The heat has been running on high here in Southern California for the past week. It peaked at 92F last Wednesday but it's remained in the mid-to-upper 80sF since. We're expecting a dramatic cool-down by Wednesday and, possibly, rain next Monday. However, in the meantime, the garden is struggling. The fall-blooming plants here aren't adapted to extended heat in mid-November and the ongoing drought is getting downright tiresome.
The blooms of
Senna bicapsularis, which made the biggest splash in my garden in October, have withered and dropped to the ground, although sulphur butterflies (
Phoebis sennae) are still flitting about their host plant. However,
Barleria obtusa, which was just beginning its bloom cycle last month, is providing swaths of blue color in the garden, seemingly oblivious to the heat.
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| I was told that this plant blooms off and on most of the year in some gardens but, for me, it's a reliable fall bloomer |
Polygala myrtifolia 'Mariposa' joined in this month, producing a healthy crop of small sweet pea-like blooms.
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| These shrubs are smaller than the more common Polygala fruticosa but have the same flowers |
Camellia sasanqua began blooming on schedule in late October but it hasn't appreciated the heat spell at all.
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| I picked off all the dead blooms before snapping this photo. I have 3 other C. sasanqua, all struggling with the heat like this one, despite their location in a shady, protected area |
My four
Arbutus 'Marina' trees are laden with flower clusters, although spent flowers also litter the ground.
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| Some fruits are beginning to form on the trees but the flowers are still more prominent |
The large-flowered
Grevilleas keep on giving, as do the ornamental grasses.
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| Grevillea 'Peaches & Cream' (left) got a boost this month when removal of a nearby hedge increased its sun exposure on the west side - the number of flowers tripled almost immediately. G. 'Superb' (right) never seems to stop blooming. |
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| All the Pennisetums are still blooming but I caught P. advena 'Rubrum' lit from behind so it's standing up for all of them this month |
While the blue, green and white forms of
Eustoma grandiflorum (Lisianthus) have given up, at least for now, the pink and yellow varieties continue to produce a small but steady supply of blooms.
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| I've become very dependent on these blooms to fill my vases every week and will miss them when the remaining plants shut down. It remains to be seen whether they'll return for me next year. The pink varieties returned in large numbers this year but the varieties in other colors did not. |
Meanwhile the
Gazanias appear to have gained a boost from the return of summer-like heat.
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| The left and middle photos feature Gazania 'Strawberry Shortcake'. The Gazania on the right is a gray-leafed 'Yellow Flame'. |
There are traces of color elsewhere in the garden but no big splashes of color.
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| Clockwise from the upper left, blue and purple color is offered by Symphyotrichum chiliensis, Duranta erecta 'Sapphire Showers', Eremophila hygrophana, Erigeron 'Wayne Roderick', Felicia aethiopica 'Tight & Tidy', Globularia x indubia, Hypoestes aristata (shown here next to Cuphea 'Starfire Pink'), and Verbena bonariensis |
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| The pinks include Bauhinia x blakeana, Argyranthemum frutescens 'Angelic Giant Pink', Correa pulchella 'Pink Eyre', Crowea 'Parry's Hybrid', Cuphea 'Starfire Pink', Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl', Pelargonium peltatum 'Pink Blizzard', and Pentas 'Kaleidoscope Appleblossom' |
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| And others of significance include Papaver nudicaule, Alstroemeria 'Claire', A. 'Inca Husky', Gaillaria 'Arizona Sun', Russelia equisetiformis 'Flamingo Park', Salvia elegans, Tagetes lemmonii, and Zinnia 'Profusion White' |
I'll close this Bloom Day post with one last photo of the plant providing the biggest surprise, defying the odds to bloom a second season despite exposure to heat and drought.
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| This hybrid Pericallis from the 'Senetti' series was planted late last fall. It's sold as an annual but this one has returned for a repeat performance this year. |
Visit Carol of May Dreams Gardens for other Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day posts.
All material © 2012-2016 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
