Okay, let's get the roses out of the way first.I inherited an entire hell strip full of them, and three sad-looking azaleas from the previous owner. Roses would never have been my choice in that area, but there they were and I didn't have the heart to pull them out (the azaleas, however, went as soon as possible.) I filled in with lavender and other herbs so there'd be something there in winter. The payoff is watching the multitude of neighborhood children smell everything as they walk by. The blooms are at a perfect height for toddlers.
These common callas (Zantedeschia aethiopica) were in the front yard, but we moved them to the amended beds in the "tropical" area. They are VERY happy there and beautifully lush. They're so tall they're peeking up over the window in the breakfast room.
A sweet little orange potentilla. The other one I bought at the same time has reverted to the standard intense yellow. I think it doesn't get enough sun.
I wish you could smell this dwarf Meyer lemon blossom. It's intoxicatingly sweet, and wafts toward you on the slightest breeze.
My favorite little sisyrinchium, E.K. Balls. Unfortunately, it's sterile, so to get more, I have to buy more. Not like its big sister, sisyrynchium Californicum, which freely self-seeds (how appropriate...)
The bloom day tour wouldn't be complete without a vegetable flower. This is a Brandywine tomato, a delicious heirloom variety.
And one last rose, but this is a special one: Perle d'Or. We've had this lovely little polyantha rose in a pot for at least ten years. It came to us as a cutting from Mr. Mulchmaid's great Aunt Jenny, who grew this rose at her family home in Southeast Portland for more than fifty years. It's precious to us, as are our memories of her.
