Bloom Day February 2015

Aloe marlothii is the big star today.
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A warbler there amidst the flowers, at the center of the photo.  Her yellow breast blends in remarkably well with the color of the flowers.
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Looking far more modest, Aloe variegata has no less than four flower stalks.  I guess it liked the water I gave it after all.
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Ants making a mess of  Grevillea 'Moonlight'.
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Aloe 'Fire Ranch' is getting started.
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Many of the Aloe greatheadii are blooming this year, after a pause of several years for the drought.  The early rain helped.  
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Rose 'Laguna', stripped of all but a few leaves, yet offers a flower.
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The Dasylirion flower stalk continues to develop.  It's rather scary.
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Scary also the reliability of Morocco Daisy,  Pyrethropsis hosmariense, after more than a decade.  Still neat, tidy, and beautiful.  Peak bloom just about now, mid-February.  Hardy to at least 13F;  sharp drainage is key. 
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Visit May Dreams Garden Blog for more bloom beauty.  
 

Comments

  1. Seeing your huge Aloe marlothii looking so good makes me think I should put my potted one in the ground. That warbler is gorgeous and in birdy paradise I bet, with all that nectar. So many beautiful blooms you have there!

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    1. It seems to be a quite easy Aloe, at least here. Easier than ferox, thraskii, certainly easier than dichotoma. Avoid overhead watering to keep the leaves dry.

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  2. Wow, Aloe marlothii is impressive. And I really like the flower of Grevillea 'Moonlight' even with the ants...I suppose it is sweet and that is why the ants are there?

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    1. Nectar actually drips off the Grevillea flowers! I can run my fingers through the flower cluster and they come out sticky.

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  3. Beautiful Aloes! And a very brave rose. I have a houseplant aloe that is actually blooming right now too. Not very showy, but it was a nice surprise.

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    1. Thanks. Aloes are fun plants, and the flowers are a big bonus. Great that you got one to bloom indoors!

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  4. Aloe marlothii looks great! And trust you to provide bloom day with some exotica :)

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    1. Thanks! Though every plant is exotic somewhere. Well, almost every plant...

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  5. Replies
    1. Wait until the flowers open and an entire bee hive converges upon them!

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  6. Yikes! I didn't know ants were attracted to Grevillea flowers - I hope the birds find them easy pickings! I love the aloe marlothii.

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    1. That Grevillea in particular drips nectar. Others are not so drippy.

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  7. Your aloes are beautiful. Happy GBBD!

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  8. I never tire of your Aloe shots (though I should probably wear a bib while viewing them). 'Moonlight' is super-sexy, ants or no ants.

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  9. Love the marlothii, especially the photo wit the warbler. You have so many wonderful plants - that Grevillea is fantastic! So beautiful...

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  10. Love it!!

    How tall was your 'Fire Ranch' when it first bloomed? I have one that's 6 or 7 years old, almost 4 ft. tall, but it hasn't bloomed yet.

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    1. Kind of a reluctant bloomer, that one. It wasn't big, not even knee high. They are in a super dry spot and I think would do better with a little irrigation. Back when it used to rain in California, it did better.

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  11. That marlothii...! Beautiful photo of a perfect plant. Your aloes are bird magnets! I finally got a marlothii of my own: about one foot high, and it will be staying in a container. I hope it blooms in my lifetime. The Dasylirion is a sight to behold -- and what beautiful agaves downslope. (Shawii...?)

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    1. My marlothii didn't take that long to bloom, four years, I think. It's a fast grower in the ground.

      The Agaves in the Dasylirion picture are 'Blue Glow'.

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  12. Hi the master of Hoover Boo, hehe. When i saw some unfamiliar plants in NZ i remember some of them as Aloe because i've seen them here. I also saw some which i don't know if they are maguey or aloe. The inflorescense looks like a long head of a fowl, turkey or geeze maybe!

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    1. The Dasylirion does look sort of like a turkey neck!

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  13. What a beautiful bounty of blooms!!!

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