In mid-May, it would almost be easier to list the plants that aren't flowering than to identify those that are. And this is despite the fact that, since mid-April, we've been hit by two heatwaves here in Southern California. I'll start with the biggest surprise.
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| This is one of my two pineapple guavas (Feijoa sellowiana). They came with the garden but in nine years they've never produced more than a light scattering of blooms. I was blown away last weekend when I found them covered in flowers. |
However, the biggest flower show this month is offered by the back garden so let's focus on that area for a moment.
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| This is the view from the back patio area looking south |
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| and this is a view of the same general area looking east |
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| The large shrub in the middle of the preceding photo is Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid' and this photo shows a close-up of its blooms |
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| Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset', underplanted with Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer', grabs the eye every time I walk through the back garden |
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Other warm-toned blooms in the back garden include these:
Top row - Achillea 'Moonshine', Arctotis 'Pink Sugar', and Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun'
Middle row - Euphorbia 'Ascot Rainbow' (mingling with E. 'Dean's Hybrid') and self-seeded Gazanias
Bottom row - Lotus berthelotii 'Amazon Sunset', Salvia africana-lutea, and Sideritis cypria |
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Cooler-toned companions include:
Top row - Ageratum corymbosum, Allium rosenbachianum, and Alstroemeria 'Claire'
Middle row - Buddleja davidii 'Buzz Purple' (shown with Cuphea 'Starfire Pink') and Erigeron glaucus 'Wayne Roderick'
Bottom row - Brachyscome 'Brasco Violet' (with Eriophyllum lanatum and Trichostema 'Midnight Magic'), Felicia aethiopica, and Salvia canariensis var candidissima |
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| After 6 years in the ground, one of my three Yucca 'Bright Star' FINALLY produced a bloom spike! It looked more like an agave bloom spike when it first appeared. It's unfolding very slowly. |
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| Hymenolepsis parviflora (aka Coulter bush) marks a transition between the back and south end borders |
After a late start, the cool season flowers in my cutting garden finally got rolling, just as temperatures here began to soar. The heatwaves stressed those flowers but didn't quite incinerate them.
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| View of the cutting garden from the driveway |
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| The sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus) were hit the hardest by the heat. The vines are still producing blooms but the stems are much shorter. |
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| In contrast, Orlaya grandiflora (aka Minoan lace) hardly noticed the heat |
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Other blooms in the cutting garden still holding on include:
Top row - Calendula 'Zeolights', Digitalis 'Peach Dalmatian', and Clarkia amoena 'Farewell to Spring'
Middle row - Digitalis purpurea, Consolida ajacis 'Earl Grey, and Consolida 'Summer Skies Mix'
Bottom row - Blue and white Nigella papillosa 'Starry Night Mix' and Nigella orientalis 'Transformer' |
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| The arbor between the cutting garden and the dry garden on its east side is now festooned with Pandora jasminoides and Trachelospermum jasminoides (aka star jasmine) |
A few plants from elsewhere in the garden deserve special notice.
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| The Renga lilies (Arthropodium cirratum) and blooming in four different areas of the garden. They are my go-to plants for dry shade and I've divided them a few times. |
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| Centranthus ruber is still going strong on my back slope |
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| Dorycnium hirsutum (aka hairy Canary clover) is also blooming, to the delight of the bees |
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| One by one, the daylilies are making an appearance. Clockwise from the upper left: Hemerocallis 'For Pete's Sake', 'Russian Rhapsody', 'Spanish Harlem', 'Blythe Belle', and 'Plum Perfect' |
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| Bunny tail grass (Lagurus ovatus) has infiltrated a new area of the garden this year but it's welcome nonetheless |
I'll close as I usually do with the best of the rest, featured in collages by color.
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Plectranthus neochilus, Pericallis 'Magic Salmon', Psoralea pinnata, Wahlenbergia 'Blue Cloud', the last bloom of Iris hollandica 'Silver Beauty', and Limonium perezii |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Centaurea 'Silver Feather', noID Delosperma, noID Pelargonium peltatum, Polygala fruticosa, and Thymus serphyllum |
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Top row - Arctotis 'Opera Pink', Cuphea 'Starfire Pink', and Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy'
Middle row - Helleborus 'Phoebe', Oenothera speciosa, and burgundy Pelargonium peltatum
Bottom row - Pelargonium 'Lady Plymouth', P. 'Orange Fizz', and P. peltatum 'Pink Blizzard' |
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Top row - noID pink Alstroemeria, Callistemon 'Hot Pink', and Gladiolus nana 'Nymph'
Middle row - Grevillea 'Ned Kelly', Lobelia laxiflora, and Melianthus major
Bottom row - Penstemon mexicali, Rosa 'Pink Meidiland, and noID rose (sprouted from root stalk of a rose I'd removed) |
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Top row - Aeonium arboreum, Cotula lineariloba, and Phlomis fruticosa
Middle row - Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream' and Leucospermum 'Goldie'
Bottom row - Euryops chrysanthemoides 'Sonnenschein', E. virgineus 'Tali', and Tagetes lemmonii |
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Top row - Bignonia capreolata and Cuphea 'Vermillionaire'
Middle row - Grevillea 'Superb', Lantana camara 'Irene', and Leucospermum 'Brandi'
Bottom row - Leucospermum 'Spider Hybrid', Rosa 'Lady Emma Hamilton', and R. 'Medallion' |
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Top row - Abelia x grandiflora 'Edward Goucher', Aeonium haworthii 'Kiwi', and A. 'Kiwi Verde'
Middle row - Argyranthemum frutescens 'Everest', Echinopsis oxygona, and Gaura lindheimeri
Bottom row - Gazania 'White Flame', noID white Pelargonium peltatum, and Romneya coulteri |
That's it! Another long post so congratulations for wading through it. For a look at what flowers other gardeners are celebrating this month, visit the host of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day,
Carol at May Dreams Gardens.
All material © 2012-2020 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
