Hakea laurina the star this month. It lived in its nursery pot a little too long
while I dithered on where to plant it. It ended up in a good place for
itself (sun! drainage!) on the west slope near the Fuerte avocado, but not so good for the gardener--she has to
climb a slope to admire it up close.
But worth the climb:
. So happy I didn't kill it (yet)by taking too long to plant it (like the 'Ebony' Leucadendrons).Tagetes lemonii also on the slope near the Hakea, is still flowering nicely:On the flat ground, the odd daylily here and there--it was a glorious warm-not-hot sunny October and November, excepting two glorious multi-day rainstorms that soaked the soil and brought everything new growth, and new flower stems from the daylilys.Love those saturated orange Gazanias I bought by mistake.
I should make mistakes like this more often:
Also with orange flowers another South African daisy, Arctotis. A neighbor gave me a clump when I admired it in her garden:
Various other blooms here and there amidst yellowing foliage. We've had foggy, drippy mornings--far better than Santa Ana winds.
'Golden Celebration':
Pelargonium peltatum'Souvenir de la Malmaison':'Moondance':'Burgundy Iceberg':Color from the Boston Ivy as it goes dormant even in our frost-free winters:Gasteria acinacifolia:'Bishops Castle':Metrosideros 'Spring Fire':'Peter Mayle':Arctostaphylos 'Austin Griffiths':Mini preview of many Aloe flowers to come this winter:
A. van balenii:
A. rubroviolacea just opening:Grevillea 'Superb' of course, ever blooming, but this particular plant is finally showing signs of being not only ever-blooming, but lavishly so. It took its time. Harry licks the flowers when he gets the chance--he must like the sweet nectar they drip:And one of the Cuphea 'Vermillionaire's, chopped to the ground some month or two ago, is back and blooming again. A hot-pink Pentas snuck into the photo at the lower left corner:Whew. I actually managed a bloom day this month. Harry's improving--so I even managed a little gardening, too.
I hope all's well with you all. Happy flowers!
Lots of gorgeous things blooming in the garden. The Hakea blooms look like fuzzy clover. Nice to see all the colourful blooms and your roses are always glorious. Here there is lots of conifer greens, white and shades of buff and gold. Relaxing but one does crave lots of floral colour after a while.
ReplyDeleteWe have many of the same plants in bloom at the moment, absent the Hakea and the roses on my part. I've wanted that Hakea for years but even so still have no idea where I'd put it to ensure it'd be happy. I'm getting the odd daylily here and there too - maybe the result of the early rains followed by the brief span of warmer temperatures. We're socked in by fog on a daily basis now, though.
ReplyDeleteHarry's growing up a bit! Hakea laurina is a showstopper, especially this time of year - I'm glad you found a spot for it to be happy. I had to laugh at all your Aloe buds, fabulous. Your fall weather has been just about perfection.
ReplyDeleteAfter much wavering I planted another 'Ebony,' maybe the third? Found a cheap gallon so was determined to find a full-sun backlit spot for it, otherwise it just seems to create a black hole visually. Envious of your orange daisies -- I couldn't remember whether arctotis blooms mid-winter, so taking note of that. And that's great news about Harry!
ReplyDeleteYour Hakea laurina is definitely the star here. Not only the sweet blooms but also those stripy leaves: so fabulous.
ReplyDeleteGrevillea 'Superb' living up to its name, both lavishly and ever blooming. Its endearing that Harry discover the sweet nectar... I can just see him in my mind's eye: hilarious.
Chavli
Hakea laurina is indeed the star, wow. Thanks for giving us plenty of photos. I can visualize Harry licking the Grevillea 'Superb', must be adorable!
ReplyDeleteI can see why the Pin-Cushion Hakea is the star of the garden this month--it's lovely! Thanks for this hopeful post, including the good news about Harry. ❤️ Your garden is so lush and healthy and vibrant in all seasons. Happy Holidays!
ReplyDeleteOh wow! That Hakea, lucky you! We still have a cuphea blooming too. Never expected it to last to late December. Amazingly hardy, though this may be the mildest December I've ever experienced in Oregon. Happy Holidays!
ReplyDelete