Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Bloom Day - November 2017

Caught up in fall planting exercises and a backlog of projects after October's scorching heat, I almost lost track of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.  Did we fast-forward to mid-November, or have I just been in denial about how quickly the year-end holidays are approaching?  In any case, although I took some photos early this week in preparation for Bloom Day, it nonetheless caught me somewhat unprepared this month.  Ideally, I'd have canvased my garden more closely and taken better photos but I'm making do with what I had in my camera.

Although early November's cooler temperatures and the return of the early morning marine layer have refreshed the garden somewhat, there are only a handful of plants providing significant splashes of color right now.

I have 4 Arbutus Marina and all are dripping in coral flowers, much to the delight of the hummingbirds

While my Senna bicapularis pooped out early during October's heat, Barleria obtusa (bush violet) is still going strong (as is Polygala myrtifolia 'Mariposa' to its right)

When the humidity increased with the return of the marine layer, Bauhinia x blakeana (Hong Kong orchid tree) leafed out again and produced a new flush of flowers

I don't remember Correa pulchella 'Pink Eyre' producing so many flowers in prior years.  My 'Wyn's Wonder' cultivars are also blooming but the blooms are harder to make out against their variegated foliage.

All the plants that produce fall berries are doing so right on schedule.  Here are just two: Heteromeles arbutifolia (aka Toyon, left) and Nandina domestica (right).


Some plants have commenced a new bloom cycle this month, most notably:

The noID Camellia sasanquas, which produced their first flowers during the height of our last heatwave

Hypoestes aristata (Ribbon Bush) hasn't been as vigorous in this garden as it was in my former garden, but I hope it's just taking its time getting established

I picked up this Jatropha integerrima 'Compacta Pink' last month and plunked it in a large pot near the entrance to our driveway.  I was worried about its water requirements but so far, so good.

This is a poor photo of Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl', which surprised me with a fall flush of bloom.  It's grown taller than I thought it would, merging somewhat unattractively with the foliage of one of my guava trees.

The first Iceland poppies (Papaver nudicaule) have bloomed from plugs planted a couple of weeks ago

I had few rose blooms this past spring despite our heavier-than-usual winter rain so I definitely wasn't expecting much of anything in terms of fall blooms but a few roses have appeared here and there.  This is Rosa 'California Dreamin', which looks as though it's glowing from within.

The climber Rosa 'Joseph's Coat' is also blooming

This Sansevieria parva produced its very first bloom.  I read that the flowers are supposed to be white but this one is a mauvish lavender.

Tagetes lemmonii (aka Copper Canyon Daisy) bloomed last spring but its usual fall bloom cycle is right on schedule


And then there are my old dependables, the plants that bloom all year or reliably on their usual seasonal schedules.

Cuphea 'Starfire Pink' blooms all year round, except when given a severe haircut

Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy' also blooms continuously, at least in its location in the front garden

Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream' blooms off and on throughout the year.  It's very much "on" right now.

Planted in November 2013, I can't remember a time when Grevillea 'Superb' wasn't in bloom

Lantana 'Lucky White' seems to bloom endlessly as well

The Pennisetums don't bloom all year but they do strut their stuff for a long period, starting in late summer and continuing into the winter.  Pennisetum advena 'Rubrum' is on the left and P. 'Sky Rocket' is on the right.  'Fireworks' is also in bloom.


To end today's Bloom Day post, here's the best of the rest:

Top row: Cuphea 'Vermillionaire', Duranta 'Sapphire Showers', and Erigeron glaucus 'Wayne Roderick'
Middle row: Felicia aethiopica, Gazania 'White Flame', and Mandevillea 'Sun Parasol Apricot'
Bottom row: Pentas 'Kaleidoscope Appleblossom' , Tibouchina urvilleana, and Trichostema 'Midnight Magic'


For more Bloom Day reports, visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens.


All material © 2012-2017 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

28 comments:

  1. Hardly any flowers at all--merely thousands. ;^) Happy blooms!

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    1. Well, for a flower fanatic like myself, the pickings seem sparse but, as in all things, everything is relative...

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  2. You still have loads more than I do! Love the Arbutus 'Marina' flowers.

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    1. I have 3 of my 4 Arbutus scheduled for pruning in January and I dread the loss of all the flowers that will involve but my husband insisted out of concern that we're blocking views (including his). *Sigh* I wonder how long it will take the hummingbirds to forgive me?

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  3. Lovely of course...but you know those Grevillea make my heart flutter most of all.

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    1. I can no longer even imagine how I lived without Grevilleas before moving here and discovering how perfect they are for the climate here.

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  4. Time is going way too fast! You must have really big hands if what you've shown constitutes "a handful of plants providing significant splashes of color." I'm impressed at how much is in glorious bloom in your garden.

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    1. Well, Peter, initially I had just 4 plants in that category and then I realized I was ignoring the Polygala - and all those berry-laden shrubs and trees...

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  5. Glorious as ever. Iceland poppies growing in California? A winter annual? I've thrown some seed hopefully around here. We shall see. It does look wonderful. As does Bauhinia x blakeana. I'm seriously coveting that one.

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    1. Yes, Iceland poppies grow in my region but only during our cool weather months. An errant heatwave will incinerate them. The risk of an ill-timed heat spell and the relative brevity of our cool period always leads me to start with plugs rather than seeds.

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  6. Absolutely beautiful! I love all the flowers in your garden,I am definitely a "flower-centrist" gardener, I need flowers.. The Orchid tree is a plant I always wanted to see in person, it must be a glorious sight! Your Camellia Sasanqua looks stunning, I love pink Camellias. Autumn is a lovely time for your garden!

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    1. Autumn is our "second spring," MDN, appreciated all the more after our long summers. I've never been able to figure out the orchid tree's bloom cycle - while it usually blooms this time of year, it'll also bloom on and off at other times of the year. It's hard to photograph, though - those flowers are too high for me to capture a good closeup.

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  7. Oh, to have an orchid tree... That Bauhinia is wonderful, and that Jatropha is just beautiful... Your Grevilleas made me think I should replace the one that perished in our last crazy-cold winter. Speaking of which - I laughed at the idea of Icelandic poppies in California - they must be amazingly immune to temperal adversity - on both sides of the temperature spectrum. Happy Abundant Bloom Day, Kris!

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    1. It's funny but I've never thought it odd that we can grow Iceland poppies. They're short-lived but appreciated nonetheless.

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  8. So many beautiful flowers! Jatropha integerrima 'Compacta Pink' is eye-catching, and I love the robust Cuphea. I brought my orange one inside and it hasn't stopped blooming. I wonder why I hadn't discovered it before? I plan to look for a pink one next spring.

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    1. The pink Cuphea is a staple of my garden, Eliza. Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds all love the plant and it blooms all year, at least once it recovers from its annual haircut. Oddly, while I often see the larger-flowered red-purple forms of Cuphea for sale locally (as well as the orange forms), I seldom see Cuphea 'Starfire Pink', a hybrid of C. ignea offered here. I got most of mine from Annie's Annuals & Perennials, a mail order nursery in Northern California.

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  9. Personally I'm convinced that we did indeed fast-forward when I wasn't looking! I think I would love your Arbutus almost as much as the hummingbirds, which is saying a lot considering how enthusiastic they can get :-) And I'm sure I say every year how I love your Bauhinia... Your Cupheas are denser than mine, which is probably getting a little too much shade though it keeps on blooming well. Everything does look lovely in your garden, Kris!

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    1. Those Arbutus are wonderful trees, Amy, among the best things I inherited with this garden.

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  10. I continue to be amazed by the variety of plants in your garden. Very inspiring.

    Is your Tagetes lemmonii the compact variety? I had to remove mine (full size) because it was too large for the spot. Now I'm looking for a dwarf.

    My Grevillea 'Superb' has been blooming all year, too. Once they get going, they can't seem to stop.

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    1. I have 2 Tagetes lemmonii, 1 full-sized and 1 dwarf, although the one photographed for this post was the full-sized version. My 'Compacta' only stands about a foot high at present but I know Denise (A Growing Obsession) has one that got far larger, causing me to speculate that the growers aren't always careful with their labeling.

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    2. Kris, I agree with you about labeling! And you as the consumer don't know until it's too late.

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  11. Copper daisy is a beauty, such a rich yellow.

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    1. That daisy really stands out at this time of year. There's a home on my regular route into town that has a number of these shrubs planted en masse and the effect is stunning. I wish I could take a photo of it but there's no parking along that route.

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  12. How nice that you can grow Iceland poppies during the cool months! They are so gorgeous, I wish I could grow them here. 'California Dreamin' really does glow. It's beautiful.

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    1. I'm learning that those poppies don't much like the wind, though, sweetbay. I may have chosen to put them in the wrong spot this year.

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  13. I did smile as I read " there are only a handful of plants providing significant splashes of color right now." I knew it wouldn't be true and I was right. Most of us would be happy if this was our best month and not a quiet one as it is for you. A wonderful collection of blooms.

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