Mid-Winter Yard Update, Part II

I tried to grow Salvia corrugata when I first moved into my house, and it died almost immediately. This plant is doing better, and now has these strange blueish flowers:

I've been determined to try to grow Enkianthus cernuus var. rubens since I read this by Ernest Wilson:

I fell in love with this shrub long ago in the garden of a friend who lived at Winchester, Massachusetts. Years later, when on a visit to Japan, opportunity came to see it on its native heath on Ashitakeyama, one of the lesser peaks of the Fuji range. The road was bad and it rained heavily most of the time but I was well rewarded when I reached my destination. Growing among lava blocks were groves of this beautiful bush all laden with a multitude of fringed, dark red blossoms. The flowers vary a good deal in shape but all the bushes agree in being abundantly floriferous. The autumn tints are red to crimson.

But for some reason, I couldn't find the variety of Enkianthus cernuus anywhere, although many types of Enkianthus campanulatus seem common. I was finally able to order one shrub from Arbutus Garden Arts in Oregon this month. Let's hope it does okay here in Oakland--far away from it's home on Ashitakeyama:

This is the bean of a Mandevilla laxa:

If you look closely, you can see my first kumquat: