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 - February 2022

Spring arrives early in coastal Southern California.  Despite the complete lack of rain in November and again in January, the heavier-than-usual rain in December raised my expectations for a bountiful spring.  And, generally speaking, that's what we have this February, despite an utter lack of rain this month too.  However, after an extended blast of exceptionally warm, dry weather, some cool-season bloomers have beat a rapid retreat, while others are hustling to take center stage ahead of schedule.

I'll focus on the plants making the biggest splash first.  As it's impossible for me to choose favorites this month, I'm going to show them alphabetically by genus.

Arctotis 'Pink Sugar' started blooming in January and should keep on going throughout our cool season (unless winter and spring heatwaves become the norm)

Arctotis 'Opera Pink' got its start last week

Bauhinia x blakeana (aka Hong Kong orchid tree) handled last week's gusty winds better than expected

Ceanothus arboreus 'Cliff Schmidt' went from buds to full bloom seemingly in the blink of an eye when temperatures soared last week.  Last year it didn't bloom until mid-March.

Literally, all my Grevilleas are in bloom this month.
Top row: Grevillea alpina x rosmarinifolia, G. 'Poorinda Leane', and G. sericea
Second row: Grevillea lavandulacea 'Penola', dwarf G. rosmarinifolia, and G. 'Scarlet Sprite'
Third row: Grevillea 'Ned Kelly', G. 'Peaches & Cream', and G. 'Superb'

Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl' is flowering well despite significant pruning in the fall

Two of my Leucadendrons, L. 'Safari Goldstrike' (left) and L. 'Wilson's Wonder' (right), are doing their best to emulate flowers

Like the Grevilleas, the Osteospermums make the best of the cool season.  Clockwise from the upper left: Osteospermum 'Berry White', O. 'Double Moonglow', O. 'Summertime Sweet Kardinal', O. 'Purple Spoon', O. 'Violet Ice', and a noID self-seeded trailing variety.

Pyrethropsis hosmariense (aka Moroccan daisy, syn Rhodanthemum hosmariense) is brightening up my front garden

Scabiosa columbaria appears to be turning into a nearly year-round bloomer.   The one on the left is 'Flutter Deep Blue' and the one on the right is 'Flutter Rose Pink'.

Although bulb blooms will appear at intervals into April or May, there are enough flowers in that category this month to address them as a separate group.

Unfortunately, the Anemone coronaria didn't respond well to last week's dry winds and 80+F temperatures.  'Admiral' (left) and the noID blue variety (right) went underground after their photos were taken.

Freesias in a variety of colors are popping up all over the garden

I planted 5 Hippeastrum 'Luna' bulbs in pots in mid-November.  All have produced at least 3 bloom stalks.  This is the most recent pot to produce blooms.

Ipheion uniflorum (left) and this noID Narcissus come back every year

At this time of year, new flowers appear almost daily.  

Antirrhinum majus 'Chantilly Bronze' (upper left) and 'Chantilly Peach' showed up in my cutting garden nearly in unison and the noID snapdragon varieties planted in a barrel in my front garden (bottom row) trailed them by less than a week.  All gave up their first blooms in service to 'In a Vase on Monday' yesterday.

Aristea inaequalis, a South African native related to Iris, surprised me on Sunday with its first blooms.  I hadn't even noticed bloom stalks prior to that.  The flowers are bluer than they appear in these photos.

The rockroses on the south side of the house all produced their first flowers within days of one another last week.  From left to right are: Cistus 'Grayswood Pink', C. x skanbergii, and C. x pulverulentus 'Sunset'.

I'm over the moon about the first flowers on this Leucospermum 'Sunrise' even though none are yet fully open.  I put the shrub in a large pot in March 2019 but moved it in June 2020 to provide better sun exposure in the process of renovating a bed on the south end of my back garden.  That was one of my first pandemic projects.  This is the first time this particular Leucospermum has flowered. 

This is a wild cucumber plant that always manages to surprise me when it stealthily starts winding its way through the south end of my garden.  Marah macrocarpa is a California native vine.  All parts of the plant are poisonous.

This climbing 'Joseph's Coat' rose is the first to appear since I pruned all the roses in my meager collection in early January.  I didn't even notice it until the heatwave had nearly done it in.

Accompanied by steady dry winds, last week's version of a winter heatwave triggered an early exit by some flowers that were looking great just ten days ago.  The Anemone coronaria flowers offer one example, although I'm still hoping for a recovery in that group as temperatures continue to drop this week.  The lack of rain since December has also had a significant impact in that many of my direct-sown seeds simply failed to germinate when I didn't make up the difference using irrigation.

Camellia williamsii 'Taylor's Perfection' has been dropping its flowers at a record rate and even those still on the shrub look like they're struggling to hold on

Daphne odora 'Leucanthe' hasn't grown much since I planted it over 2 years ago but it's still alive, if not thriving.  This variety is supposed to require only "moderate" water.  The flowers have dried up since I took this photo a week ago.

The ornamental pear tree (Pyrus calleryana) shows how quickly plants can be transformed by a run of unseasonably warm, dry weather.  The photo on the bottom left was taken on February 5th and the one on the bottom right was taken yesterday.

 

I'll close this Bloom Day survey as I usually do with collages showing the best of the rest that's flowering this month, organized by color.

Top row: Campanula portenschlagiana, Echium handiense, and Felicia aethiopica
Second row: Lavandula multifida, Limonium perezii, and Lobelia erinus
Third row: Pericallis 'Senetti Blue', Salvia 'Bee's Bliss', and Viola cornuta 'Penny Peach'

Left to right: trailing Lantana, Pelargonium peltatum, and Polygala fruticosa

Top row: Arbutus 'Marina', Agryranthemum frutescens 'Comet Pink', and Boronia crenulata 'Shark Bay'
Second row: Centranthus ruber, Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold', and Cuphea 'Starfire Pink'
Third row: Hebe 'Wiri Blush', Helleborus 'Anna's Red', and Pelargonium peltatum 'Pink Blizzard'

Left to right: Argyranthemum frutescens 'White Butterfly', Crassula multicava, and Westringia fruticosa 'Morning Light'

Top row: Agryranthemum 'Yellow Butterfly', Euphorbia rigida, and Euryops chrysanthemoides 'Sonnenschein'
Second row: Gaillaridia 'Spintop Copper Sun', noID Gazania, and noID Grindelia
Third row: Phlomis fruticosa,  Phylica pubescens, and Tagetes lemmonii

Clockwise from the left: Aloe deltoideodonta, Lobelia laxiflora, Metrosideros collina 'Springfire', Sparaxis tricolor, and Tropaeolum majus

Clockwise from the upper left: Calliandra haematocephala, Gazania 'White Flame', Pelargonium sidoides, and Ribes viburnifolium

For bloom surveys from other parts of the country and spots around the world, check in with Carol of May Dreams Garden, the creator and champion of the phenomenon that is Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.

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