Frilly, fragrant, floriferous dianthus

I'm a big dianthus fan. It is one of those genera with seemingly a billion species, and lots of them are really cool. But my current favorite is Dianthus 'Rainbow Loveliness'

They take the typically frilled dianthus petals to a new extreme, creating a cloud of lace when in full bloom! And they don't mess around when it comes to blooming either.

This mass in my back nursery bed (holding space for plants I'm trying or just don't know where to put) has been blooming like this for a couple weeks. What's more, they're fragrant. A sweet, clear spicy fragrance... if you could bottle it unchanged into a perfume, and you'd make a fortune.

I grew my plants from seed -- which was prefectly easy and straightforward. The first year, they bloomed a little, but now, in their second year, they are REALLY showing me what they can do. I want more. Lots and lots more!

When I say I have clay soil...

I mean CLAY.

I was digging a deep, deep hole (for an exciting reason that will soon be disclosed), grabbed a lump of clay, and on a whim sculpted it into this little bird:

I expected it to crumble or fall apart as it dried. It hasn't. It is rock solid. This, folks, is why you don't work soil when it is wet.

Another hardy succulent to love

I love succulents, and spend inordinate amounts of time pining after agave, aeonium, and aloe that I can't really grow here. But I've been finding more and more hardy succulents that perform beautifully in my climate. Here's one of my latest loves, Orostachys spinosa

I love how the rosettes of succulents often look like flowers. This one reminds me of a gerbera daisy! And fully hardy with reasonable drainage. Mine is in a fairly well drained spot in the open garden (ie, not a rock garden) and has been fine, even this year of the never ending rain. I got mine, of course, from the amazing folks at Arrowhead Alpines, though other people carry it as well.