What's blooming during SoCal's drought? (Bloom Day, February 2018)

Last year's drought recovery was short-lived.  Southern California is considered back in a drought status and the situation in Northern California isn't much better.  According to weather-watchers, SoCal has had just one real rainstorm since February 19, 2017, the January 2018 storm that caused the horrific mudslides in Montecito.  We got light rain this week but it was spotty and not every area benefited from it.  According to our personal weather-station, we've racked up only 1.45/inch of rain since our short rainy season began on October 1, 2017 and, as reported in the Los Angeles Times this week, the outlook for more isn't especially promising.  Our irrigation system helps of course, as does the gray water system attached to our washing machine, the water I collect in our shower and our kitchen sink, and the accumulation in my 3 rain barrels.  The situation makes me all the happier that we removed our lawn years ago and began swapping our thirsty plants for more drought-tolerant specimens but it's still downright depressing.  Still, I realize that I've got a lot more going on in the garden this month than most areas in the Northern Hemisphere, many of which are still shivering under snow and ice.

Most of the plants that bloomed last year at this time are also blooming this February, if not as abundantly.  This Bloom Day, I'm presenting what's blooming by area, starting in the back garden.

Arctotis 'Pink Sugar', under-planted with gold-flowered Lotus Berthelotii

Bulbine frutescens

Echium handiense, beloved by bees

Clockwise from the upper left, other warm-colored blooms include: Arbutus 'Marina', Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun', the first Sparaxis bloom, Russelia equisetiformis 'Flamingo Park', Lobelia laxiflora, Lotus bethelotii 'Amazon Sunset', Hunnemannia fumarifolia, and, in the center, Grevillea 'Ned Kelly'

Clockwise from the upper left, cooler-colored blooms in the back garden include: Erigeron glaucus 'Wayne Roderick', Geranium 'Tiny Monster', Ipheon uniflorum, Osteospermum 'Berry White', O. '4D Silver', and noID Viola

Flowers blooming on and around the back patio include: Aloe striata, yellow Freesia, Argyranthemum 'Mega White', Lotus jacobaeus, Lobelia erinus, and Osteospermum 'Lavender Frost'

The garden on the south side of the house consists mostly of succulents but there are some blooms.

More pale pink blooms appear on Cistus x skanbergii every day

Clockwise from the upper left, other blooms in this area include: Cistus 'Grayswood Pink', Bryophyllum fedtschenkoi, Grevillea alpina x rosmarinifolia, Metrosideros collina 'Springfire', and a noID trailing Osteospermum

The southwest corner of our property, occupied by the lath (shade) house my husband built me for Christmas, has some blooms inside and more in the area surrounding the structure, which has been my main focus over the past month.

Clockwise from the upper left: Euryops 'Sonnenschein', white and pink Cyclamen (both inside the lath house), Violas, Nemesia 'Sunshine', and Salvia 'Mystic Spires'

The front slope, which parallels the street and curves on the south side to face the lath house, also has a few blooms.

Clockwise from the upper left: Pelargonium peltatum 'Pink Blizzard', Crassula multicava, Rosa chinensis 'Mutabilis', Echeveria agavoides, and Aeonium arboreum

The front garden, facing west, is the most floriferous.

Bauhinia x blakeana (aka Hong Kong orchid tree) is still blooming!

Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold'

Cuphea x ignea 'Starfire Pink'

Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy' is a tangled mess but loaded with flowers

Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream' (left) and G. 'Superb' (middle and right) are always in bloom

The luminous flower-like bracts of Leucadendron 'Safari Goldstrike' stood out this month

Since last month, the bracts of Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder' have turned from yellow to reddish-pink

Other blooms in the front garden include, top row: Coleonema album and white Freesia
Middle row: Gaillardia 'Sunset Flash', Gazania 'White Flame' and self-seeded form
Bottom row: Lavandula multifida and Lantana 'Lucky White'

The area in front of the garage responded to the cooler temperatures we've had the last couple of weeks by producing some new blooms too.

Osteospermum 'Violet Ice'

I like the buds of Pyrethropsis hosmariense as much as the daisy flowers

Clockwise from the left, other flowers in this area include: Kumara (formerly Aloe) plicatilis, Calliandra haematocephala, Crassula 'Springtime', and Pyrus calleryana.  The last is blooming even though it still hasn't shed the majority of last year's foliage.

The cutting garden is relatively short on flowers at the moment.

Poor Camellia x williamsii 'Taylor's Perfection' (left) was dropping blooms as quickly as they opened during our extended spell of warm, dry weather in January.  On the right are: Calendula 'Bronzed Beauty' (top) and Ocimum hybrid 'African Blue Basil'.

The garden on the northeast side of the house has a few more splashes of color.

Grevillea lavandulacea 'Penola' is covered in small flowers

Trailing Lantana montevidensis creates a froth of color at the base of Agave ovatifolia and A. vilmoriniana (top).  At bottom are: Grevillea sericea (left) and Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl' (right).

This brings us to the back slope.  Spring is usually the only time the area is really colorful and, even though January was unusually warm, the slope hasn't gotten a jump start on the spring season yet.

Clockwise from the upper left are: Bignonia capreolata, Ribes viburnifolium, Ceanothus arboreus 'Cliff Schmidt', and the first blooms of Centranthus ruber 'Roseus' and  Zantedeschia aethiopica

My garden usually peaks between March and April.  How will it do if we don't get any more rain?  That remains to be seen.  The driest year on record for Los Angeles was 2007, when the annual total was 3.21 inches.  I really hope we don't break that record this year.

That's it for my Bloom Day report.  For more, visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens, the host of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.


All material © 2012-2018 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party