An Afternoon in Ann's Garden

 I'm in heaven when I can spend the day gabbing on about native plants.  Sunday was that kind of day as I wandered about Ann's garden for the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour and answered questions for the passersby.  Designed by Rick Alatorre and installed a year ago (although it looks much more established!), this garden weaves a number of floriferous natives around a central stone patio.   The Limnanthes douglasii var sulpherea 'Pt Reyes' pictured above happily mounded in the sunshine and gave the bees a good workspace to gather pollen.  A native of vernal pools, this native annual adapts easily and reseeds like crazy!  There's actually a species of bee that only uses this flower to survive!

Among the cool kids of the garden plants- Monardella villosa, or Coyote Mint.  It wasn't even blooming and it seemed to be a clear favorite, especially when paired so well with the Iris douglasiana.

The garden magnet, however was the little porch, where visitors gathered to take in all the amazing Columbines and Currants.

Seriously, these were the Godzillas of Columbines!  The flower stalks rose to over 5 feet tall and the flowers looked like a gaggle of rockets blasting off into the stratosphere!

I came home with an interesting shoe-shaped tan line on my feet and a re-energized imagination for future design projects.  (Not to mention the satisfaction of having a string of visitors I knew- thanks for stopping by, Meeces!)  

Plant of the Week: Scarlet Monardella

What a joy it is for my snobby native gardening sensibilities to discover a plant I've never seen before! I came across this stunner when cruising the nursery and absolutely had to have it! Unfortunately, as I'm researching its care, I'm realizing why I probably hadn't heard of it earlier: Monardella macrantha 'Marian Sampson' is difficult. Las Pilitas says 2 out of 3 will survive transplanting if you're lucky (they're the experts, and they still lost one?). And its part shade requirements don't quite mesh with the full blast of heat in my front yard.
Be that as it may, did you see those flowers?! Hummingbird magnet, right? Sometimes you just have to be an idealist and be willing to take some chances.

Soil: Well, well drained. They must have good drainage and give 'em a mulch of gravel
Sun: They thrive under afternoon shade. Since they're low growing, perhaps shelter them under a large tree or shrub
Plant: I'd say plant in mild weather. I'll wait until the heat wave is over, but I don't think I'd plant in the middle of the rainy season either. They might take more water than most natives, too so pay some extra attention to it when its getting established.
Buy it: I bought mine at a wholesale nursery, so just ask your local nursery if they can find you one. Looks like Yerba Buena Nursery also carries them from time to time.
Good for: a burst of color and a hummingbird oasis. These can help add some color to the summer brown season and will fill in some blank spots between larger plants.

So, wish me luck on getting some survivors out of this and if you're more interested, I found this link to be particularly helpful. Any advice in the comments would be showered with gratefulness!