Bloom Day - March 2016

Spring arrived in coastal Southern California weeks ago and, aided by a little rain, the garden has exploded with flowers.  It's times like these that I'm forced to acknowledge that, yes, I'm addicted to flowers.  I really should confine myself to purchasing only foliage plants for the foreseeable future but I suspect that resolution won't last long.

This month I've organized my photos by garden area.  I didn't realize that I'd done this before until I looked back at my March 2015 post.  There must be something about spring and the multitude of flowers that has me stepping back to evaluate the garden area-by-area.

There are so many flowers in the backyard garden that I had to break things down by section.  In the back border, the Osteospermums continue to dominate but they're not alone.

Osteospermum 'Blue-eyed Beauty', shown here with Geranium 'Tiny Monster' among other flowers, rules the mid-border

Other Osteospermums blooming in this long border include (clockwise from top left): O. '4D Silver', 'Pink Spoon', 'Berry White' and 'Zion Copper Amethyst'

Additional flower color is provided by Argyrantemum 'Madeira Pink', Alstroemeria (noID), Gazania 'Sunbathers Otomi', Rhodanthemum hosmariense 'Marrakech', R. 'Moondance', Hebe 'Patty's Purple', H. 'Wiri Blush', Polygala fruticosa, Verbena lilacina, Phlomis fruticosa, Scilla peruviana, and Narcissus 'White Lion'

The most impressive plant in the area surrounding the backyard fountain right now is Felicia aethiopica but it has plenty of company.

Last year I planted 2 Felicia in 4-inch pots and this year I have a beautiful mound of blue flowers

This long border running half the length of the house also contains: Arctotis 'Pink Sugar' (planted from divisions taken from plants in the front garden), Anagallis 'Wildcat Mandarin', Ajuga 'Mint Chip', Alyogyne huegelii, Bulbine  frutescens, Dutch Iris, Ranunculus californicus, and Veronica 'Waterperry Blue'

The two smaller beds on the north end of the backyard are also joining in on the show.

One bed has blooms of Grevillea 'Ned Kelly', Lobelia laxiflora, and a hot-pink flowered Callistemon (which I may have to move due to the color clash)

Closer to the house is a bed containing Cotula lineariloba, Solanum xanti and Salvia 'Amistad'

By comparison, the south side garden is relatively reserved.

One bed is dominated by a large Cistus x skanbergii (surrounded by prickly cones from the Magnolia tree to discourage the raccoons and skunks from digging)

This one has a mass of Gazania 'Gold Flame' together with Grevillea juniperina 'Molonglo' and Lotus berthelotii

The front garden is competing with the back to draw attention.

More Arctotis 'Pink Sugar'

Echium candicans just about to bloom in front of a noID Ceanothus

'Joseph's Coat' climbing rose

The planting schemes on both sides of the front walkway include (clockwise from top left): Gazania 'White Flame', Coleonema 'Sunset Gold', Coleonema album, Euphorbia characacias 'Black Pearl', Hemerocallis 'Spanish Harlem' and 'Pink Meidiland' roses

On the north end of the front garden, I have: Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream', Grevillea 'Superb', Heuchera 'Bressingham Hybrids', Helleborus 'Anna's Red', Geranium 'Biokovo', and Jacobaea maritima

Even the less-visited corners of the garden have flowers.

In the area behind the succulent bed that runs along the street, I have what I think is Prunus laurocerasus together with Auranticarpa rhombifolia, Euryops 'Sonnenschein', 2 forms of Pelargonium peltatum, and what I think is Rosa chinensis 'Mutabilis'

Osteospermums dominate my dry garden too (clockwise from the upper left): O. 'Sweet Summertime Kardinal', O. 'Purple Spoon', 2 self-seeded Osteospermums (noID), Geranium incanum (a weed in my garden), 'Goodwin Creek' lavender, Limonium perezii, and Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl'

Even the neglected back slope has some blooms to offer: an Aeonium arboreum flower, Euphorbia 'Dean's Hybrid', a noID bearded Iris, and Zantedeschia aethiopica, which disappears every summer but returns when the rain and cooler temperatures arrive in late winter

Is your head spinning?  Mine is!  For other Bloom Day posts, visit Carol, our Garden Bloggers Bloom Day host, at May Dreams Gardens.


All material © 2012-2016 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party