Spring: New arrivals (week 2)

New spring flowers continued to roll out this week.  I'm making things easy on myself and simply introducing them in alphabetical order.

Alstroemerias flower off and on here but they emerge in greater numbers in spring.  Left to right are: 'Claire', a noID pink variety, and 'Inca Sundance'

Arctotis 'Opera Pink' isn't as flashy as 'Pink Sugar' but it puts on a respectable show

I took divisions of Arctotis 'Pink Sugar' last year and the new plants are finally gaining strength

I sowed seeds of 4 varieties of Calendula officianalis in early November but all of them went into the same raised planter.  I think the flowers shown in the top 2 photos are part of the 'Cantaloupe Mix'.  The one on the lower right is probably 'Oopsy Daisy' and the one on the lower left is 'Ivory Princess'.

The remaining section of the noID Ceanothus hedge in the back garden is blooming; however, the tree form on my very dry back slope is only showing buds thus far

Cercis occidentalis has a shrubby form I find annoying but its spring flowers are a delight

The red-flower hellebores in my garden are the most reliable.  My guess is this one is Helleborus 'Red Lady'.

I love the Heucheras sold by garden centers in a range of colors but the only one that's ever done well in my garden is the California native, Heuchera maxima

The first Iris hollandica 'Mystic Beauty' showed up 2 days ago

Leucadendron 'Cloudbank Ginny' has flamboyant "flowers," which are actually colored bracts

Leucospermum 'Royal Hawaiian Brandi' is just getting started

Narcissus 'Sunny Girlfriend' has relatively short stems.  I thought I'd removed the bulbs a few years ago but apparently I didn't manage to get rid of all of them.

This is Ochna serrulata, which I picked up at my local botanic garden years ago.  It produces tiny yellow flowers as shown on the right.  It's an unusual plant, commonly known as the Mickey Mouse shrub because it forms black fruit on a red base that resemble Mickey's trousers.  After years in the ground in my garden, it' still small.

Osteospermum '4D White' is showing real vigor during its second year in the garden

Two Pelargonium hortorum are blooming.  The one on the left is 'Dynamo Hot Pink'.  I've no idea of the identity of the one on the right as I never had a tag.

I showed the first flowers of Rhodanthemum hosmariense (aka Moroccan daisy) in my February Bloom Day post but the flowers are covering the shrubs now so they deserve a second look

This is the unusual Salvia africana-lutea

I included Scilla peruviana in my last "new arrivals" post but I couldn't resist inserting a view of its present state in this one

I'll end this post with Sonchus palmensis, aka giant tree dandelion.  I cut it nearly to the ground last fall and, as it did last year, it's sprung back.

That's the tally of new spring blooms for this week.  I'm going to take a different tact with my Bloom Day post later this week focusing on wider shots rather than individual plant profiles.

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