The pleasure of our gardens, part 20

Calla lily / Zantedeschia aethiopica

The calla lilies at our home are in bloom again. They are suitable for all occasions and I enjoy photographing them to share with my friends in both good times and sad times.

Much to my surprise, a snail had
taken residency next to the spadix
when I photographed this calla lily.

Thanks to recent winter rain showers, at last count there were about two dozen of these perennial calla lilies blooming on the shady east side of our home. It's a pretty sight to behold. And, with spring just around the corner, soon, there will be even more calla lilies in bloom to photograph and enjoy ~ and to share, too.

The calla lily is native to
southern and east Africa and
naturalized in Australia.

If our gardens are a form of autobiography, as the author and gardener Sydney Eddison once suggested, I am happy to say that after owning my home for 13 years, our calla lilies just keep getting more photogenic. They ask for so little and, yet, give us so much in return.

Indeed, as it has been said, a healthy garden is a reflection of a healthy soul.

Photographs of calla lilies by Michael Dickens, copyright 2010 (top photograph) and 2012 (middle and bottom photographs).

The pleasure of our gardens, part 11

This week's Bay Area heat wave brought a couple of nice surprises to our front yard garden: unexpected blooms. Thanks to three straight days of mercury-rising, 90-degree temperatures, the first blooms for our camellias and the unexpected blooming of our rhododendrons have added a pretty dash of autumn color.

Second-wave rhododendron:
Fall blooms are adding a
pretty dash of autumn color.

We trimmed both our camellia and rhododendron bushes during summer to enable their respective branches more room for new growth. So, imagine my double-take when I stepped outside a couple of days ago to turn on the water sprinkler and discovered new blooms opening up for both of our front-yard bushes.

Unexpected bloom:
Our camellias usually don't
bloom until Halloween.

As I write, two camellia blooms and nine rhododendrons blooms have debuted, and I expect more blooms will open soon. Usually, our camellias open later in the fall season ~ by Halloween ~ then continue through autumn and into winter. While it's not uncommon to have a second wave of rhododendron blooms in the same calendar year (regular blooming occurs in spring), it's not an annual event. Still, it's a welcome sight on a hot day.

Casual but welcome:
An All That Jazz rose opens
its petals and reveals
a vivid salmon orange inside.

Meanwhile, credit the heat wave for bringing a welcome bloom from our All That Jazz rose bush.  Its demeanor may be more casual and the quantity of its blooms less than some of our more productive rose bushes like the Queen Elizabeth and Mr. Lincoln. However, when temperatures rise like they did earlier this week, our All That Jazz choreographs a great entrance in our garden that would make Bob Fosse proud.

Bursting out in blossom ~ painting the dance floor in a vivid salmon orange ~ and singing a Broadway tune.  That's All That Jazz.