And the award goes to...

I don't watch the Oscars but Los Angeles is a company town and it's hard to escape the relentless coverage leading up to Sunday's event so it seemed an appropriate lead-in to a post on my favorite plants this February.  If I were giving awards to plants in my February garden, top honors would have to go to the Osteospermums.  These plants are usually at their best during the cooler months here.  The excessively warm weather we had through November slowed the start of their show and I've been concerned that our unusually warm (and dry) February would stall out their performance but such is not the case.  Osteospermum of all types are in bloom throughout the garden but I'll restrict this post to just a few.

Osteospermum 'Blue-eyed Beauty' blooms on shorter stems than many of the others in its genus but it's literally blanketed in flowers.  These were planted from 4-inch pots in December 2014 so they've aptly demonstrated their ability to handle both heat and drought conditions.

Osteospermum 'Pink Spoon', planted in February 2014, wins with its unusual flower petals

Osteospermum 'Summertime Sweet Kardinal', planted in January 2015, gets an award for top performance of a flowering plant in my dry garden.  And doesn't it complement Leucadendron 'Ebony' (on the right) beautifully? 

Some of my Grevilleas also got off to a slow start on their bloom cycle this year.

Grevillea alpina x rosmarinifolia may have small flowers but it puts on an impressive performance and continues to gain stature in the south side garden

Grevillea lavandulacea 'Penola' bloomed about a month later this year but it's no less floriferous than in prior years

I'm not going to show Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream' or 'Superb' in this post.  Even though both are still blooming and will probably continue to do so off and on throughout the year, they're at risk of overexposure on this blog so they're shying away from publicity right now.  However, did you notice that birdbath-style succulent planter in the wide shot of Grevillea 'Penola' above?  I'm very impressed by the Agave titanota 'White Ice' that forms its centerpiece.

Look at that cool color, those leaf imprints and the graceful form of those thorns!

The warm weather has also brought out the blooms on our Western Redbud (Cercis occidentalis).  The blooms don't last long so they surely deserve notice when they make their annual appearance.

Regrettably, the Cercis occidentalis has a poor backdrop for her publicity shot

Like every movie, every garden has valuable supporting players.  One of the most notable this month is Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold'.

I grow Coleonema 'Sunset Gold' for its chartreuse foliage color but it does a great job in the bloom category too

Like the Oscars, awards are made in many categories that contribute to the final product.  I took photos of other plants but, unlike the Oscars, I'm not going to stretch out this post with a lot of supplemental awards, yet I do want to share one more.  The award for best lighting in late afternoon goes to: Bulbine frutescens.

Making a late afternoon pass through the back garden with my camera, I couldn't help but notice how the Bulbine glowed

With that, I'll turn you over to Loree at danger garden, the host of this monthly favorite plants wrap-up.


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