Friday, November 15, 2013

Bloom Day: November 2013

Southern California has been saved the cold that is sweeping other parts of the US.  In fact, recent temperatures have been more reminiscent of summer than fall.  Our thermostat hit the upper 80s on Wednesday when downtown Los Angeles reached 92 degrees Fahrenheit.




Temperatures have been slowly falling since Wednesday and there's a rumor of drizzle in the forecast but I think real rain is still a pipe dream.

Perhaps as a response to the warm afternoons, some spring/summer bloomers have made a reappearance.  I posted pictures of reblooming daylilies earlier this week but other plants that generally flower during the first half of the year have also made walk-on appearances.


Pale blue Agapanthus bloom

Pink Alstroemeria (no ID)
 
Ruffled Leucanthemum x superbum (Shasta daisy)

Fresh bloom on Papaver nudicaule (Iceland poppy)

Another Iceland poppy



However, the biggest show-offs at present are a few of the fall bloomers.

Camellia sasanqua (no ID)

Close up of the Camellia blooms

Correa pulchella 'Pink Eyre' looks better in person than in my photos

Senna (Cassia) bicapsularis is making a bigger splash now than she did when I featured her as a favorite plant at the end of October



A few of my recent purchases are also flowering.

Grevillea 'Superb' (Yes, I finally found an acceptable place for her!)

Phygelius x rectus 'Salmon Leap' is settling in bordered by Abelia 'Kaleidoscope'

Argyranthemum frutescens

I broke down and put in a few pansies right before our most recent mini-heatwave

A somewhat fuzzy picture of the first blooms from Salvia mexicana 'Limelight'


And some of the plants that have pumped out flowers for months are still going strong.

Celosia argentea var spicata is turning tawny but still has presence in the back border

Osteospermum ecklonis '3DSilver' has bloomed all year but the blooms have become more prolific as the weather cools

Pelargonium 'Pink Blizzard' and Calibracohoa 'Cherry Star' have provided non-stop blooms in pots near the front door


Even my beloved Plectranthus ciliatus 'Zulu Warrior' still has some blooms.

Plectranthus ciliatus 'Zulu Warrior'


All in all, I'm not doing half bad in the bloom department for mid-November.  Please visit Carol's May Dreams Gardens for bloom connections from around the world.


7 comments:

  1. Grevillea 'Superb'...yay! You've made might night! I look forward to seeing many more blooms on this fabulous plant.

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    1. It's already got 4 or 5 blooms on it - I hope that means it's happy in its new location.

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  2. Talk about a fab selection for the time of the year! I had to reread your post just to check if some of the photos you've posted were actually taken in the spring. Lovely!

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    1. The bloom cycle is definitely out of whack - I think that blast of warm weather has got to be accountable.

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  3. I have a couple of flowering borage plants, 6"-8" tall. However, borage typically blooms for me end of January at a height of 3'+. Warmer temperatures, shifts in growing seasons... my photo excursions are making me more and more aware of patterns in flux.

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    1. I've seen that happen with borage during warm spells, too, Eric.

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