Bloom Day - February 2024 (Late Edition)

In my coastal Southern California climate, we generally see the early signs of spring by mid-February.  This year is no exception, although colder-than-usual temperatures and a late start to our rainy season has the floral stampede lagging behind last year's display.  Nonetheless, I expect I'm still giving gardeners in much of the Northern Hemisphere a run for their blooms.

I've assigned starring roles to half a dozen plants.  Keep in mind that this award is governed by a jury of one.

My blue Anemone coronaria make me happy whenever I pass them in my cutting garden.  They've been producing flowers continuously for more than a month now.  I've been cutting them for vases every week, even when I don't share them as part of the "In a Vase on Monday" meme.

The 4 Arbutus 'Marina' trees lost all their blooms when they were pruned in late October.  The flowers reappeared en masse with the recent rainstorms. 

I love the foliage of Aeonium arboreum but I'm not entirely fond of the succulent's dunce-cap shaped, florescent yellow flowers; however, they're prolific and the bees love them

The sulfur yellow flowers of Euphorbia rigida stand out beautifully against the bluish succulents in my garden

Similarly, Euryops chrysanthemoides 'Sonnenschein' adds a sunny element to the shady area outside the lath house

Felicia aethiopica is still going strong.  I'd always assumed that these would make poor cut flowers but I learned they do quite well in a vase, which makes me love the small shrubs even more.

New blooms are showing up almost daily.  Here are some of the newest arrivals:

The flowers of Ceanothus arboreus 'Cliff Schmidt' are mostly congregated at the top of the tree-sized plant, which made it awkward to photograph.  The bees don't care.

I'm amazed every year when Daphne odora blooms as I never thought it'd survive in my garden.  My only concern is that something always nibbles at the leaves.

Clockwise from the upper left, other new arrivals include: Arctotis 'Pink Sugar', Calliandra haematocephala (aka red powder puff), the first Freesia, Centranthus ruber, Ipheon uniflorum (aka spring star), Pyrethropsis hosmariense (aka Moroccan daisy), and the second Freesia to bloom

Even I was surprised by a few particularly early arrivals.

The first sweet pea blooms (possibly part of Lathyrus odoratus 'Mermaid's Dream' seed mix), first Leucospermum 'Sunrise' flower, and first Sparaxis tricolor bloom

As usual, the backbones of my garden have shown up.

The flowers of Grevillea sericea are small and pale in color but they're currently abundant

Grevillea 'Scarlet Sprite' produces more flowers every day

Clockwise from the upper left, other Grevilleas currently in bloom include: Grevillea alpina x rosmarinus, G. 'Peaches & Cream', G. 'Superb', G. rosmarinus (dwarf form), and G. lavandulacea 'Penola'

I'm still not quite ready to cut back the massive Leucadendron salignum 'Chief'

Leucadendrons 'Summer' Red' and 'Safari Sunset' also look too good to cut back yet

I've begun to cut back Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder' already and will probably finish the job before the month is over

The Osteospermums are still taking their time to flesh out.  I expect some of the small shrubs could use replacing but there isn't a good selection of the double-petaled varieties I like best yet.

Camellia williamsii 'Taylor's Perfection' dropped a lot of flowers during the earlier rainstorms but it hasn't thrown in the towel yet

What's missing from this post by comparison to last February's bloom report are the Hippeastrums.  I've cut half a dozen stems since January. I've got plenty of buds left but only one plant currently has a bloom.  I'll be moving all of those in pots under cover before the next storm arrives on Sunday.

Hippeastrum 'Evergreen', a Cybister type originally hybridized in South America

As always, I've assembled photos of flowers with lower profiles as part of collages organized by color.

Clockwise from the upper left: Aloe striata x maculata, Antirrhinum majus, Cuphea 'Honeybells', noID orange Gazania, Lobelia laxiflora, and Metrosideros collina 'Springfire'

Clockwise from upper left: Argyranthemum 'Angelic Maize', noID Narcissus, Gaillardia 'Spintop Copper Sun', Gazania 'Gold Flame', noID yellow Gazania, and Senna artemisioides (aka feathery cassia)

Antirrhinum majus, Fuchsia 'Windchimes White', and Nemesia 'Nessie Plus White'

Top row: Antirrhinum majus, Arctostaphylos bakeri 'Louis Edmunds', and Arctotis 'Opera Pink'
Middle: Bauhinia x blackeana (aka Hong Kong orchid tree), Boronia crenulata 'Shark Bay', and Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold'
Bottom: Cuphea 'Starfire Pink', Hebe 'Wiri Blush', and noID Kalanchoe (maybe K. fedtschenkoi)

Clockwise from the upper left: Argyranthemum 'Grandaisy Red', Helleborus 'Anna's Red', magenta Pericallis hybrid, and Ribes viburnifolium (aka Catalina currant)

Top row: Delphinium grandiflorum, Echium handiense, and Geranium 'Tiny Monster'
Middle: Lavandula multifida, Limonium perezii, and Pericallis hybrid
Bottom: Polygala myrtifolia, Salvia rosmarinus (aka rosemary), and Viola cornuta 'Penny Peach'

That's it from me for this month's bloom day coverage.  Two more atmospheric rivers are due to arrive back-to-back this weekend.  Those may leave me with soggy flowers once again, or spur other plants to burst into bloom.  We shall see.  Best wishes for a pleasant weekend and, if you haven't already done so, check in with Carol at May Dreams Gardens for more Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day posts.

All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party