Bloom Day - January 2024 (Late Edition)

Although the volume of flowers in my garden always seems spare to me during what passes for winter here in coastal Southern California, I'm usually surprised by just how many photos I manage to accumulate when preparing my Bloom Day post.  It's been relatively cold with most of our daytime temperatures in the 50sF (10 to 15C); however, we're not experiencing anything like the icy temperatures affecting large swaths of the US.  By comparison to last January, most of the same varieties of flowers are present but the overall volume of flowers appears smaller, possibly due to the lower rainfall this season.

I'll start with the prolific Leucadendrons, whose "petals" are actually colorful bracts, not true flowers.

Leucadendron salignum 'Chief' is a very large shrub, at least 11 feet tall and nearly as wide.  I'm holding off on pruning it until the "flowers" begin to fade.

I've been cutting stems of Leucadendron 'Safari Sunset' for flower arrangements for the past 2 months and they're still abundant

The "flowers" of Leucadendron salignum 'Summer Red' turn from a blush shade of red to pale ivory as they age

Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder' produces daisy-like yellow bracts surrounding greenish cones

There are some real flowers putting on a good show.

Camellia williamsii 'Taylor's Perfection' (shown on the left and upper right) is hitting its stride.  Meanwhile, the noID Camellia sasanqua shown on the lower right is finishing its season.

I cut all the Felicia aethiopica shrublets back a couple of months ago and they've bounded back into bloom this month

The flowers of Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy' are tiny but plentiful

Like Leucadendrons, Grevilleas are another backbone of my garden.  Grevillea 'Superb' is the king of the genus in my view.

Clockwise from the upper left, other Grevilleas producing flowers in smaller numbers include: G. alpina x rosmarinifolia, G. 'Peaches & Cream', G. 'Poorinda Leane', G. lavandulacea 'Penola', G. 'Scarlet Sprite', G. sericea, and G. rosmarinifolia 'Dwarf Form'

I have a wide range of varieties of Osteospermum but, so far, most are sporting only a few blooms at a time.  Clockwise from the upper left: O. '4D Pink', O. '4D Violet & White', O. 'Berry White', self-seeded variety, O. 'Violet Ice', O. 'Sunburst', and O. '4D White'

The ivy geraniums (Pelargonium peltatum) are blooming here and there

The sweet pea bushes (Polygala myrtifolia) are flowering more each day

I don't have a large amount of succulents in bloom but I do have some.

The bright yellow bloom stalks of Aeonium arboreum are popping up everywhere

Aloe 'Moonglow'is looking especially pretty this year

Aloe vanbalenii x ferox is in full bloom now

The delicate blooms of Crassula ovata (aka jade plant) contrast with the plant's fleshy foliage

There are some early spring arrivals too.

I planted a dozen plugs of Pericallis x hybrida (aka cineraria) 2 months ago and they're almost all flowering now

Clockwise from the upper left, recent arrivals include: Anemone coronaria, Antirrhinum majus, Delphinium grandiflorum, Digitalis 'Dalmatian Peach', noID Digitalis, and noID Narcissus

I'll conclude my post as usual with the best of the rest organized by color.

Clockwise from the upper right: Bauhinia x blakeana, Boronia crenulata 'Shark Bay', Correa pulchella 'Pink Eyre', Cuphea 'Honeybells', Hebe 'Wiri Blush', Pelargonium hortorum, and Persicaria capitata

Clockwise from the upper right: Fuchsia 'Wind Chimes White', Pentas lanceolata (looking more pale pink than white at the moment), Nemesia 'Nessie Plus White', Lavandula multifida, Viola 'Sorbet Neptune' and Salvia rosmarinus (aka rosemary)

Top row: Euryops chrysanthemoides, Gaillardia 'Spintop Copper Sun', and Gazania 'Gold Flame' Middle: noID Gazania, Mahonia x media 'Charity', and Metrosideros collina 'Springfire' Bottom: Primula vulgaris, Senecio artemisioides, and Viola 'Colossus Lemon'