on Citrus Burst roses

The Citrus Burst roses are putting most of their energy into new growth. They’re clilmbers that can reach 12 feet high.

Citrus Burst Rose flowers

Citrus Burst Rose flowers.

Although they do still have some nice-looking flowers.

Senicio talinoides ssp azoides

Senicio talinoides ssp azoides.

They’re not the only plants reaching for the sky. The always reliable Senicio shows off its architectural quality and interesting color.

Aeoniums, possibly canariense

Aeonium ‘Blushing Beauty’.

Speaking of succulents, aeoniums are happy here. This batch is a type called ‘Blushing Beauty’. They are easy to clone by snipping off a branch, hardening off the cut for a couple of days, and then rooting. It would be easy to have hundreds.

Brugmansia 'Charles Grimaldi'

Brugmansia ‘Charles Grimaldi’.

The brugmanisa is also expanding profusely. It currently is bearing a record number of its large flowers. (Bottlebrush in the background.)

Sacred Datura

Datura wrightii.

The Sacred Datura (a native) will have similar trumpet-shaped flowers (white ones). It seems to be getting established okay as undergrowth beneath the brugmansia.

I’ll stop there for today and post a few more tomorrow. For now let’s call it a (May) day with this splash of poppy:

Papaver glaucum.

Papaver glaucum.