Bloom Day - February 2014

Our weather in southern California couldn't be more different than the winter conditions affecting so much of the US this year.  After a couple of long-awaited rain events last week, our temperatures soared back up into the low 80s this week.  Northern California received more rain than we did and the mountain areas got some snow but, even with that, the state remains firmly entrenched in a serious drought.  In fact, one speaker on a news program last night said that a study of tree rings indicates that 2013 was California's driest in 400 years.

I've previously commented on the impact our unseasonably warm weather has had on my garden.  A number of plants, most notably the Agapanthus, are blooming considerably ahead of schedule.  Most of what was blooming in January is still blooming so, rather than publish pictures of all the same flowers, I thought I'd focus on the heaviest bloomers this month, as well as some of my newer acquisitions.

If I was to recognize one genus as the most floriferous this February, that award would go to Osteospermum.  Right now, every single member of this genus in my garden is blooming, and blooming heavily.

Osteospermum ecklonis '3D Silver'

Osteospermum 'Lemonade,' a new acquisition

Osteospermum 'Serenity Purple'

Osteospermum (no ID), white with a blue eye - some of these originally had spoon-shaped petals but they seem to have reverted to a more conventional form, which my Sunset Garden Book says is common in cooler weather.  I guess I'll have to wait until the temperature reaches 90F for the petals to snap into proper shape...

This trailing variety of Osteospermum, here when we moved in, seems happy in partial shade

Osteospermum 'Zion Copper Amethyst' - during the warmer portion of the year, all of the flowers tend to bloom a purplish color but, during cooler periods, we see this nice range of color in the blooms on the same plant

Other plants deserving recognition for heavy bloom include the following:

Alstroemeria (no ID), which comes back every year after a period of summer dormancy

A sun-saturated photo of the white Argyranthemum - all the Argyranthemum are in full bloom now too

This Bauhinia x blakeana (Hong Kong Orchid Tree) currently has more flowers than leaves

Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold' - its performance is so impressive in an out of bloom that I've added 2 more to the front border

Cuphea x ignea 'Starfire Pink,' which blooms continuously until I hack it back

Erysimum  linifolium 'Variegatum,' one of my favorites for the sunshine glow it adds to garden beds

Grevillea lavandulacea 'Penola' - those flowers make up for their tiny size in sheer number

Hebe 'Patty's Purple' - this is the 1st year it has pumped out a steady supply of blooms

Papaver nudicaule (Iceland Poppy) - the bees and I love them

Limonium perezii (aka Statice or Sea Lavender) - ordinary, perhaps, but the bright purple is welcome in my dry garden

Lavandula multifida (Fernleaf Lavender) - its photos never do it justice

Some relatively recent additions to the garden are also adding color:

Arctotis 'Pink Sugar' - how can you not love that color combination?

Geranium x cantabrigiense "Biokovo' - these created a blanket groundcover in my former garden but I've had a harder time getting them to establish here

Nemesia 'Berries & Cream' - I'm as much a sucker for these blooms as I am for pansies

Penstemon heterophyllus 'Margarita BOP,' planted in the dry garden - it died out in my backyard border in 2 years.  I'm hoping it'll be happier with drier feet.

Pericallis hybrid (aka Florist's Cineraria) - I used to grow the taller varieties of Cineraria but they're hard to find now

Pretty purple viola (no ID)

As the blooms from bulbs are so temporary, I guess I should include a few photos of those as well.  The Anemones and Freesia are among my favorites.

While I've grown quite a few of these from tubers, those pictured here were purchased in 4-inch pots last month

However, these Anemone 'Dr. Fokker' were grown from tubers

As was this pink variety

I wish I'd planted more Freesia bulbs this year - this purple one was planted last year or the year before

As was this white Freesia

Ming kept me company as I photographed blooms for this post.  It tuckered him out.

Ming relaxing during our picture-taking exercise

That's it for my February bloom report.  Please visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens, our gracious host for the monthly Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day event, to see what's blooming in her garden and find links for other contributing gardeners.

May Bloom Day

With most of my attention given to other concerns this month, I haven't had much time to take pictures of the garden, much less work in it.  Picture-taking has also been hindered by a few days of soaring temperatures and low humidity, which turned once plump, healthy blooms into ragged versions of themselves.  Nonetheless, I'll present the best of what I've got.

There's a lot in bloom in the backyard border.  I need to add some foliage plants to improve the color flow.

Alstroemeria (no ID on variety) and Erigeron karvinskianus (aka Santa Barbara Daisy)

Digitalis purpurea 'Foxy'

Erysimum linifolium 'Variegatum' backed by Hebe speciosa 'Varigata'

Hebe 'Patty's Purple' fronted by Geranium 'Tiny Monster'

California native Penstemon heterophyllus 'Margarita Bop' and daisies

Bearded Iris are blooming in the back border and elsewhere.  The first 2 photos below show Iris I inherited with the property.  Those in the next photos were added within the last year.

Butterscotch-colored Iris (no ID)

Lavender/purple Iris (no ID)

Iris germanica 'Hautles Voiles'

Iris germanica 'Ravenous'

Adding this unnamed Iris is a bit of a Bloom Day cheat as it shriveled in the heat prior to the middle of the month

Oenothera and Cistus are the highlights of the dry garden right now.

Oenothera speciosa (aka Pink Evening Primrose) with Phormium tenax 'Apricot Queen'

Cistus 'Sunset' and Oenothera speciosa

Genista canariensis, Phormium tenax 'Yellow Wave' and Oenothera speciosa

Hemerocallis 'Russian Rhapsody'

Since the removal of the Eucalyptus tree that once dominated the right side of the property, the side yard gets more sun.  The wind that sweeps through the area in the afternoon is also having a greater impact than it did when the area was somewhat protected by the 60 foot tree.  I've pulled out ferns, primrose and other shade-loving plants but I may have to move others, like the Acanthus mollis and the Arthropodium cirratum as well - I'll see how they do when summer arrives and our temperatures sit in the upper ranges for prolonged periods.

Acanthis mollis and Arthropodium cirratum (aka Renga Lily)

Anagallis monellii 'Blue Pimpernel'

Argyranthemum 'Elsa White'

Salvia 'Mystic Spires' and Layia platyglossa 'Tidy Tips'

Nigella damascena 'African Bride' looks better in the photo than in the garden itself

The front border is in its glory right now.

Pink Meidiland roses and Cuphea x ignea 'Starfire Pink' dominate this border along the front walkway

The border on the left side of the front walkway duplicates most of the plants in the border on the right side

This new Pelargonium was missing a label but I'm guessing it's 'Katie'

Gaura lindheimeri 'Snow Fountain' is just coming into bloom

Scabiosa hybrid 'Giant Blue'

Scabiosa caucasia 'Fama Blue'

Rudbeckia 'Cherry Brandy' has has bloomed off and on since last summer

Climbing 'Joseph's coat' rose

Please go to May Dreams Gardens for links to pictures of blooms in other gardens.  Thanks once again, Carol, for hosting this monthly event.