I inevitably spend a fair amount of time sitting at my home office computer over the course of a week. There are two large windows to my right, which means I often find myself staring at the view of a particular section of my garden. The activity at the three bird feeders frequently draws my attention, and if their chirping doesn't do that, the cat's chattering at the birds from her seat at the window does. As I write this, the birds are staring at me, seemingly wondering if I'm going to refill their feeders before they're entirely empty. However, what's repeatedly had me staring out the window this week hasn't been the birds so much as the mix of colors around the feeder.
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| This is the view in question. What grabbed my attention on this occasion was the gladiola at the center of this shot. Its bold color drew my eye but what really stood out was that it's blooming in early February! |
Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day falls on Sunday which, if forecasters are to be believed, could be the start of several rainy days for us. I've already been gathering photos for an early Bloom Day post targeted for Friday but, instead of burying the floral display outside my window within that post, I thought I'd share the details with you in this much shorter one.
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| This was one of a mix of Gladiolus nanus bulbs I planted in March 2025 for early summer blooms. I hadn't expected a yellow and coral flower in the mix. Last year it bloomed in late June. I believe this is a variety called 'Las Vegas'. Yesterday, I ordered 10 more bulbs of this specific variety as it's perfect for this bed, especially if it makes a habit of flowering in tandem with the plants around it. |
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| The Arbutus 'Marina', pruned hard in late November, is back in bloom with its coral-pink flowers, beloved by hummingbirds |
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| The hummers also appreciate the flowers of Lantana camara 'Irene' |
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| I haven't yet cut back all the colorful bracts of Leucadendron 'Blush' |
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| and I apparently missed trimming back a few of the stems of Leucadendron 'Jester' |
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| Leucospermum 'Royal Hawaiian Brandi' is just starting her bloom cycle |
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| Lobelia laxiflora, cut back in December, is also mounting its return |
There's a good chance of light rain during the wee hours tonight before the larger rain system in the offing for the coming week moves in. The cloudy gray skies I see out the window lend some real credibility to that claim. I don't expect it to be much but, as our last rain fell in early January, whatever we get will be welcome. I'll end this post with a wider shot of the garden beds in view outside my office window before I take my camera out to capture photos of other parts of my garden in preparation for Bloom Day - and fill up the bird feeders of course.
All material © 2012-2026 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
Your last photo is so nice, full of the joys of spring. I misread hummers as humans, but both do enjoy the flowers. :) We did get some light rain yesterday, next week looks more serious.
ReplyDeleteWe got 0.47/inch of rain overnight - more than I'd expected, Tracy! The only negative was that almost all of it came after midnight. I couldn't bring myself to get out there to collect what came off my backyard's rain chain and had to rely on passive rain collection via the flow from the gutters into my tanks ;)
DeleteI like this focused review, it's nice to be shown the details. Up here our forecasters have mentioned a splitting system that is sending rain your way, I hope they're right.
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed. The current forecast shown online suggests that there's currently a 90% chance here starting in the early hours on Monday and possibly continuing into Wednesday or Thursday.
DeleteGreat window view that you have there. I love the hardy gladiolus and want more. Can you direct me to the photo of your just-pruned arbutus? I'm thinking of pruning mine and would like to see how they do it!
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the key to pruning Arbutus is to open up the internal canopy to allow good airflow and prevent the sooty fungus that otherwise builds up on the leaves. As most of my Arbutus are now very big, I use a tree service. Here's a link to the last November's post-trim views: https://krispgarden.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-trees-got-their-annual-trim.html
DeleteOh man, that lantana bring back memories. We had a giant bush (it was literally the size of a minivan) in our driveway that used to attract hundreds of butterflies and skippers on warm days. I used to be so good at sneaking up and scooping those little guys unharmed lol. Just seeing that picture I can actually smell leaves and flowers....
ReplyDeleteLantana does well here but none of my plants are as big as a minibus, Angela! My neighbor has one I find pretty impressive, though ;)
DeleteI love the view from your office window! So peaceful. I'd post what I see from mine, our neighbors' yards, but I don't want to embarrass our neighbors.
ReplyDeleteHa! One of the things that struck us when we moved into our current house was how much space there seemed to be between us and our neighbors. It no longer seems that pronounced but, in comparison to the townhouse we previously lived in where we felt like we were living with our neighbors, it was definitely an improvement!
DeleteThat's a lovely view. The 'Hawaiian Brandi' Leucospermum particularly beautiful. Arbutus is a beautiful tree--the dainty bell flowers and the gorgeous red bark.
ReplyDeleteWe got 9/10ths of an inch from that overnight rain. Quite a happy surprise as the forecast was for "less than a tenth of an inch". Hope you got some too!
Looks like there will be more next week--whew! Weeds a small price to pay for more rain.
We got just under 1/2 inch of rain but is was more than I'd expected too. I hope the coming rainstorm delivers as well. You're right about the weeds, although they're still annoying ;)
DeleteOMG, you have amazing views: both outside your window and from your property into the valley! We are starting to get a hint of spring here--much earlier than normal. We will have highs in the 50s for several days ahead. I guess it's a tease, but it will feel wonderful. Thanks for sharing the beauty of your warm garden, Kris. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you've had a break from winter's cold, Beth, although I have to say that our steady warming pattern across the globe is nonetheless becoming frightening.
DeleteIt funny, in a way, I've never planned the view out of a window, yet as I look out mine there are these happy circumstances where (sometimes) it looks as if the view was designed by a professional. Did you plan yours based off the view out the window or was it a happy accident? - it's beautiful with the Arbutus anchoring on the left. I love this idea for a blog post and think your office view is the cat's pajamas.
ReplyDeleteIt was most definitely a happy accident, Jerry. For one thing, I can't claim any responsibility for placing the Arbutus - all 4 of our trees came with the garden.
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