Bloom Day February 2017

Above, Grevillea 'Peaches and Cream' continues to delight. 

 Above, 'Happy Dancing Girl' Cotyledon

Below, Lupine, descendant from a very old, long ago packet of seeds.  I've been trying to establish them as reseeders on the west slope.  

For yearly, effortless, late winter and early spring color on our west slope, self-seeding California poppies have been a great success. Mexican Tulip Poppies and these Lupines, less so.  The Lupines would be more successful if rabbits did not love to eat them, and so far, Mexican Tulip Poppies, with a far longer bloom season, prefer to sprout and grow between cracks in concrete.  The California poppies will begin blooming in a few weeks.

Ha ha rabbits, you couldn't reach this one!
 Aloe cameronii past prime, but still glowing along with Yucca 'Bright Star' foliage. Behind the Aloe flowers, the Leucadendron I just dug up. 

Rhodanthemum hosmariense, aka Pyrethropsis hosmariense.  ("Moroccan Daisy" is easier to remember) blooms for several months.  A tidy, undemanding plant only a few inches high, eventually a couple of feet wide (60 cm) or more wide.
 Where are my sunglasses?  The first dazzling flower from Leucospermum 'Tango':
 The developing flower bud is a stunner as well. 
 Best guess on this rose is 'Carefree Wonder'.
 Intense color in winter.  It's pale pink in the heat of August. 
Speaking of bright, this little Aizoaceae is visible a block away.  It was one of the first succulents I planted and the name and tag are long gone.  It was engulfed by Senecio a few years ago and I thought it was dead--but pulling out Senecio I found a tiny bit--two leaves and a smidgen of root--had survived.  Now in a better space, the plant is 4" wide and doing very well.  

Lampranthus 'Cherry Bomb'? 
 Still waiting on Aloe marlothii.  Soon.  Very soon.
 Geranium 'Tiny Monster', planted last spring, struggled to survive our drought and summer heat.  This rainy winter has enabled it to thrive.
I bought Calliandra eriophylla a few months ago and didn't have a spot for it in the ground.  Finally found a place for it, just as it began to push out a flower.  Yet another hummingbird attractant.  I spoil them.
A rare flowering of Sedum nussbaumianum 'Coppertone'--must be the rain.
  Our average yearly total rainfall from the first of October to the 30th of September is 13.33" (339 mm).  This year's seasonal rainfall total so far is at least 17" (431 mm).  January gave us 16 days on which measurable rain fell,  totaling 9.02" for the month.  

And tomorrow night...oh yeah!  Drought over.
Happy Bloom Day!

Comments

  1. I tried growing Lupines from seed in my old garden in Massachusetts, but rabbits got to them, just like yours. When I moved to Washington, I grew them well, but aphids loved them to death. I figured I couldn't win and just pulled them all. They're such pretty flowers. You have some beautiful flowers for Bloom Day. Your garden is such an interesting mix of what I think of as old- and new-fashioned.

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    1. Have not gotten aphids yet, luckily. I'm enjoying that one flower the rabbits have not pruned.

      I do like out-of-fashion stuff like roses, as well as the new-and-cool. Out-of-fashion stuff ends up back in fashion eventually!

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  2. That is an awesome collection of blooms for February. That first photo of the 'Carefree Wonder' is simply stunning. Terrific news about the drought!

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  3. Your garden is certainly looking fabulous! That image with the Aloe marlothii really played with my mind. At first glance the dark to the right looked like a body of water. (I've finally worked my way through the mountain of photos I took in your garden...post coming up on Friday, I believe)

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    1. It will be a good spring...I hope! Huh, yeah the street looks like a pond. Weird, eh? Perhaps because all the dust is washed off.

      Looking forward to your point of view on my winter garden.

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  4. If I had hummingbirds I would spoil them too. Magnificent display Hoov. Be careful with the bunnies, they're devious. They'll find a way..

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    1. We have bunnies, but we also have coyotes. Balance, balance... :)

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  5. I'm very much hoping that this year isn't some kind of one-off event and SoCal's drought is indeed over and done with! Your 'Tango' is gorgeous. I checked my 'Brandi' and found some teeny-tiny buds so my fingers are crossed that this Leucospermum is going to make it. I've had the same struggle in getting lupine to establish in my garden - there's no sign of any in my garden yet, which is annoying as they're coming up all along the roads here. Happy GBBD!

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    1. Well, my POV is that the drought is over for this year, and I'm being happy about that and not thinking about next year.

      Great that 'Brandi' is growing! Lupines are still coming up here, so its not too late, if the rabbits leave them alone.

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  6. What a sight for sore eyes! You're so much further along than we are. I'm still waiting for my aloes to open!

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    1. The Aloes are behind here also, compared to the hot sunny winters of the past five years. One year ago yesterday here it was 90F. Yuck. I'm okay with rain delays!

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  7. Wonderful February show. I'd love to get hunnemania self-sowing here. I think you gave me seeds -- now what did I do with them?

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    1. If you have a sunny planting area mulched with gravel, or have some narrow spots between rocks--they seem to want to come up between rocks or between cracks in the sidewalk or driveway.

      They do not seem transplant well at all. I've moved some without disturbing the roots and they died anyway.

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    2. I'll save some more seeds just in case. Have lots of seedlings coming up. :)

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  8. I'm getting used to beautiful flower photos here, but the Peaches & Cream with raindrops is new. In spoiling the hummers, you spoil us as well.

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    1. Well you should be spoiled! Avid gardeners deserve the best. :)

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  9. Replies
    1. Evan I am sorry but I accidentally and completely unintentionally "removed" your comment and could not get it back. I am so sorry! When I accidentally flick the touchpad, sometimes, annoying things happen. :(

      Yes, the Leucospermum IS quite amazing. I feel fortunate (and am amazed) to be able to grow them here.

      I don't know if the bunnies would avoid fuzzy Lupines or not. They do not bother the Sideritis. Anything native, they might. What they like best is turfgrass, which this garden has none of, so they spend most of their time next door on the neighbor's vast lawn. They just come over and nip the seedling Lupines for spite, perhaps.

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