Forever Efflorescence

Saturday, March 21, 2015

My 1st peony bud of Spring 2015

I was pleasantly surprised this morning to find that with the mark of spring, my first peony buds have begun to develop. The leaves have sprouted a nice glossy green color with a thin burgundy lining. I wonder how many buds will flower this year. Looking forward to counting the number of beautiful blooms.

Publisher: Myoree - 3/21/2015

flowers

Sensational Lilac Shrub (2013)

My sensational lilac is beginning to bud. These dark purple grape shaped buds will blossom lilac flowers edged with a white tip. My first lilac bush did not survive due to poor drainage and competing roots from my neighbor's palm tree. This is my 2nd sensational lilac bush and it is now approximately 3 feet tall. With help from my mom and her green thumb, she planted this one about 11/2 feet from the old location. The branches are still sparse, but I look forward to a bountiful of blooms and a sensational scent flowing through my garden for years to come.

Publisher: Myoree - 3/21/2015

flowers

Strawberries and Cream Tulips

Welcome spring with some strawberry and cream tulips (okay, I'm not sure what the real name of these colored tulips are but they sure make me crave some ice-cream). Does this make you drool for ice-cream too? I bought a bag with a combination of these tulips and red tulips from Costco 2 years ago... strangely, only these tulips grew to the right height and size. It remains a mystery to me why my red tulips are short and stumpy with a bigger bloom. Can anybody solve this mystery? :)

P.S. there is a variety of tulips called ice-cream tulips that look adorable too! Maybe one day, I'll buy some bulbs. :D

Publisher: Myoree - 3/21/2015

Saturday, February 28, 2015

Sweet Climbing Polka Roses (2013)

After buying two different climbing plants that caused me allergic sniffles, I decided to adorn my front entrance window with a climbing rose. To my delight, Green Acres nursery had a sale on climbing roses in a several colors. I couldn't make up my mind on what color to pick so I told my boyfriend to decide for me. He gave me his usual silly "I don't know" expression. :P Gardening and flowers aren't his forte. To my delight, he picked the climbing polka rose, a repeat bloomer. It is my favorite rose color out of all my rose varieties. It blooms a sweet peach color then slowly fades to a white. After training my rose plants for two years incorrectly, I've finally learned that the main shoots of climbing roses must be trained horizontally and in a zig-zag form so that the side shoots can grow upwards. Hopefully, retraining and pruning my climbing polka will allow it to bloom numerous blooms like the image below.

Publisher: Myoree - 2/28/2015

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

flowers

Delicate Hydrangeas (2013)

Hydrangeas display beautiful large blooms, but they are also one of the most delicate flowers I've planted. Under the scorching California sun, hydrangeas burn and wither. Only one of the hydrangea plants I bought survived and continues to grows stronger each year. Placed next to the fence beside the Magnolia Star tree, I hope it finds shelter and blossoms each year along with the baby hydrangea plant my dear friend gifted me.

Date: February 25, 2015
Location: Front yard, right side magnolia star tree
Stem count: 8
Height: 3'2''
Width: