Bloom Day: November 2013

Southern California has been saved the cold that is sweeping other parts of the US.  In fact, recent temperatures have been more reminiscent of summer than fall.  Our thermostat hit the upper 80s on Wednesday when downtown Los Angeles reached 92 degrees Fahrenheit.

Temperatures have been slowly falling since Wednesday and there's a rumor of drizzle in the forecast but I think real rain is still a pipe dream.

Perhaps as a response to the warm afternoons, some spring/summer bloomers have made a reappearance.  I posted pictures of reblooming daylilies earlier this week but other plants that generally flower during the first half of the year have also made walk-on appearances.

Pale blue Agapanthus bloom

Pink Alstroemeria (no ID)

 

Ruffled Leucanthemum x superbum (Shasta daisy)

Fresh bloom on Papaver nudicaule (Iceland poppy)

Another Iceland poppy

However, the biggest show-offs at present are a few of the fall bloomers.

Camellia sasanqua (no ID)

Close up of the Camellia blooms

Correa pulchella 'Pink Eyre' looks better in person than in my photos

Senna (Cassia) bicapsularis is making a bigger splash now than she did when I featured her as a favorite plant at the end of October

A few of my recent purchases are also flowering.

Grevillea 'Superb' (Yes, I finally found an acceptable place for her!)

Phygelius x rectus 'Salmon Leap' is settling in bordered by Abelia 'Kaleidoscope'

Argyranthemum frutescens

I broke down and put in a few pansies right before our most recent mini-heatwave

A somewhat fuzzy picture of the first blooms from Salvia mexicana 'Limelight'

And some of the plants that have pumped out flowers for months are still going strong.

Celosia argentea var spicata is turning tawny but still has presence in the back border

Osteospermum ecklonis '3DSilver' has bloomed all year but the blooms have become more prolific as the weather cools

Pelargonium 'Pink Blizzard' and Calibracohoa 'Cherry Star' have provided non-stop blooms in pots near the front door

Even my beloved Plectranthus ciliatus 'Zulu Warrior' still has some blooms.

Plectranthus ciliatus 'Zulu Warrior'

All in all, I'm not doing half bad in the bloom department for mid-November.  Please visit Carol's May Dreams Gardens for bloom connections from around the world.

October 2013 Bloom Day

Purple and blue flowers are making the biggest statement in my garden this Bloom Day.  Plectranthus ciliatus 'Zulu Warrior,' Salvia leucantha and Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum' are the chief attention-grabbers.

Plectranthus ciliatus 'Zulu Warrior' continues to produce new blooms

Salvia leucantha is in bloom in my garden and many others in my area

Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum' catches the light in my front border

But other purples play strong supporting roles.

Cuphea hyssopifolia (aka false heather) isn't flashy but it makes a great groundcover below the fountain

Hebe speciosa 'Variegata' has bloomed since spring with regular dead-heading (although I think it might be happier with a little less sun)

Some deserve acclaim for sheer perseverance.

The only time Osteospermum ecklonis '3D Silver' hasn't been in bloom is when I've hacked it back but it clearly likes October's cooler temperatures

Acanthus mollis 'Summer Beauty' has been in bloom continuously since late April!  One of it's 2 current bloom spikes has faded but the newer one still looks good.

Bright blues are making a showing too.

Salvia 'Mystic Spires' likes regular dead-heading

This Salvia macrophylla is still a small plant but that blue color is something!

Close-up of bright blue blooms

An Agapanthus flower has made an early return visit

Pink blooms are everywhere but, with one exception, they keep lower profiles.

Angelonia 'Angelmist Dark Pink" provides a bright accent in my dry garden

Arbutus 'Marina' is producing a steady supply of new blooms

Okay, these aren't pink but, in addition to the new blooms shown above, the Arbutus 'Marina' trees are producing berries too

Celosia argentea var. spicata is the least demure of the pink bloomers

Cuphea ignea 'Starfire Pink,' another continuous bloomer, makes a nice combination with Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold' in the front border

My potted fuchsias responded well to extra water.  I think this one is 'Deep Purple,' which opens with a purple/blue corolla that fades to pink.

Fuchsia 'Bella Rosella'

A hoya (no ID) I've had in a pot for years has finally produced it's first waxy bloom!

These double pink Lisianthus look pretty in a picture but I still don't like them in the back border

The Nandina berries start green, turn pink, then orange and finally red

This Nerium oleander leans into my garden from the neighbor's property

The ivy geranium (Pelargonium peltatum) and Calibrachoa are heavy bloomers in a pot on the sunny front porch

More ivy geranium in bloom in a border alongside the raised vegetable planters

Of course, there are a few white, yellows and oranges too.

Argyranthemum 'Elsa White' in bloom since their installation in March in a side yard bed created as a result of removal of a tall Eucalyptus tree

The white form of Centranthus ruber, a virtual weed in my garden, is entering a new bloom cycle in the dry garden

Some Coreopsis 'Big Bang Redshift' are still blooming in the backyard border

Euryops 'Sonnenschein' is both drought tolerant and shorter than the the Euryops I commonly find in local garden centers, reaching just 2 feet tall at maturity

Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun' is still going strong

I'm hoping that this Helichrysum italicum, new to my garden, will do as well as the other gray-leaved Helichrysum

This dwarf Tagetes lemmonii (aka Copper Canyon daisy) is also a recent addition to the garden

I think that's all that's fit to highlight this month.  Please visit Carol's May Dreams Gardens to find links to other gardeners' presentations of the plants currently in bloom in their gardens.