We've been riding a weather roller-coaster of late. Our rainy season, which generally begins in October and ends in April, has failed to deliver much in the way of precipitation thus far. January's high temperatures made it feel as though we'd fast-forwarded into summer. Then a blast of arctic air sent temperatures plummeting in February, even serving up a brief flurry of hail last week. We finally got a bit more rain Monday night, 0.15/inch at this location, enough to warrant turning off the irrigation system, at least temporarily. According to our roof-top weather station, our seasonal total, measured from October 1, 2017, now stands at 1.6 inches, which may end up being something for the record books, albeit not in a good way. Under the circumstances, it's not surprising that the garden isn't as floriferous as it was last year at this time, when it benefited from heavier-than-usual rain. But, when I look carefully, there are still beautiful flowers to be found.
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| This is Ferraria crispa (aka Starfish Iris), a South African bulb. I planted at least 2 of these in December 2016 but this is the only one that survived as far as I can see. It's not supposed to bloom until late summer or fall in this hemisphere but it bloomed last February and here it is again. The blooms are small and short-lived but precious nonetheless. |
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| Scilla peruviana is blooming again too! It's a finicky bulb, which has gone years without blooming in the past but this is the second year in a row it's made an appearance. Despite its name, it's native to the Mediterranean areas of southwestern Europe. Apparently, it was sent to England on a ship named "The Peru," which is how it came by its name. |
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| Ipheion uniflorum, a South American native, has produced a flower here or there for the past month but now the tiny bulbs are blooming in earnest |
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| The noID Narcissus I planted my first year here are starting to bloom |
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| And the Narcissus tazetta 'Geranium' bulbs I planted this past fall have produced their first flower too. It's known for producing multiple flowers on a single stem and you can see that other flowers are preparing to push their way toward the sun in this photo. |
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| Veltheimia bracteata, another South African bulb, has also returned to flower this year |
While I may not have the blooms I had last year at this time, I know I have a larger head-start on spring than many areas of the country so I'm not complaining. More rain is expected tomorrow night too. My fingers are crossed that this will help keep 2018 out of the record books as the driest year on record for Los Angeles.
To close, here's a shot of a second
Ferraria bloom, which opened just this morning.
For more Wednesday Vignettes,
visit Anna at Flutter & Hum.
All material © 2012-2018 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
