I had an overnight in Oakland to check on the house and go through mail. On my way back yesterday afternoon, Annie’s Annuals was doing a land office business Entry was restricted, hand washing stations provided and face masks required.
No California native irises but I did find a found white satin libertia, a member of the iris family. Why not buy two? I planted one at the feet of Saint Francis and one in the new border garden at the edge of the back lawn, on the other side of the nandrina. Assuming the plants are roughly identical and I attached drip lines to both, I want to see whether they thrive in part sun or full sun.
I found a yellow-eyed grass for the front border garden along the house wall, another substitute for the missing California irises. The grass should be a nice contrast to my favorite variegated geranium on one side and purple lantana on the other.
My impulse buy while waiting in line was a madia elegans, a pineapple scented California native daisy that blooms from mid-summer to fall, a companion to the gazania that bloomed well into the winter last year. It is advertised as drought tolerant and to my surprise clay tolerant. I will start it in a container and see if it can establish itself.
I will try helichrysum in the back yard corner where nothing has yet been able to grow. It is both shallow rooted and drought tolerant.
The front garden rockroses and Saint Francis rockrose are all close to full bloom, on schedule in the third week of April.
A Year at the Snake 