Bloom Day - March 2022

Although the calendar says otherwise, it's the height of spring here in my part of coastal Southern California.  A few early spring plants are already showing signs of decline and, as daytime temperatures are expected to soar (again) this week, I expect to see some heading for the exits soon but, at this time of year, more blooms arrive each day than disappear.  That's one way of saying that this will be another long post, even though I split off the bulb flowers in a separate post, published last Friday.

I'll begin with the plants I consider the stars of my March garden, starting with the Leucospermums (aka pincushion shrubs), which are having a very good year despite the woefully low rainfall we've had.  January and February are traditionally our rainiest months but what we got was well short of what the State of California has called "measurable rainfall" for a single storm.  According to one source, those were California's driest months in 127 years.

Leucospermum 'Goldie' was my first experiment with this genus and it's currently the most floriferous

Leucospermum 'Royal Hawaiian Brandi' has the largest flowers

Leucospermum 'Hybrid Spider' is perhaps my favorite.  Its flowers look very different at each each stage but I like the halfway-opened stage the best.

Acquired about 3 years ago, this is the first year Leucospermum 'Sunrise' has bloomed

Plants in the Osteospermum genus, one of several genera commonly referred to as African daisies, are also having a banner spring season.  As temperatures get higher they'll stop blooming but the flowers will return in the fall.

Most of the Osteospermum shown here are self-seeded.  The single-petaled varieties have always self-seeded freely but I recently noted that some of the so-called "double-petaled" varieties have also done so.

This is 'Double Moonglow'.  The nice thing about the double-petaled varieties is that they don't close in low light, making them useful subjects for floral arrangements.

Top: Recent acquisitions 'DarkViolet & White' and '4D Pink'
Middle: '4D Silver', 'Violet Ice', and 'Purple Spoon'
Bottom: self-seeded single-petaled plants in purple, pink, and lavender

Here are some of the other plants putting on a particularly good show:

Arctotis is another genus of African daisies.  From top to bottom are 'Large Marge', Pink Sugar', and 'Opera Pink'.

Argyranthemum (aka Marguerite daisies): 'Pink Comet', 'White Butterfly' and 'Yellow Butterfly'

The flowers on my tree Ceanothus on the back slope, featured last month, faded quickly in response to warm temperatures but those on this noID Ceanothus hedge, inherited with the garden, have been blooming non-stop since January

Cercis occidentalis (aka western redbud) is doing well despite the heavy pruning I did in late fall

Cistus x skanbergii scatters its delicate pink blooms every time the wind blows but the flowers keep coming

This month, Coleonema album (aka white breath of heaven, left) joined its pink-flowered cousin, Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold', in bloom.  While, like the pink version, the foliage of the white-flowered variety has a pleasant scent, I find the smell of its flowers slightly unpleasant.

Accurately capturing the periwinkle color of Felicia aethiopica 'Tight & Tidy' in photos is always a challenge

Lavandula stoechas in the front and back garden.  The plant on the right was self-seeded.

Sometimes disparaged as a common plant, I find Limonium perezii (aka sea lavender) is an attractive addition to the landscape (although the old foliage should be cut back at least annually)

Maybe I should have called March "daisy season."  This is Pyrethropsis hosmariense (syn Rhodanthemum hosmariense, aka Moroccan daisy).

Of course, my ever-dependable large-flowered Grevilleas are still doing their part.

Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream' (left) and 'Superb' (right)

As always, there are a few surprises worthy of note.

I acquired this plant by mail order in January 2012, labeled simply "Abelia species."  The grower no longer shows it even among its discontinued offerings and I've yet to find a more precise ID for it.  The leaves aren't glossy like the Abelias commonly sold here and its flower color distinguishes it from others I've seen, like 'Edward Goucher'.  My most recent search turned up Linnaea uniflora 'Bumblebee' but the leaf size doesn't look right.  It flowers routinely this time of year on my difficult back slope.

My best guess is that this is the white form of Ageratum houstonianum, which to my recollection I've never planted.  It popped up for the first time this year in a backyard border.

This Dombeya burgessiae is a passalong plant I received from Denise of A Growing Obsession last fall.  I didn't expect to see it bloom this soon after getting its roots in the ground.

I hadn't planned to include any bulb blooms in this post but this species tulip, Tulipa clusiana 'Lady Jane', produced its first 3 blooms the day I published my Friday post.  The following day, there were 11 blooms.  They'll be gone long before the the next Bloom Day post in April so here you are.

A few prominent plants are poised to conclude their annual bloom cycles within the next couple of weeks.

Those preparing for near-term departures include: Aeonium arboreum, Aristea inaequalis, and Camellia williamsii 'Taylor's Perfection'.  The Camellia in particular was hit hard by our yo-yo weather conditions.  In January the shrub had more buds than I'd ever seen but, in response to constant bouts with wind and warmer temperatures, it dropped dozens and dozens of buds, as well as perhaps a quarter of its leaves.  The bloom shown on the right is one of the few that haven't fallen while still in bud.

I'll close as usual with the best of the rest, organized by color into collages.

Top: noID pink Alstroemeria, Centranthus ruber, and Hebe 'Wiri Blush'
Middle: Cuphea 'Honeybells' and C. 'Starfire Pink'
Bottom: Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl' and noID orchid 

Top: Pelargonium cucculatum, dark pink P. peltatum, and P. 'Pink Blizzard'
Bottom: noID peach tree blooms, noID rose, and Scabiosa columbaria 'Flutter Rose Pink'

Top: Geranium incanum (a weed), G. 'Tiny Monster', and Lavandula multifida
Middle: lavender Pelargonium peltatum, Polygala fruticosa, and Salvia 'Bee's Bliss'
Bottom: Scabiosa columbaria 'Flutter Deep Blue', Trichostema 'Midnight Magic', and Viola 'Penny Peach'

Top: Auranticarpa rhombifolium, Centranthus ruber 'Albus', and Leucanthemum paludosum
Middle: Crassula multicava 'Red' and C. orbiculata var rosularis
Bottom: white Pelargonium peltatum, P. 'White Lady', and Philotheca myoporoides 'Profusion'

Top: Euphorbia rigida, Gazania 'Gold Flame', and Grevillea 'Moonlight'
Middle: Lantana 'Lucky Yellow', noID Nemesia, and self-seeded Nigella orientalis
Bottom: Oncostele 'Wildcat', Phlomis fruticosa, and Phylica pubescens

Top: Aloe striata, Alstromeria 'Indian Summer', and Antirrhinum majus 'Chantilly Bronze'
Middle: Cuphea 'Vermillionaire' Gasteria 'Kyaka', and Lantana 'Irene'
Bottom: Lobelia laxiflora, Pelargonium 'Tweedle Dee', and Salvia africana-lutea

Top: Calliandra haematocephala, Lotus berthelotii 'Amazon Sunset', and Pelargonium sidiodes
Middle: Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset' and noID dwarf Cymbidium
Bottom: Grevillea 'Ned Kelly', G. lavandulacea 'Penola', and G. 'Scarlet Sprite'

For more Garden Bloggers' Bloom day posts, check in with Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

All material © 2012-2022 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Bloom Day - July 2021

Despite the horrible heat many areas of California and the western US are facing (not to speak of the large number of wildfires already burning), my area along the coast has enjoyed a relatively mild summer thus far.  We're still facing serious drought conditions and, like most of California, we've been asked to reduce our water consumption by 15%.  Even though the 2015 water conservation limits were lifted in 2016, I've continued to try to work within those original guidelines and I'm not sure how I can eke out another 15% reduction at this point.  My deliberations on that quandary continue but the subject of today's post is Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day so let's focus on that for the time being.

I'll start with what I consider my star blooms this month.

I've long believed that I can't grow lilies here but, last fall, I acted on a whim and purchased 6 lily bulbs.  The first variety, Oreinpet lily 'Pretty Woman', produced 5 blooms on 3 plants.  The scented flowers are larger than my hand.  Three more 'Purple Prince' lilies didn't quite make the Bloom Day cutoff but they're getting ready to bloom too.

My 4 strawberry trees (Arbutus 'Marina') are literally dripping with tiny coral flowers this month

Daucus carota 'Dara', grown from seed, is flowering like there's no tomorrow

The Lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) seem to be off to a slow start but at least I finally have flowers in a variety of colors

I thought my daylily season was mostly over when Hemerocallis 'Spanish Harlem' finished up in late June but I've had a few other varieties throw out blooms this month.  Left to right are: 'Apollodorus', 'For Pete's Sake', and 'Persian Market'.

Lavandula angustifolia exploded like the Independence Day fireworks this month

The flowers of Leptospermum 'Copper Glow' aren't easy to photograph but they're particularly abundant this year

My favorite shaggy daisy, Leucanthemum x superbum, took off this month, seemingly blooming all at once

The interesting flowers of this small shrub, Melaleuca thymifolia, deserve more attention than they usually get near the rear of the backyard border

Next up are a few blooms that came as a surprise.

I didn't expect any Hippeastrum blooms this late in the year.  Appropriately perhaps, this variety is called 'Zombie'.  The large bloom is held up by a 3-inch stem.

I sowed seeds of Nigella damascena 'Albion Green Pod' months after I'd sown my Nigella papillosa seeds and, when cilantro came up instead of the Nigella, I assumed I wasn't going to see any flowers from 'Albion Green Pod'.  This delicate flower made its first appearance shortly after I pulled the cilantro.

The flowers of the shrub Rotheca myricoides (syn. Clerodendrum ugandense) must be viewed in closeup to explain its common name of blue butterfly bush (not to be confused with anything in the Buddleia genus)

Every garden has its reliable workhorses and here are some of mine.

Cuphea hybrids 'Starfire Pink' and 'Vermillionaire' bloom year round but the floral display is heaviest during the summer months

With the exception of 'Scarlet Sprite' (lower left), these Grevilleas also bloom year-round.  Clockwise from the upper left are: Grevillea 'Superb' (first 2 photos), 'Ned Kelly', 'Peaches & Cream', and 'Scarlet Sprite'.

Salvia canariensis var candidissima doesn't bloom year round but the colorful calyces that hold the lavender-pink blooms extend the show it provides

Creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum) regularly gets stepped on and it still blooms each year

I also have a host of plants that are coming to the end of their bloom season after putting on a good show in late spring/early summer.

I've already cut down 2-3 dozen spent bloom stalks of Agapanthus.  The rest are getting straggly and most will probably go by the end of the month.  

Like most of the Agapanthus, Hemerocallis 'Sammy Russell' is one of the few perennials that came with the garden.  Those in the back garden are almost done and I expect those in the front will follow within the next couple of weeks.

I've belatedly started to deadhead Monarda 'Peter's Purple' in the hope of getting another flush of flowers

Osteospermum generally goes into hiding during the summer months but this mix of '4D Silver' and 'Violet Ice' has hung on longer than expected

The bright blue flowers of Salvia clevelandii 'Winnifred Gilman' are fading fast

There are a handful of recent additions to my garden I'd like to share too.

I wish I'd bought 2 more of this Agastache 'Sunset Orange' for this bed

This bedding Dahlia 'Dark Side of the Sun' is the first and only dahlia blooming in my garden at the moment.  This one arrived as a mail order plant, while all the rest were planted as tubers.

I was delighted to stumble upon this California native Solanum xanti in a local garden center 2 weeks ago.  I've grown it before and was very pleased with it.

Venidium fastuosum 'Orange Prince' (syn. Arctotis fastuosa) is my latest plant crush.  I purchased 3 plants by mail order in early June and wish I had more.

This is my latest attempt to grow dwarf Verbena bonariensis 'Lollipop'.  The rabbits mowed down 2 plants in the front garden but thus far have left the 3 in the back garden alone.

I'll close as I usually do with color collages capturing the best of the rest of what's in bloom this month.

Top row: Fuchsia 'Deep Purple', buds of Globularia x indubia, and Hebe 'Grace Kelly'
Middle row: Plectranthus neochilus, Polygala fruticosa, and Scabiosa columbaria 'Flutter Deep Blue'
Bottom row: noID Scaevola, Trachelium caerulea, and Trichostema 'Midnight Magic'

Top row: Cistus skanbergii, C. 'Sunset', and Fuchsia 'Miss California'
Middle row: Hebe 'Wiri Blush', Lantana camara 'Irene', and Rosa 'Pink Meidiland'
bottom row: Nemesia 'Banana Swirl', noID Pelargonium, and Scabiosa columbaria 'Flutter Rose Pink'

Top row: Abelia grandiflora 'Edward Goucher', Angelonia 'Archangel White', and Cosmos bipinnatus
Middle row: noID gauva, Magnolia grandiflora, and Myrtus communis 'Compacta'
Bottow row: noID Phalaenopsis, Phyla nodiflora, and Tanacetum parthenium 'Aureum'

Top row: noID Anigozanthos, Lantana 'Lucky Yellow', and Zinnia 'Profusion'
Middle row: Cotyledon orbiculata and Hesperaloe parviflora 'Brakelights'
Bottom row: Leonotis leonurus and Epilobium californica

Top row: Alstroemeria 'Indian Summer', Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun', and Lobelia laxiflora
Middle row: Cosmos bipinnatus and Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy'
Bottom row: Pelargonium peltatum and P. sidoides

Congratulations, you made it to the end of my very long July Bloom Day post!  To catch up with what's blooming elsewhere in the country and the world, check in with Carol at May Dream Gardens.

All material © 2012-2021 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party