Fullerton Beautiful Garden Tour, 2011

Two photos from this year's garden tour sponsored by Fullerton Beautiful.

Wildflower garden

A very charming front garden in the Preservation District of Fullerton. Included are California poppies (Eschscholzia californica) and mountain garland (Clarkia unguiculata), both California natives.  Mountain garland -- the tall pink ones here -- are also known as elegant clarkia.

April showers

April sky

After a storm

Pink jasmine

Pink jasmine, Jasminum polyanthum, is an evergreen vine with dense clusters of star-shaped flowers, white on the inside and rose-pink on the outside, from beautiful rose-pink buds held upright, from February to July in Sunset zones 22-24 (a little later in colder areas).  The scent is heavenly, rather perfumy and exotic.

The vine can grow up to 20 ft. (6 m), in sun or partial shade.  This particular vine is growing in a rather unforgiving western exposure, with no regular water.  Sunset notes that J. polyanthum can be grown as a climber, a ground cover, or in containers -- here in Southern California it is usually to be seen climbing on fences or trellises, but would make an interesting ground cover, although in Australia and New Zealand at least, it is regarded as invasive, as it roots easily from stem material.

Daffodils

Sunset calls the daffodil -- properly Narcissus -- the "most valuable spring-flowering bulb for most regions of the West". They are permanent (unlike, say, many tulips, which must be replanted every year in this temperate climate), they increase from year to year, are hardy in cold and heat, tolerate sunny to partly-shady situations and a variety of locations, they naturalize beautifully, and need little water with average autumn rains.  They also grow well in containers.

Daffodils bloom in late winter and early spring.

Daffodils come in eleven recognized forms, depending on trumpet shape and size, segments (petals), number of blooms per stem, and so on.  Colors are usually yellow and/or white, but newer varieties come in variations of red, orange, pink, and cream.  The blooms pictured are trumpet daffodils, where the trumpet is as long or longer than the surrounding flower segments -- they are possibly the classic variety "Dutch Master" or "King Alfred".

Daffodils are tempting to slugs and snails, especially during the flowering season, but are resistant to gophers and deer.

Apparently daffodils usually face the sun.  These particular blooms seem a little confused, but still are growing quite happily in a dappled-sun parking strip in the Golden Hills area.