I really had planned to skinny down my Bloom Day posts but it's May! Drought-stricken or not, there's a surprising amount in bloom in my Southern California garden this month. Here are the plants making the biggest impact:
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| Achillea 'Moonshine' has splashed its sunny blooms all across the back garden (shown on the right with Salvia 'Marine Blue') |
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| Anagallis 'Wildcat Mandarin'is at its peak |
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| Argyranthemum frutescens (shown here with Hebe 'Wiri Blush' on the upper left) |
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| Arthropodium cirratum (aka Renga Lilies) are brightening dry shade areas throughout the garden |
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| Bignonia capreolata is giving a color lift to the back slope |
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| Common borage, sprouted from seed, is filling in the empty spaces I had left after removing the last of my lawn |
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| I'm coming to realize that Cotula lineariloba 'Big Yellow Moon' (left) is something of a thug here. Although not evident in my photos, Cotula 'Tiffendell Gold' (right) is a daintier specimen that forms a nice evergreen mat but isn't intent on world domination. |
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| Cuphea ignea 'Starfire Pink' is back in full force after the severe haircut it received in late winter |
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| Euphorbia characias 'Black Pearl' (shown here attempting to swallow up a Phormium), planted in various areas of the front and back gardens, has taken off |
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| Gaura lindheimeri has a big presence in the front garden |
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| The Grevilleas continue to be mainstays of my garden (clockwise from the top: G. 'Peaches & Cream', 'Ned Kelly', 'Superb'and 'Pink Midget') |
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| The silver cones on Leucadendron 'Pisa' continue to get larger |
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| Limonium perezii (aka sea lavender) is as common as dirt in SoCal for a reason: it produces a mass of long-lived paper-like flowers with very little water |
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| Phlomis fruticosa is finishing up its bloom cycle but no one told this particular shrub |
A few other plants are just beginning to make their floral presence known:
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| The first of the Agapanthus have just opened for business |
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| Two of my tall Anigozanthos have made return appearances |
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| Phylica pubescens, a relatively new addition, is sporting its first flowers |
And, because I can't seem to help myself, here are some other lower-profile bloomers, organized by color:
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Top row: Brachyscome, Erigeron 'Wayne Roderick' with Geranium 'Tiny Monster', Erysimum linifolium, and Globularia x indubia
Second row: Gomphrena 'Itsy Bitsy', Lathyrus odoratus, Lobelia valida, and Lupinus propinquus
Third row: Melaleuca thymifolia, Nierembergia linarifolia, Osteospermum 'Serenity Purple', and Pelargonium 'Rembrandt'
Fourth row: 2 Pericallis hybrids, Salvia leucantha 'Santa Barbara', and Violas |
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| Clockwise from upper left: Leucadendron 'Blush', Arbutus 'Marina', Arctotis 'Pink Sugar', Bougainvillea (noID), Dorycnium hirsutum, seedpods of Cercis occidentalis, Feijoa sellowiana, Oenothera speciosa, Rosa 'Pink Meidiland', and Salvia lanceolata |
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Top row: Aeonium 'Kiwi', Alstroemeria 'Princess Claire', and white and yellow Argyranthemum frutescens
Second row: Euphorbia 'Dean's Hybrid', Hemerocallis 'Barbara Mitchell', Hoya multiflora, and Jacobaea maritima
Third row: Leonotis leonurus, Leucanthemum x superbum, Lonicera (noID), and Magnolia grandiflora
Fourth row: Myoporum parvifolium, Pelargonium 'Georgia Peach', Tanacetum niveum, and Tagetes lemmonii |
I also had a visit from a colorful character late yesterday afternoon. I'd left the side gate open and he strode right in.
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| The side gate, festooned with Pelargonium peltatum and Trachelospermum jasminoides |
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| I looked up from my computer and found this fellow, a juvenile male peacock, probably recently kicked out of the family nest, staring in at me. He turned away and ducked under a hedge along the upper ridge of the slope soon after I stood up with my camera. Peacocks were brought to our peninsula in the early 1900s as exotic pets and are now widespread here, although uncommon in my our neighborhood (probably due to the active presence of coyotes). |
You can find other posts dedicated to May's floral bounty by visiting
Carol of May Dreams Gardens, the host of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.
All material © 2012-2016 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
