It never fails that, as soon as I publish my Bloom Day post, I find flowers I somehow missed. Or, just as frequently, flowers bloom a day or two after the middle of the month. The number of "misses" is particularly high this month. The flowers seem to be virtually knocking down the garden gate. Perhaps this is a response to the spate of unseasonably warm weather we had in the days leading up to Bloom Day - our cool season flowers want their time in the limelight before hot weather gains a foothold here and they have to creep back under cover to prevent themselves from frying.
Here's a taste of what has popped up since I prepared my Bloom Day post:
![]() |
| Okay, maybe I just missed this Argyranthemum frutescens 'Madeira Red' in a pot at the bottom of the slope |
![]() |
| But how could I have missed Camellia 'Taylor's Perfection'? I've been waiting since late December for its blooms to open. |
![]() |
| Just a couple of days ago, in a comment on another blog, I said I'd seen no sign of flowers or leaves on our Cercis occidentalis, then I walk thorough the garden the next morning and see this |
![]() |
| Perhaps I can be excused for missing the small pale flowers opening on this Cistus x skanbergii |
![]() |
| And these equally pale, small-sized noID daffodils, nearly hidden beside Stipa tenuissima |
![]() |
| I didn't include Gaillardia aristata 'Gallo Peach' in my Bloom Day post because there were only one or 2 flowers showing then but now there are dozens of blooms and buds. This Gaillardia, which has shown itself to be much more vibrant than G. 'Mesa Peach' is my favorite plant this week. |
![]() |
| Yes, I featured Gazania 'New Day Yellow' in January's post but it deserves another showing. This particular bloom is more than 4 inches in diameter - it's screaming for attention! |
![]() |
| Even Graptopetalum paraguayense is blooming |
![]() |
| I'd noticed buds on Grevillea 'Superb' when I was taking my Bloom Day photos but the first of these has now opened |
![]() |
| Hebe 'Patty's Purple' isn't flashy and I guess I just missed the fact that it had started blooming again |
![]() |
| The tiny flowers of Ipheion uniflorum are easily missed |
![]() |
| Limonium perezii never gets the respect it deserves |
![]() |
| But how did I miss the blooms on this Phalaeonopsis that sits on my own desk? |
![]() |
| To be honest, I took several pictures of this Philotheca myoporoides 'Profusion', a relatively new acquisition, for the Bloom Day post - the plant wasn't nearly as photogenic in full sun as it is under the cover of a marine layer |
![]() |
| Phlomis fruticosa has just produced its first tentative blooms |
There are a LOT of buds as well. Two more
Grevillea,
'Ned Kelly' and
'Bonfire', are developing buds, as is my new
'Hot Pink' Callistemon. There are even buds on my sweet peas. However, my guess is that the next plant to burst into bloom will be the
Ageratum corymbosum - it's close, I think.
![]() |
| The buds on this Ageratum began forming in early January |
I think spring is here.
(My apologies - and sympathy - to those experiencing dreadful weather elsewhere. I hope you understand that spring needs to be celebrated when it makes its appearance. That happens on a different schedule for all of us. Your time will come!)
All material
© 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
