Bloom Day - November 2014

One of the great things about Bloom Day is that it provides a record against which to compare current events in the garden.  As I've been blogging less than 2 years, I have only last year's posts to look at but, by and large, 2014 has closely paralleled 2013 in terms of what's blooming in any given month.  That isn't true for November, however.  Last November, I had early blooms of Agapanthus, Alstroemeria, and Iceland poppies, none of which are blooming yet this November.  In addition, some plants that were still blooming last November, like Grevillea 'Superb' and Plectranthus ciliatus, have already thrown in the towel for the season this year.  Still, here in coastal Southern California, I know I'm lucky not to face the frost and snow already hitting many areas of the country.

Yellow flowers are making the biggest splash this month, as they light things up under gloomy skies.

When Senna (Cassia) bicapsularis 'Worley's Butter Cream' blooms, I wonder why I don't have more of these shrubs in my garden

Like the larger variety, this Tagetes lemmonii 'Compacta' tends to flop but I love the flowers for their color and their scent

All it took was a little rain to send Euryops 'Sonnenschein' into a paroxysm of flowers 

Gazinia 'New Day Yellow' produces large blooms for the size of the plant

Even the succulent Graptoveria 'Fred Ives' is getting into the action, producing a large flower stalk

There are also flashes of orange and red here and there.

Aloe 'Johnson's Hybrid' is a relatively new acquisition - I wish I'd bought more  (It looks especially nice with the Alternanthera tenella, doesn't it?)

This unidentified Aloe (maybe A. 'Pink Blush'?) is a vigorous bloomer with stalks that stand straight

Senecio fulgens (photobombed here by a flowering Echeveria) is producing another round of blooms

This Bougainvillea provides a dash of red in the front yard

The Gomphrena haageana blooms keep coming

Hemerocallis 'Spanish Harlem' keeps on blooming, albeit usually producing only one flower at a time

The recent heat took a toll on Rudbeckia 'Cherry Brandy's' foliage but the flowers keep coming

Adding more red and orange, berries are popping up everywhere.

Heteromeles arbutifolia, named the official native plant of Los Angeles a couple years ago, is starting to produce a mass of red berries

Berry production on Nandina domestica has been in process for some time

Even the chlorotic Pittosporum (Auranticarpa) rhombifolia is producing berries

Although the yellows, oranges and reds draw the eye, pink flowers are making a stand in the garden as well, outnumbering their splashier and flashier companions.

After struggling with the heat in early fall, Camellia sasanqua is now hitting its stride

Close-up of Camellia sasanqua bloom

Flowers are usually present almost year-round on the Arbutus 'Marina' but, after being pruned early this year, they're only now returning in force

As you can see here, my Arbutus are making up for lost time, making the hummingbirds very happy - the flowers look coral here but they're really more pink

Bauhinia x blakeana has begun another bloom cycle since the temperatures cooled

A Geranium sanguineum I have no record of planting has begun blooming

Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl' has pumped out more flowers since the weather cooled too

This Pelargonium peltatum (aka ivy geranium) has decided that it wants to climb

The Pennisetum 'Fireworks' have settled in comfortably despite regular digging around their base by raccoons and skunks

All the Pentas lanceolata are blooming - this one is 'Nova'

Even the 'Pink Meidiland' roses, shown here with Cuphea ignea 'Starfire Pink,' have produced a few blooms despite a sorry performance earlier this year

There is a scattering of blue and purple blooms too.

Ageratum houstonianum 'Blue Horizon' looks better now than when I planted it in spring but I don't know if I'll grow it next year

Aster x frikartii 'Monch' is taking its own sweet time to get established but I love it anyway

Barleria obtusa has a sprawling habit, which makes it hard to photograph

The beautiful Eustoma grandiflorum 'Borealis Blue' is back in bloom

Lobelia erinus may not be exciting but it self-seeds freely here and, after disappearing during the peak of the heat, it's reappearing all over (shown here coming up in a pot underneath a blueberry shrub)

This new Osteospermum ecklonis is 'Berry White' - I like it just as much as '3D Silver,' which has been a mainstay in my garden

Salvia leucantha is coming to the end of its bloom cycle

Solanum xantii, a California native, is one of my latest finds - the purple color is even brighter than it looks here

There are only a few white flowers, making me wonder why I haven't added any Argyranthemum to my garden this year.

Eustoma grandiflorum 'Echo White' isn't quite as double or as vigorous as the blue form but it's still pretty with its bright green throat

Hibiscus trionum (aka flower of an hour), sold to me by my local botanic garden, turns out to be a weed in parts of the country but it has been well-behaved here thus far

All my Leucanthemum x superbum (Shasta daisies) were hit hard by the heat this year but they're slowly making a comeback

That's it for my November Bloom Day round-up.  Please visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens, the host of the world-wide gardening event that is Bloom Day, and you'll find photos of what is lighting up gardens elsewhere this November.


All material © 2012-2014 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

Almost Wordless Wednesday - My New Butterfly Magnet

Old butterfly magnet:

My new butterfly magnet - the flowers of Senecio fulgens:

Western Tiger Anise Swallowtail (thanks for the correction, Jane!)

Gulf Fritillary

All material © 2012-2014 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

My favorite plant of the week: Senecio fulgens

Now that, thanks to Denise at A Growing Obsession, I have a name to attach to the robust succulent planted in a birdbath-style container in my dry garden, I can give it the acclaim it deserves as one of my favorite plants.  It's hard to name a plant as your favorite if you don't even know its genus.

I picked up the unlabeled Senecio fulgens a few months ago because I was attracted to its foliage.    Its leaves and stems are a chalky blue-green color.  Some on-line sources reference a purple flush on the undersides of the spoon-shaped leaves but I've seen no signs of this on my plant.

When I bought the plant, there were no flowers or flower buds.  Flower color wasn't a factor in my purchase decision.  But, when the plant began blooming a few weeks ago, the red-orange color of the flowers was impossible to miss.  New blooms seem to appear daily and there are lots of buds still forming.

Although I had no idea what color flowers it might produce when I planted it, it turned out that the floral color of the Senecio neatly echoes the color of other succulents in the container, most notably Kalanchoe daigremontiana 'Pink Butterflies' and the red edge of Agave 'Blue Glow.'  It also picks up on the foliage color of Coprosma repens 'Plum Hussey' in the background.

My plant, which  I purchased in a 4-inch pot, has grown to approximately 12 inches (30 cm) in height.  According to on-line sources, it should get no taller than 18-24 inches (46-61 cm), although specimens as tall as 3 feet (91 cm) have been observed.  Regular trimming is suggested to keep it from becoming leggy.

While it prefers full sun, it can take a little shade.  It needs good drainage and it can't tolerate frost.  Hailing from the eastern areas of South Africa, it's suited to USDA zones 10-12.

Senecio fulgens is my favorite plant of the week.  Please visit Loree at danger garden, our host for the weekly favorite plant post, to see her pick this week and to find links to other gardeners' selections.


All material © 2012-2014 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party