If my garden is any indication, January seems to be the month of the daisy. But before I provide the round-up of the daisies currently in bloom, I want to highlight my favorite flower this month,
Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream.' I took a ridiculous number of photos of the flowers on this plant at various stages in their development but I'll share just one.
 |
| The flower of Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream' starts out pale yellow and takes on its peach tones as it matures |
A few other
Grevillea are also in bloom, two of which are particularly eye-catching, despite their very small flowers.
 |
| The flower of G. alpina x rosmarinifolia is much smaller than it appears in this photo but perfect |
 |
| G. lavandulacea 'Penola' is a large plant (over 6 feet tall) that produces tiny rose-red blooms |
Among the daisies, my current favorite is
Arctotis 'Pink Sugar,' which is providing the majority of floral color in my front garden right now.
Yes, those
Arctotis flowers are bright! But I recently found another plant with blooms that are just as bright, albeit smaller.
 |
| Correa pulchella 'Flamingo' |
But back to the daisies. As a genus, the
Osteospermum are dominant in the daisy category as virtually every one in my garden is blooming (and I have a LOT of
Osteospermum).
 |
| Shown here, clockwise starting with the larger photo on the left are: Osteospermum ecklonis '3D Silver,' O. 'Berry White,' O. 'Spoon Pink,' O. 'Serenity Bronze', and O. 'Blue-eyed Beauty' |
Yellow daisies of various types also seem to be everywhere, perhaps due to the fact that I love yellow.
 |
| Clockwise from the top left are: Argyranthemum frutescens 'Butterfly,' annual Leucanthemum paludosum, Euryops 'Sonnenschein,' and a blooming Aeonium (no ID) |
There are also multi-color daisies.
 |
| At top is Gaillardia aristata 'Gallo Peach' and on the bottom (left to right) are Gazania hybrid 'Kiss Frosty White Flame' and Gaillardia x grandiflora 'Goblin' |
And purple daisies.
 |
| Aster x frikartii 'Monch' |
Blue and purple blooms of other kinds are also well-represented this January.
 |
| Ageratum houstonianum 'Blue Horizon' |
 |
| Anemone coronaria 'Mona Lisa Deep Blue' is much bluer than in looks here in the glare of the sun |
 |
| Hebe speciosa 'Variegata' |
 |
| The first grape hyacinth (no ID, possibly Muscari aucheri) |
 |
| The first blooms of the annual Nemophila menziesii |
 |
| Primula obconica, recently purchased to fill a temporary hole in the shady section of my new front garden |
 |
| Solanum xantii, a California native that never shows up as well in pictures as it does in the garden |
There are flowers that attract wildlife.
 |
| All 5 Arbutus 'Marina' trees are still in full flower and well-loved by bees and hummingbirds |
 |
| The hummingbirds and bees also love Cuphea x ignea 'Starfire Pink' but apparently do does this sulphur yellow butterfly |
 |
| Ribes viburnifolium also attracts hummingbirds in flower |
Other than Alyssum (
Lobularia maritima), white flowering plants are in relatively short supply right now but there are a couple.
 |
| Cyclamen (no ID) |
 |
| Nandina domestica |
I even have an orchid blooming in my home office.
 |
| Miltassia Shelob 'Tolkein' |
What's surprising is that many of the blooms that were present last January haven't yet made an appearance. Some, like the
Bauhinia x blakeana (aka Hong Kong orchid tree) and the
Narcissus got rained out - the
Bauhinia was gorgeous last week but this week all the petals lie on the ground. There are no sign of flowers on the
Ceanothus hedges, the
Erysimum or the hardy
Geraniums. With the exception of the
Pelargonium peltatum (ivy geraniums), which are blooming but which I didn't photograph this month, none of the
Pelargoniums are blooming yet either. Other plants, like
Leucanthemum x superbum have produced a flower here and there but they don't seem ready to take off yet. I expect this may be the result of the colder temperatures we had in December.
That's it for my Bloom Day summary. Thanks for visiting. Check in with Carol at
May Dreams Gardens, the host of the monthly event that is Bloom Day, to see what's happening in her Indiana garden and to find links to other Bloom Day posts from around the world.
All material
© 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
Ha! Reading that you "took a ridiculous number of photos" of your Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream' had me laughing, because mine makes me do the same. It has some strange power over us!
ReplyDeleteI did the same thing with Grevillea 'Superb,' when it was in flower. Myabe we'll become immune once we've had sufficient exposure to the cause of this malady.
DeleteWhat a gorgeous group of flowers you have, but like you, I am captivated by that Grevillea at the top of your post. So lovely and light and fanciful, like a fairy flower. And my favorite colors.
ReplyDeleteYes, it would go very well in your front garden. I think you need one of these Alison! You could always keep it in a large pot...
DeleteYour garden looks so summery all year round Kris! The grevilleas are my favourite!
ReplyDeleteI've developed a real addiction to Grevilleas. I have more than half a dozen different varieties now I think.
DeleteThere may be some absentees, but it's all still glorious. How they must have benefitted from the rain. I'm going to be boring and go for the Nandina. Every time I see one I mean to get one.
ReplyDeleteNandina is a common foundation plant here, Jessica, so it doesn't always get the appreciation it deserves. With great foliage, berries and flowers, it's definitely worth adding to your collection.
DeleteI had not appreciated before you had 5 Arbutus trees Kris, that must look a lovely sight, I am enjoying being able to see all of your photos today, your Orchid is one I haven't seen before, its almost outrageous, its so colourful. !
ReplyDeleteI reduced the pixel count on my photos, Julie, so maybe that's helping. The orchid is outrageous. I can't decide whether the flowers remind me of an insect or a warrior - maybe insect warriors!
DeleteYou can grow the most amazing plants all year round Kris. That orchid is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteSince I picked that orchid up at a garden show last April, I think it has bloomed 3 or 4 times, which is remarkable, especially as it's in the house and is a victim of benign neglect.
DeleteI love the Grevillea lavandulacea. It's actually amazing that you can grow more types of Grevillea in your garden than I can! (many of the garden varieties come from South and Western Australia which has a climate very similar to California, where I live on the East coast, the summer rain causes them to rot). I love the Osteospermums, and have them in my yard as well. In my climate, they only stop blooming for about three weeks, but live only a few seasons. Just as well they are very easily propagated from tip cuttings during the brief summer dormancy. Matt
ReplyDeleteMost of the Osteospermums have a relatively short lifespan here too, Matt. I've had one '3D Silver' for about 3 years now but I think it needs replacing and the others carry on for only about 2 years (with the exception of one trailing variety that came with the house and which appears to be unkillable). Last year, 2 nearly back-to-back heatwaves in early spring took out all of my newer Osteospermum in one fell swoop - they can tolerate the heat here but only if they're well-established. I'll have to try tip cuttings.
DeleteI see where all the rest of you get your love for grevilleas, but those grape hyacinth blooms make my heart go pitty-pat. It sounds like you still have lots of flowers just waiting in the wings. Perhaps you ought to post twice a month to take advantage!
ReplyDeleteEven with the once a month Bloom Day post, it seems that there are always some plants that miss the acclaim. I have one daylily at the moment that has been flowering off and on for the last few weeks but there were no flowers when I went out to take my photos. The Bauhinia was the big loss this month, though - it was truly gorgeous before last week's rain with more blooms than I'd ever seen on it and poof! they were gone.
DeleteLots of lovelies. 'Pink Sugar', love that one. It's rather wonderful to have some (relatively) cold weather again, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteSome of the plants clearly thrive in the cooler temperatures - the Arctotis is one of those. Those cooler temps also make work in the garden a lot easier too - I bet you appreciate it at this time of year when you have all those roses to prune!
DeleteI like the osteos too and just picked up a flaming orange one. Love that Penola grevillea! Have you ever tried to get cuttings from it? I agree about the Solanum xantii, a great plant that doesn't like its photo taken.
ReplyDeleteI should try more cuttings of all kinds. I'm generally very bad with them - it's something of a miracle when any of my cuttings survive and prosper.
DeleteSince my upstate New York garden is covered in ice and snow, I depend on GBBD to nourish my flower-starved soul. What a buffet you gave me to feast from! I didn't have a favorite - they were all so wonderful. Happy GBBD from the land of cold.
ReplyDeleteI hope it thaws out in your area soon bookworm!
DeleteYou have so much in bloom! There is so much to love in this post. The Grevillea is amazing, and the lavender primrose is about the most beautiful primrose I have ever seen. The Arbutus tree blooms look like bright pink blueberry blossoms.
ReplyDeleteI'm obsessed with that Grevillea. The primrose, P. obconica, is a reliable variety I used to use quite a bit but it has a dark side - the hairs can cause skin irritation. I'd heard that had been bred out of them but I learned the hard way in planting these (despite gloves) that some varieties can still be a problem.
DeleteLove your 'Peaches and Cream!' Such a lovely thing! Can't believe that you have so many blooms - looks like summer. Oh wait, it's always summer there. Lucky!
ReplyDeleteTo be precise, I'd say we're in the warming phase of our cool season Peter!
DeleteYour winter garden has more flowers than most peoples summer gardens, Kris! So many gorgeous colours and forms. I can relate to taking too many images of some plants but at least with digital it is easy to destroy the evidence! Thanks for sharing all the wonderful blooms.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny Christina - to me, the garden feels light on flowers at the moment. All a matter of perspective, I guess.
DeleteSo many wonderful things in bloom but my absolute favourite is your Grevillea 'Peaches and Cream'. It is stunning.
ReplyDeleteIt is so strange to see Aster ' Monch' out at the same time as Muscari. I love all your daisies.
I find I can't make assumptions about the differences in bloom cycles from one area of the world to another. In some cases, our timing aligns relatively closely - for example, I have one blooming hellebore and another with buds. However, other plants, like thyme and Aster 'Monch,' bloom on entirely different schedules in the same hemisphere. Different triggers presumably - day length in some cases, temperature in others, etc.
DeleteYou have daisies in every colour of the rainbow, and WOWEE, that orchid! Almost looks too cool to be real.
ReplyDeleteThat orchid is one of my most prized plants Amy! I must try to get more during this year's garden show.
DeleteDear Kris, the amount of different plants blooming your garden at this time of the year puts my garden to shame. Or should I say puts me, the gardener, to shame? There is so much possible in our climate, but I just don't take advantage of it. Hope I am able to change that in the future.
ReplyDeleteFrom this post I especially love the ageratum houstonianum 'Blue Horizon', the white daisy with the yellow heart and the primula obconica.
That you got the orchid to bloom is a miracle to me. What a gorgeous, exotic flower!
Warm regards,
Christina
Many of the plants in my garden would be perfectly happy sitting below roses, Christina - I bet the Ageratum would do fine there. As to the orchid, it's a hybrid but surprisingly easy - in fact much more so, I've found, than one of it's parents, Miltonia.
DeleteI was tempted to start hmming 'Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do!' then I forgot all about it when i came across that Orchid.....WOW! I don't think I've ever seen one quite like it - amazing!
ReplyDeleteOrchids can be incredible. I used to steer clear of them but I now have quite a few, some inside and some out. I subject all of them to benign neglect - watering less than I should, seldom fertilizing them, exposing them to artificial heat sources - and still they bloom.
DeleteLots of lovely flowers for January! Your Osteospermums are just amazing, I don’t grow any but I really should get some. I suppose they would do well in containers? And that orchid is a stunner, must look it up! Happy GBBD!
ReplyDeleteNone of my Osteospermum are in containers, Helene, but I can't think why they'd have trouble growing that way. They're pretty easy plants. Here, most people grow them as annuals but mine last 2-3 years before they peter out - and the trailing variety seems to live forever, at least if kept in partial shade during the hottest time of day in summer. Heat is the greatest threat here but, if the plant is well-established, it can make it through even our horrid heatwaves relatively unscathed. One word of caution: I can't speak to their ability to handle extreme cold as that's not generally an issue here.
DeleteHa! Leave it to you Californians to carry the show this month! Wow - you have so many lovelies! The Correa is a new one for me - I adore it! And, you can never have too many daisies - or grevilleas for that matter. :)
ReplyDeleteThat particular Correa was new to me too - even though I had no idea where it would go when I bought it, I wasn't able to walk away from it. My new holy grail in Correas is C. 'Dawn in Santa Cruz,' which I've only seen in a book.
DeleteOh, I'm going to have to check that one out...
ReplyDeleteIf you find it, please let me know where! It's gorgeous.
DeleteYour Grevillea is stunning. I know that experience of being so infatuated with a particular flower on a particular day that you take dozens of photos of it (ah, the freedom of digital photography), but so worth it when you end up with a gorgeous image like this one. I also enjoyed seeing all your daisies and asters, plants that grow in mid-late summer in my garden. -Jean
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting how much the regions of the US vary in terms of what blooms when, Jean. Many flowering plants just can't handle our hot, dry summers but can be grown very nicely during our cool season. Unfortunately, our cool season seems to be getting shorter and it's often punctuated by warm spells, as is the case now, which means some blooms don't last long.
DeleteI just love Grevillea! 'Peaches and Cream' is a stunner, but I also adore your G. lavendulacea. The blooms really pop against that grey foliage. Your Miltassia photo makes me regret discarding mine. I love the flowers and the literary reference, but the one I had suffered so much in my various moves that it didn't survive when I went through my collection looking to make room. I'll have to get another one some day.
ReplyDeleteGrevillea, together with Leucadendron, now top my list of favorite genera. I love the quirky flowers of the Miltassia but also appreciate how readily it reblooms here.
Delete