Here's what's going on out in the garden now.
A lovely miniature orchid from South America is Maxillaria variabilis. It is almost cold hardy here. This little clump is what is left of a much larger plant that was hit by a particularly cold snap back in January 2021. These can form huge clumps over time, and the flowers are numerous and long lived. This plant could fit in the palm of my hand.
A harbinger of the end of spring is the native Hydrangea serrata. This too is a relatively "miniature" species, not standing more than a meter tall. Normally blue flowered, this form called 'Kurenai' starts out a faint pink, then becomes crimson and finally fades to a deep burgundy. A lovely garden subject.
It's not all flowers out there. Ceratozamia robusta, a central American rain forest cycad, is in full new growth. Like the fern genus Blechnum, this species flushes a lovely bronze/chocolate red color. Later the leaves harden off and are typical green color. The leaf stems are impossibly thorny, and I can't tell you how many times I've been scraped just walking by these. Not hardy here, but can take a degree or two of frost for short periods.
Finally, another native, this time a Selaginella species, S. tamariscina. Fully cold hardy here, and as is typical for the genus it can dry up seemingly until it looks dead, only to rebound with the coming rains. Right now with all the persistent moisture it is resplendent. Great for rock walls or in pots.
