My Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day posts tend to be heavy on photos, especially during spring. However, this one exceeds any of my prior posts. In drought-prone California, rain is magic and this year we've had an incredible amount of rain even here in the southern part of the state. In addition, our colder-than-average winter temperatures have continued as cooler-than-average spring temperatures so flowers in my garden are hanging around noticeably longer. On the other hand, some flowering plants are running two to 3 weeks behind, presumably because of those chilly temperatures.
My initial quandary was how to start this post. I decided to begin with the flowers that have only recently made an appearance. Up first are the latest bulb blooms.
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The Dutch Iris took off this month. Top row: Iris hollandica 'Eye of the Tiger' and 'Pink Panther'
Middle row: Iris hollandica 'Mystic Beauty'
Bottom row: Iris hollandica 'Sapphire Beauty' |
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| The Pacific Coast Iris, Iris douglasiana 'Santa Lucia', is blooming in both the front and back garden areas |
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| Tulipa clusiana 'Cynthia' trailed its cousin 'Lady Jane' by almost a month |
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| Last year, the common calla lilies (Zantedeschia aethiopica) were mostly no shows but they're much more robust this year |
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| I planted a handful of mixed Babiana bulbs 5 years ago. The one on the left is B. rubrocyanea and the one on the right is B. stricta. |
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| The Anemone coronaria haven't been plentiful this year but I'm hoping they'll be more productive once we get reliably warmer weather. Clockwise from the upper left, a noID blue variety, 'Mistral Bordeaux', 'Mount Everest', and what may or may not be 'Rarity'. |
Other recent arrivals include the following:
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| Cercis occidentalis (aka western redbud) |
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| Echium webbii is in full bloom, while E. handiense (not shown) is still blooming and E. candicans 'Star of Madeira' (also not shown) is on the verge of blooming |
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| Only 2 of my 5 Leucospermum are blooming thus far, L. 'Goldie' (top) and L. 'Spider Hybrid' (bottom) |
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| The flowers of Melianthus major are difficult to photograph as they blend in with the branches of the Arbutus 'Marina' above it |
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| Metrosideros collina 'Spring Fire' is finally branching out |
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| Phlomis fruticosa, aka Jerusalem sage (although it isn't native to Jerusalem or a member of the sage/Salvia genus) |
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| Scabiosa columbaria 'Deep Blue' |
Then there are the reliable backbones of my garden, many of which were already blooming when I published my March bloom report.
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| Not all my Alstroemeria are blooming but those that are include, clockwise from the upper left: 'Inca Lucky', 'Inca Vienna', noID pink, and 'Indian Summer' |
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| Arctotis 'Large Marge' (top) and 'Pink Sugar' (bottom) |
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| Argyranthemum frutescens, clockwise from the upper left: 'Artemis Bi-color', 'Pink Comet', 'White Butterfly', 'Grandaisy Yellow', and 'Grandaisy Red' |
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| Aristea inaequalis |
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| The tree Ceanothus on my back slope is done blooming but this noID sprawling shrub in the back garden is now covered in blooms |
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Top: Cistus 'Grayswood Pink'
Middle: Cistus x skanbergii
Bottom: Cistus 'Little Miss Sunshine' and C. 'Sunset', just getting started |
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| Coleonema album (aka white breath of heaven) on the left and in the middle, and Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold' (with tiny pale pink flowers) on the right |
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| Felicia aethiopica 'Tight & Tidy' blooms nearly year-round if regularly deadheaded |
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| The Freesias are still plentiful if on the declining end of their season |
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Top: Grevillea alpina x rosmarinifolia and G. 'Peaches & Cream'
Middle: Grevillea 'Superb' and G. 'Moonlight'
Bottom: Grevillea 'Scarlet Sprite' and G. sericea, all shown in closeup this month |
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| Lavenders currently in bloom include Lavandula dentata, L. multifida, and L. stoechas |
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| With the exception of Leucadendron 'Pisa' (top row), these shrubs are in transition. Bottom row: L. 'Safari Sunset' in profile and closeup and L. 'Winter Red'. |
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| Limonium perezii (aka sea lavender) is still in the early stages of its long bloom season |
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| Lotus berthelotii 'Amazon Sunset', which I use as a groundcover |
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Top: Narcissus 'Beautiful Eyes'
Middle: Narcissus 'Geranium'
Bottom: noID Narcissus and N. 'Sunny Girlfriend' |
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| Nemesia 'Banana Swirl', N. 'Sunglow', and noID self-seeded variety |
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Clockwise from the upper left: Pelargonium crispum 'Lemona', P. hybrid 'Orange Fizz', noID variety, P. peltatum 'Lavender', P. peltatum 'Pink Blizzard', and P. 'White Lady'
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| Polygala myrtifolia |
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| Salvia africana-lutea (left) and S. hybrid 'Pozo Blue' (right) |
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| Viola cornuta 'Penny Peach', used as an accent in multiple containers |
There were a few surprises of course.
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| Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt' has continued to produce masses of tiny pale yellow flower puffs all over my garden |
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| After more than 4 years of flowering lightly or not at all, Callistemon viridiflorus is gearing up for its best year ever |
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| These 2 plants were purchased as experiments. Geum coccineum 'Koi' on the left is the first Geum I've gotten to bloom here. Nolana paradoxa 'Blue Bird' on the right is a new-to-me annual succulent. |
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| I've been complaining for months that none of my hellebores had bloomed. This month Helleborus 'Anna's Red' (left) and H. 'Phoebe' (right) finally came through for me. |
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| I grow Prostanthera ovalifolia 'Variegata' (aka mint bush) as a foliage plant. Although I knew it could bloom, this is the first time I've seen it produce a substantial number of flowers. |
The best of the rest have been tucked into collages organized by color.
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Top: Boronia crenulata 'Shark Bay', Camellia 'Taylor's Perfection' (still blooming!), and Centranthus ruber
Middle: Dendrobium kingianum, Hebe 'Wiri Blush', and Hippeastrum 'Neon'
Bottom: Lampranthus 'Pink Kaboom', Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl', and Persicaria capitata |
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Top: Bacopa 'Double Indigo', noID Campanula, and noID Delosperma
Middle: Geranium 'Tiny Monster', Ipheion uniflorum, and Pericallis 'Violet Bi-color'
Bottom: Scilla peruviana (finishing up), Sisyrinchium 'Devon Skies', and Verbena 'De la Mina' |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: noID Ageratum, Centranthus ruber 'Albus', orange blossoms, Heuchera maxima, Mimulus, Primula vulgare, the last of Tulipa clusiana 'Lady Jane', and Vaccinium corymbosum 'Bountiful Blue' (blueberry shrub) |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Aeonium arboreum, noID Calendula, Euryops chrysanthemoides 'Sonnenschein' Gaillardia 'Spintop Copper Sun', 'Gazania 'Gold Flash', and Hippeastrum 'Saffron' |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Anagallis 'Wildcat Mandarin', noID Calendula, Echeveria agavoides, noID Ranunculus, Digitalis purpurea 'Dalmatian Peach', Rosa 'Joseph's Coat', Tillandsia 'Spirit', and Sparaxis tricolor |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Calliandra haematocephala, noID Cyclamen, Erysimum 'Winter Orchid', Euphorbia 'Black Pearl', Lobelia laxiflora, and Primula vulgare |
For more GBBD posts, visit our host, Carol of May Dreams Gardens.
I'm not going to lay odds on the percentage of readers that make it to the end of this post but consider how long it would've been if I hadn't used so many collages! If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, I hope you're enjoying a pleasant spring. If you're in the Southern Hemisphere, I hope cooler temperatures have delivered welcome respite from the heat of summer.
All
material © 2012-2023
by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
You must be in seventh heaven walking the paths of your garden these days, in the midst of its spring splendor, the sweet spot between winter blah and summer doldrums.
ReplyDeleteI like seeing your placement of Arctotis 'Large Marge'. It is very pretty against the saturated green in the background.
The other that popped for me today is Cistus 'little miss sunshine', and not just because I like the name... I like the aesthetics of it: the variegated leafs and perfect blooms.
Chavli
I was charmed by Cistus 'Little Miss Sunshine' well before it flowered. In flower, I'm completely in love with it. The sun showed up again today and it's covering itself in flowers as Cistus are prone to do.
DeleteWOWSA! So many flowers, you must be enjoying the heck out of it. Up here I decided to skip a Bloomday post again as it's been so wet, cold and grey that there's not much new to report. I love seeing your Salvia africana-lutea!
ReplyDeleteI considered breaking my Bloom Day post into multiple parts this month but, in the end, I decided it'd be easier to do one big photo dump. As to Salvia africana, Diana in South Africa says she was able to propagate it from from cuttings so, even though I don't have a spot for another one, I may try that just for the heck of it since no one is offering the plants locally.
DeleteSo many outstanding blooms, I only wish I could be there to see them in person. :) So glad you are having a great spring season, hurrah! Eliza
ReplyDeleteIt a floral lallapalooza, Eliza!
DeleteGorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. Thanks for the reminder about GBBD; I'll have to link in now that our blooming season has arrived. Weird that you're cool now and we're hot: 80s for several days in a row. You have so many blooms...where to start?! The Polygala myrtifolia really caught my eye, though. Lovely.
ReplyDeleteThat Polygala myrtifolia (aka sweet pea bush) is a rampant self-seeder here, Beth. Luckily, it's fairly easy to pull the seedlings up where you don't want them.
DeleteWow, it's April fireworks there! Just gorgeous. I pulled my sweet pea bush because it was sending out too many seedlings for me to keep up with. It's so pretty tho. Everything is so lovely!
ReplyDeleteThanks tz. Polygala myrtifolia IS an active self-seeder. I'm always pulling out the seedlings too.
DeleteI am impressed by the sheer variety and number of flowers you have this year. The rains really paid off. It's interesting to see how you've got flowers that would have done fine in my zone 4 garden back in Wisconsin (Dutch iris, Scabiosa), flowers that do well in my current zone 7 Oregon garden (Phlomis fruticosa, Alstroemeria), and more tender plants that do best in your climate (Leucospermum! Leucadendron! - a little envious). It is fun to see your Lavender and Phlomis blooming months before ours will. I've got a new favorite - Salvia africana-lutea. Oh my gosh, what a color! I wish that was just a weentzy bit hardier. I appreciate your effort to capture all these - it must have taken days of prep!
ReplyDeleteCoastal Southern California's climate offers some advantages, Jerry! Usually rain isn't one of these but this year has been remarkable. I always take my photos at intervals in the days leading up to GBBD but I got started well ahead of time this month, snapping them whenever I walked though my garden as this has been a banner month.
DeleteI was going to try to blast through all of the flowers in my yard today, but that’s way too daunting to do at the last minute! Did some planting, dividing, and mowing instead.
DeleteI've gotten a bit (understatement!) obsessed with creating this monthly floral record but I'm seriously considering breaking the GBBD posts into smaller parts so as not to drive myself - and readers - crazy ;)
DeleteWell, as you saw, I broke down and did a late GBBD post. I too need to figure out a shorter strategy, but I end up spending a few hours on most posts - editing photos, investigating various topics, rereading and second guessing my words, sometimes retaking photos, and so on. A shorter process would be nice, but I'm not sure my brain works that way.
DeleteAnyway, while I was over at May Dreams Gardens, I browsed through other GBBD posts and noticed that you've commented on most of them. That's a lot of time and dedication to the gardening community. Just in case no one has ever said it, thank you.
Garden blogs seem to be slowly dying, Jerry, so I've tried to be supportive. They've lost a lot of ground to Instagram and, although I opened an IG account several years ago and post 4-5 days a week there, I still haven't embraced that forum as a replacement for blogging. I appreciate more exposition and IG really isn't meant for that.
DeleteOh, that's sad. I think I remember Loree said that too. I tried IG, but I enjoy reading more content about what people are doing in their gardens. I guess I would rather slow down and enjoy than speed up and consume more at this point.
DeleteI'm always amazed at the sheer number of gorgeous bloom you have each month Kris. It must be amazing to walk through your garden and see everything!! And many look exotic/unfamiliar from me. Those tulips definitely caught my eye, they're so pretty.
ReplyDeleteGardens like yours inspire me to diversify my plantings and experiment more. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks min hus! A narrow range of species tulips are the only ones I can grow in my climate but I've been pleased that at least the 2 varieties of Tulipa clusiana come back year-after-year :)
DeleteWow, you have so many amazing plants in your garden! I absolutely love the Leucospermums, they're my favorite. I wish I could grow them, but sadly they're not hardy in my climate and there are no hardy alpine species in the genus, as far as I know.
ReplyDeleteI've fallen pretty hard for Leucospermums myself, LL. I now have 5 shrubs and I think I've figured out how to cram in at least one more. Now if I could only get my Protea 'Pink Ice' to bloom...
DeleteIs that first Babiana perhaps a Leucocoryne and if so, do they return for you? You have a spectacular collection, many thanks for sharing it!
ReplyDeleteYou know, I wondered if that pink-flowering bulb was a Leucocoryne. I have record of planting L. 'Dione' in that general area years ago (2019) but that variety is supposed to be blue. However, it won't be the first time I've received bulbs in an unexpected color. Yes, those blooms have reappeared every year since 2020, albeit not in the numbers I originally planted. As I recall, they're small bulbs, though, so it may be entirely my fault that some of them have been lost.
DeleteHooray your 'Springfire' and Hellebores finally got going.
ReplyDeleteYes indeedy, rain is magic!
'Springfire' has finally gained some girth, HB! It still looks a bit anemic to me, though. Two hellebores have come through. I'm pleased about that but wondering what the other varieties are wanting that they're not getting.
DeleteWhat a lot of flowers! My goodness, I was overwhelmed. It was hard to pick a favorite from the huge variety that you grow. Do you have a favorite of all your plants?
ReplyDeleteMy favorites vary with the season, Cindy. At this time of year, I tend to be obsessed with the Leucospermums.
DeleteWow! I am always in awe over your beautiful gardens and this time you have outdone yourself. It is so wonderful that your garden is happy and seeing all these fabulous blooms is like visiting a botanical garden!
ReplyDeleteI can't take much credit, Lee. Mother Nature did us a great favor this year with the rain.
DeleteAbsolutely wonderful! The Anemone coronaria are all so pretty. Of course, your African daisies are my favorite!
ReplyDeleteArctotis 'Pink Sugar' is a star at this time of year but I have to say I'm enamored with its cousin 'Large Marge' too.
DeleteAs always, your garden is spectacular. Lots of familiar faces, and many new ones too!
ReplyDeleteThe gardens here peak between April and June and it's hard to keep up on what's going on! As I grow a lot of South African natives, I expect you know many of the plants I featured ;)
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