Serendib Garden

Leucojum, aka summer snowflake. A little early! Looks a lot like snowdrops, but much taller.

Not sure what this one is, actually! Maybe common bluebell? Maybe not…

Double bloodroot, prairie native. It spreads, but slowly. Last year, I had one or two — this year, I have three.

Native: double bloodroot. One of my favorite flowers in my garden, a gift from a neighbor. I like it so much, I’ve bought three more this year (even though they’re a little pricey) — I’m hoping to get a nice little colony going before we leave here, so I can divide and pass them out

We’re having a weird heat wave (80F!) that should drop down to more normal mid-60s in a few days, and the garden is a little confused; everything is suddenly blooming at once. Front to back: chionodoxa, muscari (grape hyacinths), hyacinths. My memory isn’t great, but I don’t think the muscari usually come out until the

Every year, I’m surprised and delighted by the checkers — they just seem so implausible.

Another cool shrub — blueblossom (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus), a California wild lilac. This one was a smallish shrub, but apparently it can get quite large — up to 15-20 feet tall and wide. It’s not hardy in Chicago (zones 7-11), but it wouldn’t fit in my garden anyway, so I’m not too sad. But the fluffy

Another shrub to consider for a possible Bay Area garden someday — Chinese fringe flower, a relative of hamamelis. Not hardy in Chicago, alas — zones 7-10.