I'm belatedly joining Cathy at Words and Herbs midway through her fifth annual floral celebration. To quote Cathy, it's purpose is to "remind us of the beauty our gardens and nature offer us in the warmer months" when those of us in the Northern Hemisphere find our gardens at low ebb. While admittedly coastal Southern California isn't as dreary as many areas of the US or Europe during the winter months, my own garden is lacking much of the color it usually provides me. I find 'A Week of Flowers' a nice way to think ahead at what I can expect as the days once again begin to lengthen (and we hopefully get some rain).
I'm going to start with January. That's the dead of winter in most of the Northern Hemisphere but, by mid-month, I'm usually seeing new signs of color. Here are three of the highlights from January 2024:
 |
| Closeup of Camellia williamsii 'Taylor's Perfection' |
 |
| The shrub off to its start in mid-January |
 |
| Leucadendron salignum 'Chief' showing off its colorful flower-like bracts |
 |
| Pericallis hybrids (aka florist cineraria), usually sold as annuals here |
Check in with Cathy at Words and Herbs to brighten your day with what she and other contributors have posted.
All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
That Camellia flower is gorgeous and the other colours are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThank you. That Camellia was one of the first shrubs I planted when we moved in almost 14 years ago.
DeleteThe colors of your Pericallis seem unreal. I'm not really familiar with them. The camellia is a beauty.
ReplyDeletePreviously sold as Cineraria, the Pericallis were common cool season shade plants here for years, susie. In the "old" days, I could buy plugs that grew quite large. The hybrid plants are splashier, if also much smaller in size.
DeleteThe Camellia is lovely Kris. And you have introduced me to yet another new flower - not sure I have ever seen Pericallis before. What gorgeous colours! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThe new Pericallis hybrids are indeed vivid in color, Cathy!
DeleteI've always loved Pericallis (which I learned as Senecio way back when). The vibrant pinks and blues are esp. lovely! Eliza
ReplyDeleteI first knew Pericallis as Cineraria, formerly sold in cheap 6-packs of plugs. I recall them being classified a Senecio at one time too. Currently, all I'm able to find are the relatively small - but brightly colored - "Pericallis" hybrids. For kicks, I checked the various names recorded in the WFO Plant List, which caused my eyes to cross. Both Cineraria maritimus and Senecio cineraria are now shown as synonyms of Jacobaea maritima, the "accepted" name recognized by WFO. Meanwhile, Pericallis is the accepted taxon for a variety of plants with synonyms like Cineraria cruenta and Senecio cruentus. They all look related to me!
DeleteI love seeing Camellias, another thing that surprises me thriving in your garden. I thought they needed more cold. Gorgeous. Amelia
ReplyDeleteCamellias do surprisingly well throughout much of SoCal, Amelia. However, they need shade and regular water. While I succeeded with Camellia 'Taylor's Perfection', a hybrid, it's situated in a well-protected spot, like the Camellia sasanquas I inherited with the garden. I don't think I have another space where they'd be happy in our increasingly dry garden.
Delete