I recently learned about the Six on Saturday gardening meme (see Garden Ruminations’ participant guide) and thought it would be a good way to get back into the habit of posting. There’s been lots happening with my native plant project, but life has also been incredibly busy, so I’ve just been slapping up photos or quick videos here and there on Instagram and Bluesky instead of writing blog posts. So, to get things rolling again, here are six things I’m excited about in the yard!

One
The California Goldfields (Lasthenia californica) are in full bloom! There is one patch in the front yard that makes me so happy because it’s my first native wildflower meadow, or at least the beginnings of one. But just look at the flower: It’s pure sunshine in floral form!

I need to figure out how to get rid of the non-native Grape hyacinth bulbs that have popped up all over the place, and I’ll eventually remove that Alyssum in the back once more of the wildflowers bloom and take hold. Right now, the Alyssum is helping to stabilize the slope it’s on, but soon the Lupines will take care of that. I just love looking at this little patch of beauty, which is framed by Lupines, Monkeyflower, and Baby Blue Eyes. And soon the patch will also have Tidy Tips (Layia platyglossa)! One was about half open this morning.

Two
Sticky Monkeyflower (Mimulus aurantiacus var. pubescens – I think this is the correct one)! This was the first native California plant I learned about when I moved here. Saying “Orange sticky monkeyflower” out loud always makes me giggle. I see versions of monkeyflower nearly every time I go hiking. To me, it’s one of the quintessential California plants. I have a few of them growing in various parts of the yard, but this one is the oldest (at 2 years), and it is blooming like crazy right now. I just love that shade of orange.

Three
I love these Lacy Phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia) flowers (I mean, look at all those stamens!), but the reason I took this photo was because of the green iridescent insect that was climbing all over them. I think it’s an Ultra green sweat bee (Agapostemon texanum (Halictidae)). A native bee on a native plant – that’s what this project is all about!

Four
The native bunch grasses are blooming, too! Nearly all of the bunch grasses I’ve planted in the yard are producing their beautiful fringy seeds this year, which is just another sign that my native plant project is taking root. I can’t help but be proud to see California’s state grass – Purple needlegrass (Stipa pulchra or Nassella pulchra) – getting bigger and healthier every year.

I learned in classes from Nicholas Hummingbird (@california_native_plants) that nearly all of California’s grasslands have been lost due to settler colonialism. Yet grasslands are crucial ecosystems, supporting 40% of California’s native plant species, not to mention tons of animals and insects. So I’m trying to put lots of native grasses into the yard.

Five
New seedlings have appeared in a planter in the backyard! I think these are Coyote mint babies (Monardella villosa), but I can’t tell for sure until they get a little older/bigger. (If you know, leave me a comment!) Currently, they are sharing the planter with some catnip, a hydrangea, and a stray peace lily, none of which are native, so some relocation will be in order soon. In the meantime, yay for new life!

Six
The tiny California pipevine (Aristolochia californica) that we planted last fall is ready to start climbing! I’m really excited about this little guy because it’s the only host plant for the Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly. Hopefully, we’ll start seeing some very hungry caterpillars soon.

Above the wooden fence you see below, there’s lattice work that the Pipevine can spread out on, but I thought the vine might need some help getting to it. I was all set to buy a trellis, but then I remembered the (unwanted) bamboo we have growing in the backyard. I cut down a few stalks, tied them together with twine I had on hand, and ta-dah — a no-cost, homemade trellis! I’m ridiculously proud of it. (I texted my husband a picture of it when he was at work and just said, “I did a thing!”)

Thanks for stopping by and reading my garden updates! Be sure to check out the other Six on Saturday posts. You can find them in the comments on this post.

Happy April!

~Kristen