Bloom Day - March 2019

I looked back at last year's March Bloom Day post, finding that I'd highlighted bulb blooms.   While some of the most spectacular bulbs that were in bloom last March, like Scilla peruviana, Ferrariacrispa and Dutch Iris, haven't made an appearance yet, other bulbs are carrying the show for now.

Freesias are everywhere.  They're glorious even when they've been matted to the ground by one rainstorm after another.

I planted Ipheion uniflorum years before we tore out our lawn and expanded our borders.  Now they pop up here and there between plants in my backyard borders.

The fancier, named varieties of Narcissi aren't blooming yet but two noID varieties have popped up in various locations

Last March, I had a lot of Ranunculus in bloom but this was the first one to make an appearance this year

The vast majority of my Sparaxis tricolor are shades of orange but I also have a few pink ones

I'd thought that all our rain would deliver armloads of calla lilies (Zantedeschia aethiopica) but thus far I've had just a few here and there.  I'm hoping warmer temperatures will bring them out in larger numbers.

When it comes to bulbs, my biggest surprise was getting a few tulips to bloom.  Granted, I purchased the bulbs pre-sprouted but I've done that before only to quickly lose the flowers to our dry Santa Ana winds.  Cooler, moister air in February and March gave them a boost this time.  Amelia of The Shrub Queen identified this variety, sold as "Two-tone Tulip", as 'Cerise Gris de Lin'.

I featured the so-called African daisies last month but the flowers are even more prolific this month so I'm showing them off again.  The Osteospermums in particular are running rampant.

Osteospermum '4D Silver' in the back border

A mass of Osteospermum '4D Violet Ice' backed up by O. 'Summertime Sweet Kardinal' in the north side garden.  The '4D Violet Ice' flowers are similar but not identical to '4D Silver'.

The noID white Osteospermum shown in another section of the same bed self-seeded from a variety with spoon-shaped petals.  The pink variety on the left is 'Serenity Pink'.

I added Osteospermum 'Spring Day' to another bed in the north side area last year

More Osteospermums are scattered throughout the garden.  Clockwise from the upper left are: '4D Purple', 'Berry White', noID pink, and 'Serenity Pink'.  The advantage of the '4D' varieties is that they remain open in low light when the single-petaled varieties close up, making them better choices for floral arrangements.

I've fewer varieties of Arctotis, another type of African daisy, but they're also blooming heavily this month.  Other than regular dead-heading to keep the clumps looking neat, they need almost no care.

Arctotis 'Opera Pink'

Arctotis 'Pink Sugar'

The Gazanias aren't putting on the same kind of show but they haven't faded into the background either.

With the exception of Gazania 'White Flame' (lower right), all of these are self-sown plants

Other plants making a strong showing this month include:

Calliandra haematocephala (aka Pink Powder Puff): It gets sheared regularly but still manages to bloom every year at this time

Bay Laurel (Laurus noblis): These shrubs form a hedge next to my neighbor's wire fence.  It usually gets sheared before it blooms but I caught it in flower this year.

Limonium perezii (aka Statice), opening its papery flowers at last

Lotus berthelotti, which I use as a groundcover.  The red variety is 'Amazon Sunset' and the other is 'Gold Flash'.

Several plants that were blooming well last month are continuing to flower well this month.

Camellia hybrid 'Taylor's Perfection' is dropping almost as many buds as it has flowers in bloom but it's still looking good

Ceanothus arboreus 'Cliff Schmidt' is still blooming and now the noID Ceanothus hedge is too

Grevilleas are the backbone of my flower collection but not all of them bloom year-round.  Grevillea 'Scarlet Sprite' is a seasonal bloomer.

Clockwise from the upper left, other Grevilleas in bloom at present include: G. alpina x rosmarinifolia, 'Peaches & Cream', 'Superb', G. lavandulacea 'Penola', G. sericea, a dwarf G. rosmarinifolia, G. lanigera 'Mount Tamboritha', and 'Ned Kelly'.

Are you satiated yet?  I'll close with my usual collages featuring plants contributing floral color on a more restrained scale.

Top row: Ageratum houstonianum, Alyogyne huegelii, and Aristea inaequalis Middle row: Geranium 'Tiny Monster', Globularia x indubia, and Echium handiense Bottom row: Lavandula stoechas 'Double Anouk', Pericallis hybrid, and Polygala fruticosa 'Petite Butterfly'

Top row: Arabis alpina 'Variegata', Argyranthemum ''Mega White', Auranticarpa rhombifolium, and Carpenteria californica Middle row: Crassula multicava, Dianthus caryophyllus, Jasminium polyanthum, and Lobularia maritima Bottom row: Nemesia 'Snow Angel', Tanacetum parthenium 'Aureum', and Coleonema album

Clockwise from the upper left: Achillea 'Moonshine', Aeonium arboreum, Agave desmettiana, Leucadendron 'Safari Goldstrike', Euryops virgineus 'Tali', Euryops chrysanthemoides 'Sonnenschien', Bulbine frutescens and, in the middle, Euphorbia rigida

Aloe striata, Cuphea 'Vermillionaire', and Leucospermum 'Brandi'(the first bloom of the season, opening VERY slowly)

Clockwise from the upper left: Helleborus 'Anna's Red', Euphorbia 'Black Pearl', Geranium sidoides, another Pericallis hybrid, Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy', and Lotus jacobeaus

Clockwise from the upper left: Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold', Cistus 'Grayswood Pink', Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl', Helleborus 'Phoebe', and Rosa chinensis 'Mutabilis'

I haven't checked but I think this post may represent my most flowerful yet.  Still, I'm hoping that April may top it.  Warmer weather is expected and it may tease out some of the blooms still holding back.  Much of the country is colder than we are but Spring is slowly creeping forward everywhere in the Northern Hemisphere despite Old Man Winter's efforts to hold it back.  Visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens to see what's happening elsewhere.


All material © 2012-2019 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party