With cooler than normal temperatures and heavier than usual rain through our winter months, I'd expected a bountiful Spring but I think even I was unprepared for the sheer volume of blooms in my garden this April. As two of my favorite memes, "In a Vase on Monday" and "Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day," coincide again this month, I'm combining them in a single post. I'll start with abbreviated coverage of the vases I prepared this week, followed by a lengthy Bloom Day segment.
I made up two vases again this week, taking advantage of some of the flowers most likely to die off quickly as our daytime temperatures continue to rise. For more Monday vases,
visit our IAVOM host, Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
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| A simple blue and white scheme shown from the front, back and top. I included noID Ceanothus, Coleonema album, Iris douglasiana 'Santa Lucia', Osteospermum '4D Silver', white Ranunculus, and Salvia heldreichiana. |
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| This pink and white arrangement is shown from the same 3 angles. It contains: noID pink Alstroemeria, Centranthus ruber (pink and white forms), Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl', Pelargonium 'White Lady', and Zantedeschia aethiopica. |
I took a LOT of photos for Bloom Day this month. Believe it or not, what follows was trimmed down considerably. I'll keep my comments to a minimum so as not to try your patience too much.
Let's start with the splashiest blooms gracing my garden at present, listed in alphabetical order as it's nearly impossible for me to pick favorites.
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| Ageratum corymbosum, a perennial shrub with purple foliage |
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| Arctotis 'Opera Pink'(aka one of many of the so-called African daisies) |
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| Arctotis 'Pink Sugar' |
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| Cercis occidentalis (aka Western Redbud) |
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| Coleonema pulchellum 'Album'(aka White Breath of Heaven), underplanted with Erigeron karvinskianus (aka Santa Barbara Daisy) |
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| Iris douglasiana 'Santa Lucia' (aka Pacific Iris) |
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| Two noID Iris x hollandica (Dutch Iris) and a noID Iris germanica (bearded Iris) |
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| Leptospermum scoparium 'Pink Pearl' (aka New Zealand Tree Tree) |
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| Leucadendron 'Pisa', displaying its yellow flower-like bracts |
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| I wasn't going to admit to a favorite but I'm honestly in love with this plant. It's Leucospermum 'Brandi', blooming in earnest for the first time this year. Leucospermum are also known as Pincushion Proteas. |
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| Leucospermum 'Goldie' is lagging 'Brandi' in the bloom department but it looks as though she's also going to have a good year |
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| These photos show the various stages of the bloom of Leucospermum 'Spider Hybrid' |
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| Limonium perezii (aka Sea Lavender or Statice) |
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| Phlomis fruticosa (aka Jerusalem Sage) |
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| Rosa 'Joseph's Coat', always the first of the few roses in my garden to bloom |
Several genera of plants are putting on an especially good show right now when looked at as a collection.
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| I've got IDs on only 2 of my Alstroemerias. The white one on the upper left is 'Claire' and the red-orange one next to it is 'Indian Summer'. |
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| Cistus (aka Rockrose): 'Second Honeymoon', x skanbergii, and 'Sunset' |
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| Echium handiense (Pride of Fuerteventura) on the left has been blooming since February but E. candicans (Star of Madeira) in the middle photo and E. webbii on the right are only just now beginning their blooms cycles |
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| Eschschlozia californica, California's state flower, bloomed on my back slope this year after hardly any blooms last year. The variety in the middle, 'White Linen' was planted from seeds years ago but the others are mostly products of plugs I planted this past winter. |
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| I've no problem growing Euphorbia. Clockwise from the top are: E. characias 'Black Pearl', E. rigida, 'Dean's Hybrid', and 'Ascot Rainbow'. |
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| Grevilleas, clockwise from the upper left: G. 'Ned Kelly', 'Peaches & Cream', 'Scarlet Sprite', and 'Superb' |
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| Lotus berthelotii 'Amazon Sunset' (left) and 'Gold Flash' (right) |
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| The Narcissus are fading fast: N. 'Geranium' (left) and 'White Lion' (right) |
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| The Osteospermums aren't liking our warmer temperatures either. Clockwise from the upper left: O. '3D Purple', '4D Silver', '4D Violet Ice', 'Summertime Sweet Kardinal', 'Berry White' and 'Double Moonglow'. |
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| In contrast, the Pelargoniums like warm conditions. Clockwise from the upper left: Pelargonium peltatum 'Pink Blizzard', P. cucculatum 'Flore Pleno', P. 'Pink Fairy Cascade', P. 'Orange Fizz' (the name comes from the scent of the leaves rather than the color of the flowers), and P. 'White Lady'. |
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| The simple white and yellow Pyrethropsis hosmariense (Moroccan daisies) have faded from the scene but 2 other varieties, 'Casablanca' (left) and 'Marrakech' (right) appeared this month |
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| With the exception of the perennial Ranunculus californicus on the upper left, all these are R. asiaticus grown from tubers. The latter haven't held up to our recent warm, dry winds. |
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| Two very different Salvias: Salvia africana lutea (left) and S. heldreichiana (right) |
Two other plants distinguished themselves for the oddity of their blooms rather than the size or sheer number of their flowers.
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| This quirky flower is Bupleurum rotundifolium 'Griffithii', grown from seed |
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| This photo of Ferraria crispa (aka Starfish Iris) was taken early this month. The flowers came on in a flurry this year but seem to be done now. |
I'll close as usual with collages made up of the best of the rest of the blooms in my garden.
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Top row: Ajuga 'Mint Chip', Alyogyne huegelii 'Swan River', and noID Ceanothus
Middle row: Cerinthe major, Geranium incanum (a weed!), and Helleborus 'Blue Lady'
Bottom row: self-seeded Lavandula stoechas, Polygala fruticosa 'Petite Butterfly', and Viola 'Blueberry' |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Aloe 'Rooikappie', Cuphea 'Vermillionaire', Hippeastrum 'Giant Amadeus' (producing a new bloom stalk months after the first one), Eremophila glabra, and Rosa chinense 'Mutabilis' |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Helleborus 'Phoebe', Babiana stricta, Centranthus ruber, Cuphea x 'Starfire Pink', Centaurea 'Silver Feathers', and Lampranthus 'Pink Kaboom' |
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Top row: Agryranthemum frutescens 'Mega White', Carpenteria californica, and Convolvulus cneorum
Middle row: Freesia, Fuchsia magellanica 'Hawkshead', and Gazania 'White Flame'
Bottom row: Ozythamnus diosmifolius, Westringia fruticosa, and Zantedeschia aethiopica |
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| Clockwise from the upper left: Cotula lineariloba, Aeonium arboreum, Freesia, Kalanchoe orgyalis, and Nemesia 'Sunshine' |
