Bloom Day - February 2025 (Early Edition)

With a significant rainstorm in the forecast, I took advantage of clearer skies before it arrived to take photos for my February Bloom Day post.  I'd hoped to squeeze more photos in between showers but the rain has been steady since Wednesday morning so I went ahead with what I had.  I'm also keeping to my regular Friday schedule and publishing my Garden Bloggers Bloom Day post one day early.

I'll start with the flowering succulent plants this month.

There are more than double the number of Aeonium arboreum in bloom this month than there were last month.  They're getting overbearing and I may start cutting them down to give away soon, as I think I did last year.

Euphorbia rigida adds a bright spot of color to this succulent bed

Clockwise from the upper left: Aloe 'Moonglow', A. striata, noID Gasteraloe, and Echeveria 'Serrana'

Crassula orbicularis var rosularis and C. 'Springtime'

Two forms of Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi.  The one on the left is a cultivar called 'Lavender Scallops'.

Mangave 'Silver Fox' is in full bloom now

Spring is off to its usual early start here even among the non-succulent plants.

Pyrus calleryana (aka ornamental pear tree) signals the start of spring when it blooms here

Anemone coronaria produced the first bulb blooms here this year.  Clockwise from the upper left are 'Mistral Azzurro', 'Mr Fokker', 'Mistral Bianco Centro Nero', 'Mistral Rosa Chiaro', and 'Mistral Grape'.  (I didn't have a current photo of 'Mistral Rarity', which is the prettiest of all in my opinion.)

The flowers of Bauhinia x blakeana (aka Hong Kong orchid tree) are plentiful but still so far above my head I need a telephoto lens to photograph them

Camellia williamsii 'Taylor's Perfection' is blooming, although rain and colder temperatures are causing the flowers to drop in large numbers at the moment

I grew this Echium handiense from a cutting last year.  It's already leggy and I'm hoping to take more cuttings when it finishes this bloom cycle to give it a new start.

This Lavandula dentata is almost too big for its spot in my north side garden but I can't fault it for its exuberance

The plants that routinely deliver haven't disappointed me.

Gazanias self-seed freely in my garden, producing flowers nearly year round

I missed at least 3 other species Grevilleas currently in flower when I took my photos but, clockwise from the upper left are: G. 'Peaches & Cream', G. 'Superb', G. lavandulacea 'Penola', G. 'Scarlet Sprite', and G. sericea

Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy' is another year-round bloomer

The colorful bracts of Leucadendrons aren't true flowers but they masquerade as them.  From left to right are recorded in my records as: 'Blush', 'Summer Red', and 'Safari Sunset', although I suspect the one in the middle may actually be 'Winter Red'

The Osteospermums are slowly rolling out their flowers.  Clockwise from the upper left are: Osteospermum '4D Pink', O. '4D Silver', O. '4D Violet Ice', O.'4D Sunburst', O. 'Serenity Pink', noID white variety, and what's possibly a mutant form of O. 'Berry White'.

Polygala myrtifolia (aka sweet pea shrub) also self-seeds freely in my garden

Some plants I hadn't expected to bloom this early in the season are already off and running.

Leucospermum 'Sunrise' looks as though it's going to put on a better show this year than it did last year

Metrosideros collina 'Springfire' is putting on its best show yet this year

The Moroccan daisies are also just getting started.  I'd reclassified them as Pyrethropsis a few years ago when a name change was announced but their former name, Rhodanthemum hosmariense, has regained preference.  The pink cultivar is called 'Opera Pink'.

I find Aristea inaequalis almost impossible to photograph.  The flowers close midday and their bright blue color never shows up as clearly in photos as they do to the naked eye.

The first Cistus blooms showed up this week.  Left to right: a dwarf variety I don't remember ever planting, Cistus 'Grayswood Pink', and C. 'Sunset'.

It appears that the plants commonly known as Cineraria are now classified as Pericallis but those I've purchased as Cineraria (shown in the left and middle photos here) generally have less refined flowers and foliage than those sold as Pericallis 'Senetti' hybrids (shown on the right).  

As always there were a few surprises.

Clockwise from the upper left: Lachenalia aloides, Lepechinia fragrans, and a noID Tillandsia

I'll wrap up as usual with color-coded collages featuring plants keeping a lower profile.

Top row: Hardenbergia violacea 'Neema', Hebe 'Grace Kelly', and Limonium perezii
Middle: Nemesia bicolor, Salvia 'Bee's Bliss', and S. discolor
Bottom: Salvia rosmarinus (aka rosemary), Teucrium azureum, and noID Viola

Clockwise from the upper left: Antirrhinum majus, noID Cyclamen persicum, Eustoma grandiflorum, Fuchsia 'Windchimes White', Jasminum polyanthum (neighbor's plant that spills into my garden), and Narcissus papyraceus

Top row: Alstroemeria 'Inca Viena', Arctostaphylos 'Louis Edmunds', and Arctotis 'Pink Sugar'
Middle: Argyranthemum 'Aramis Apricot, noID Calibrachoa, and Cuphea 'Honeybells'
Bottom: Cyclamen persicum, noID Nemesia, and Pelargonium 'Little Pink Splash'

Clockwise from the upper left: Bignonia capreolata, Erysimum 'Wild Orchid', Lobelia laxiflora', Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun', Oxalis pre-caprae, Salvia 'Skyracer Orange', and Tropaeolum 'Alaska'

Check in with Carol at May Dreams Gardens for other GBBD posts on February 15th.  In the meantime, happy Valentine's Day and best wishes for a pleasant weekend!

All material © 2012-2025 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party