Blooms August 2020

The Drimia maritima trio of bulbs did not flower last August.  This year, they are. 

The bulbs are the size of bowling balls and the root system is equally impressive. 

The bold twisty foliage appears with our fall/winter rains and dries up in June.  In late July the 6' flower stem appears, the flowers opening in early August.

San Marcos says:  

This plant is widely distributed throughout the shores and islands of the Mediterranean Sea, in southern Europe east from southern France through South Western Asia (Israel, Syria, Lebanon) and across North Africa to Morocco and on the major islands of Cyprus, Crete, Malta and surrounding smaller islands.

Also native to Mediterranean Europe, Orlaya grandiflora are behaving differently this year--some appeared with winter rain and bloomed in early spring, some plants appeared last summer, grew somewhat and then waited out winter and spring to bloom this summer.  Since so much blooms in spring anyway, a shift to summer is not a bad thing. 

Tiny bees (6 mm) have been all over the Orlaya flowers the past few days:

Zephanthys, peeking through Lomandra. 

Another striking 'Bright Star' Yucca spire.  

 A lily reappeared;  probably for the last time.  I can get two seasons out of them before they succumb to a lack of winter chill.  I do love them, but this is not their climate. 

The day lily re-bloom continues;  a deep soak and a light hit of fertilizer and they all seem to respond with another round of scapes.

Hunnemannias flower on and on, though I've pulled several filling pathways.  It was getting impossible to walk in some places.

Leucophyllum 'Thunder Cloud'  

 

Summer days are when Pentas look their best.  This one with  saturated crimson flowers looks great with the equally saturated purple of the Trachelium:

Another summer bloomer:  the Lagerstroemias.

 'Dynamite':

 'Ebony Embers':

'Ebony Flame'

 More flowers from Clematis 'Polish Spirit':

And, of course, Dahlias.  'Cafe Au Lait',  'Avignon', 'Catching Fire'

 And Roses.  The more mild summer has pushed the appearance of chili thrips into August.  I've left some roses un-deadheaded, to discourage the new growth that pest attacks, and where there is new growth, sprayed that new growth at the tips of canes with Spinosad just before sunset (when the bees are gone for the night).  So there are still some beautiful roses to be enjoyed. 

 And the Oncidium growing on the Acer produced a second flower stem:

Up until now, quite a good August for plants.   The garden is taking on its overgrown look of late summer:

A lengthy serious heat wave has arrived, with burnt foliage and toasted flowers soon to come.  But much of this summer has been more mild than the last several, for which the gardener and the garden are very grateful.  Happy Bloom Day!

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day is a meme hosted by MayDreams.