I was trotting the canal trail, and came around the corner, and saw something that took my breath away. Fields of lupine, a purple carpet lining the trail.
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| Purple lupine carpet |
Right now the blooms are amazing, and everything is purple! There are a few exceptions, but the hotter colors seem to come in later in the season as the grasses dry up. For these of you still buried in snow, or just waiting for spring, or stuck at your desk, here's a little photo collection.
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| Lupine |
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| Lupine (bush type) |
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| Brodiaea (aka Blue DIcks) |
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| vetch |
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| wild iris (and poison oak) |
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| ornamental iris (and bamboo, in my yard) |
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| little tiny purple flowers |
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| this is actually a whole carpet of those little flowers (looked purple in person!) |
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| western redbud |
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| lilac |
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| (also available in white) |
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| vinca major (periwinkle) |
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| (vinca also available in variegated) |
At home I continue the theme:
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| lavender |
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| freesia |
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| (also available in red and yellow) |
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| ranuncula (a little sad, also past the season) |
There are few other lovely flowers, I don't want them to feel left out:
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| Columbine (available in purple, but they all naturalized to yellow) |
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| camelia |
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| early roses (forgot to prune this plant in January!) |
And just some eye candy:
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| this area is filled with vernal pools |
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| sculptural skeleton |
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| oaks busting with new leaves (and pollen) |
Do you have similar plants? Exactly the same, totally different? What is your color palette? Most of the green and wildflowers will be gone by the beginning of June. Until then, I'll be soaking up this purple (and green). It will be a long, dry summer.
