Blooms February 2022

Alstroemeria 'Colorita Kate', beginning

Rhodanthemum hosmariense 'Casablanca', going full throttle
 

 Not an official Bloom Day post because included are some blooms from a neighbor's garden, to mix things up a bit and show some flowers I don't grow.

Neighbor's Pedilanthus bracteatus:

Neighbor's Strelitzia reginae:

Neighbor's Billbergia of some sort--'Casablanca'?

Neighbor's Acacia:

Arresting against a pure blue sky.  The South Coast Air Quality Managment District recently noted that there are enough electric vehicles on the road now in Southern California to have reduced air pollution by 4%. 

Meanwhile, back at home... 

 A few of the Iris x hollandica are already flowering.  They seem to be all of one cultivar of the typical purple-blue color, of a much taller growth habit than other bags-of-fifteen-bulbs purchased over time.  Slightly different cultivars planted in different micro climates in the garden extends their season a little longer. 

 In other springtime bulb activity,  Tazetta Narcissus on the west slope.  I planted the original bulbs our first winter in this garden.  After a few years they had spread rampantly, so I pulled them all.  One survived, and has since formed a clump.  So far, less rampant.  

Freesias planted a few years ago are now thoroughly established and producing lots of flower stems.  At first, they barely bloomed. 

 Not a bulb, but another flower that makes a brief spring appearance is Lupinus succulentus, the annual Lupine native to this area.  Some years the rabbits eat every single seedling that emerges--this year there must be a rabbit shortage, because the Lupins are not being eaten. We here owls hooting every night, so perhaps the rabbits are what is being eaten.  

The usual Grevilleas.  'Spirit of Anzac' is doing what the 'Kings Celebration' did:  dying back.  Grrrrrrr.  It's not malingering the way 'Kings Celebration' did--not yet anyway.  Maybe its waiting for spring to do that.

Flowers are nice.  You can see though some of the leaves have died.   Grrrrr!

The two 'Superb's planted late last May are finally starting to flower, though the one down in the gully that languised for--how long??--three years(?) is after so much malingering, looking somewhat 'Superb'. 

 Leucospermum 'Tango' is in peak bloom:

 

The first bit of color on the first Leucospermum 'Yellow Bird' flower of 2022, against a background of volunteer lavender.  The big show will be in March:

Which Aloes are flowering this month?  

The second white-flowered  A. ferox: 

Aloe marlothii:

Aloe petricola,  a color match with Leucospermum 'Tango':

First flower from newish little 'Erik The Red'.  A. petricola is in the background. 

My 'Erik' is an offset from a neighbor's plant.  Here's that plant, much larger, with a correspondingly larger and impressive pair of flower stems:

Aloe striata.  Three plants in a row, two of which have flower stems:

Close up:

Another plant native to South Africa, Arctotis 'Pink Sugar' can take brutal reflected heat, given sufficient but still relatively modest irrigation:

Roses!  'Queen of Elegance':

'Laguna' surprised us with some late winter flowers:

 'The Endeavour':

Alstroemeria, one from the compact 'Inca' series,  'Inca Husky':

Hellebore 'First Love', planted last year.  Small, still, but it produced a lovely flower:

And Magnolia stellata 'Royal Star', which has established itself enough to put on a small show.  In previous years, just one or two flowers would open at a time.  This year, more of an overall display.  It's a little over 4' tall now:

More opening: 

California native Arctostaphylos hybrid 'Emerald Carpet'  has taken many years to grow 30" across, but it's a beautiful dense groundcover.  It sports tiny white flowers in late winter.

I planted another, which unfortunately died.  They need a goodly amount of regular irrigation to establish.  

End with the beautiful roses Beloved gave me for Valentines Day.  :)

No such thing as too many roses.  Happy blooms!