I’ve just returned from a week away and haven’t had a chance to inventory everything that’s blooming this month. Besides, you’ve seen a lot of it already. Here are a few snapshots from today of what’s new or what’s changed.
Carpenteria california was looking great for the last two months. Now, the petals are all dropping, and this is as close to anything resembling a flower left on the plant.
I keep thinking the narcissus are finished blooming, but I found this yellow one blooming beneath the jade plant. Bulbs--you gotta love how they're these little surprise that pop up where you forgot you planted them...
This verbena lilacena was blooming last month, but it's looking even better now.
Here's the pale Paseo Rancho clone of the previous verbena.
Stinging lupine, Lupinus hirsutissimus. No, the photo isn't upside down. For some reason the plant is. It started growing up, and then did a U-turn and headed for the ground like an errant missile. I somehow suspect gophers had something to do with it.
Here's an upright spike of the previous lupine...
Spharulcea ambigua, desert mallow, starting to bloom.
Looking very much like the previous mallow, this is S. munroana. For some reason this species is supposed to be a better garden plant than the previous speceis. In my gardne the plants are virtually identical, and if anything the basic desert mallow does better for me.
A seedling of a Mimulus aurantiacus hybrid. Its color is definitely lighter than the scarlet ones found locally.
Ranunculus californicus
Bulbinella frutescens(?)--Edit, February 25: Actually, according to Oscar Clarke, it's Bulbine bulbosa. Thanks for the assistance with the ID!
Euphorbia lambii
Blue dicks, Dichelostemma capitatum
Rose-scented geranium (pelargonium)
Among the edibles in bloom, this is rhubarb. This is my first attempt at growing this plant that supposedly doesn't like anything warmer than Zone 8. I'm not sure that I really like rhubarb, but I was curious to see how it would do, particularly since my local trusty nursery was selling it.
Flowers on another plant--apricot--that likes colder climates than mine. Unlike rhubarb, I know that I love apricots, but I really can't grow them well. This year, maybe because November was so insanely cold, the tree so far has a few dozen flowers on it. Still, I won't count my apricots until they're picked.
Astragalus nuttallii starting to come into its own. Some species are called locoweed, and not much more than two pounds is supposedly enough to kill an average cow. Don't think less of me when I tell you that one of the reasons I planted this species was to see if it might help me control the gophers. I can't say it's done anything to reduce their numbers.
Not everything is peaking, of course. Here's chalk dudleya in bud. Check back in a month or two to see it in bloom.
Thanks as usual to Carol at May Dreams Gardens for hosting this fun garden blogger meme. Take a look [ here ] at what else is blooming in other gardens around the country, around the world.
My prediction: a lot of the colder-climate gardeners will be posting on the Valentine’s Day flowers they gave or received. I hope you all had a god one. Middle age has struck and I don’t look so hot in my Cupid outfit anymore. You’ll have to settle for flowers delivered this way…
24 thoughts on “february bloom day”
Great pics of the Mimulus and Ranunculus. And I kinda like the u-turned lupine. Though the upward pointing one is more impressive. Happy bloom day.
Thank you for some pretty flowers! They are a little sparse in my own garden still, you have to crawl around and shove the lens down their throats to get the full appeal, just glancing out the window they are a mere speckling of colour against the grey. I love the Mimulus aurantiacus, gorgeous colour.
Great to see so many flowers when we still have snow cover. I love the desert mallow—orange flowers are my favorite. I am sure it doesn’t grow in PA. Happy GBBD, Carolyn
I hope you do get some rain to…although I will be in Encinitas this weekend visiting my grandchildren and hope we get a little nice weather! Love your blooms…San Diego is such a paradise!
My E. lambii dropped most of its leaves during some night temps into the mid 30’s. Yours looks fabulous. And I’ve been meaning to get that ranunc for my garden for quite a while. Can’t wait to hear of your travels. Neither you nor your garden appear the least jet-lagged.
It’s 26 degrees with a dreadful wind chill here on the Outer Cape today, so THANK YOU SO for these beautiful photos.
I love your version of the narcissi – a little miracle on top of that teetering stem. I want to say the mimulus is my favorite – there’s something about the unlikely shape of the bloom that tickles me – but we all know all the others are my favorites, too.
Your gardens are lovely and so full of blooms. It’s in the 30’s here today and it is welcoming to see something blooming somewhere. Happy Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day!
Are you going to cut back the Verbena de la Mina at all? It’s hard to make yourself do it since it never stops blooming completely, but in my climate at least it gets too leggy if it doesn’t get a nice shaping in the winter.
Thanks for all your comments! Yes, there are advantages to living where winters are mild. However I’m almost sorry I mentioned that I can’t rock the Cupid outfit the way I used to be able to…
In answer to Susan’s question on the verbena, I’ve cut the plants back a very few inches if they get stemmy. I haven’t had problems with them dying back if I do, but I’ve heard reports of the plants not responding well to harsh pruning. My plants are only a very few years old, so they may require more dramatic intervention as they get larger. That might be a climate thing. I barely water them, and they don’t grow particularly quickly for me.
I find your blog worthwhile. I appreciate your accuracy, although there is one plant I would like to give you a different name for: the plant that you call Bulbinella is Bulbine bulbosa. Bulbinella has a very dense inflorescence (you can check the pictures on Wikipedia). The filaments of Bulbine stamens are bearded from top to bottom, and the Bulbinella has no beard on the stamens.
I intend to follow the progress of your blog! My and my wife would love to meet you, if you find yourself in Riverside area you are welcome to come to our home. We are in the phone directory or you can send me an email.
Fer, thank you–the verbena is definitely one of the most gratifying plants in the garden!
Oscar, thanks very much for the kind comments and the correction! I’m out of my comfort zone with much of the botanical universe and I’m appreciative when people help me out. Thank you too for the invitation. I did my undergraduate work where you taught, and I venture that direction every now and then. Until we meet let me tell you how much I continue to enjoy the book both of you were so involved with bringing about.
You have a lot blooming! Nice. I like the muted colors of the monkeyflower and the mallow. there is so much bright gold here in the summer, in tarweed and madia, that I’d like mellower colors.
Great pics of the Mimulus and Ranunculus. And I kinda like the u-turned lupine. Though the upward pointing one is more impressive. Happy bloom day.
Thank you for some pretty flowers! They are a little sparse in my own garden still, you have to crawl around and shove the lens down their throats to get the full appeal, just glancing out the window they are a mere speckling of colour against the grey. I love the Mimulus aurantiacus, gorgeous colour.
Great to see so many flowers when we still have snow cover. I love the desert mallow—orange flowers are my favorite. I am sure it doesn’t grow in PA. Happy GBBD, Carolyn
Happy Bloom Day. Very nice pictures.
I hope you do get some rain to…although I will be in Encinitas this weekend visiting my grandchildren and hope we get a little nice weather! Love your blooms…San Diego is such a paradise!
Very pleasant to see flowers blooming at your place. Blooms here are scattered, but fun to seek out buds that are close.
I especially love the narcissus! That little yellow bloom is so sweet!
aloha,
what a beautiful collection of blooms you have for february, love the strange upside down lupine 🙂
thanks for sharing this today
Great pairings of flowers. Sad to think of the cupid outfit getting retired.
The Euphorbia lambii is such a beautiful plant, and your picture is wonderful. Gorgeous light and shadows. Happy GBBD! Thanks for sharing!
My E. lambii dropped most of its leaves during some night temps into the mid 30’s. Yours looks fabulous. And I’ve been meaning to get that ranunc for my garden for quite a while. Can’t wait to hear of your travels. Neither you nor your garden appear the least jet-lagged.
It’s 26 degrees with a dreadful wind chill here on the Outer Cape today, so THANK YOU SO for these beautiful photos.
I love your version of the narcissi – a little miracle on top of that teetering stem. I want to say the mimulus is my favorite – there’s something about the unlikely shape of the bloom that tickles me – but we all know all the others are my favorites, too.
🙂
This is the month when California Envy strikes the hardest.
Your gardens are lovely and so full of blooms. It’s in the 30’s here today and it is welcoming to see something blooming somewhere. Happy Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day!
You’ve a lot going on in your lovely garden this month. Happy Bloom Day to you.
You seem to be a good two months ahead of me! My California buttercups have barely emerged from the ground and are nowhere near blooming yet.
I envy you the Sphaeralcea munroana. Someday I’m going to manage to find some of that for myself.
Are you going to cut back the Verbena de la Mina at all? It’s hard to make yourself do it since it never stops blooming completely, but in my climate at least it gets too leggy if it doesn’t get a nice shaping in the winter.
So that confirms it…you do have a cupid outfit.
Thanks for all your comments! Yes, there are advantages to living where winters are mild. However I’m almost sorry I mentioned that I can’t rock the Cupid outfit the way I used to be able to…
In answer to Susan’s question on the verbena, I’ve cut the plants back a very few inches if they get stemmy. I haven’t had problems with them dying back if I do, but I’ve heard reports of the plants not responding well to harsh pruning. My plants are only a very few years old, so they may require more dramatic intervention as they get larger. That might be a climate thing. I barely water them, and they don’t grow particularly quickly for me.
Those are really nice pics! the verbena looks great!
I find your blog worthwhile. I appreciate your accuracy, although there is one plant I would like to give you a different name for: the plant that you call Bulbinella is Bulbine bulbosa. Bulbinella has a very dense inflorescence (you can check the pictures on Wikipedia). The filaments of Bulbine stamens are bearded from top to bottom, and the Bulbinella has no beard on the stamens.
I intend to follow the progress of your blog! My and my wife would love to meet you, if you find yourself in Riverside area you are welcome to come to our home. We are in the phone directory or you can send me an email.
Fer, thank you–the verbena is definitely one of the most gratifying plants in the garden!
Oscar, thanks very much for the kind comments and the correction! I’m out of my comfort zone with much of the botanical universe and I’m appreciative when people help me out. Thank you too for the invitation. I did my undergraduate work where you taught, and I venture that direction every now and then. Until we meet let me tell you how much I continue to enjoy the book both of you were so involved with bringing about.
How many pounds of locoweed to make the cow high?
You have a lot blooming! Nice. I like the muted colors of the monkeyflower and the mallow. there is so much bright gold here in the summer, in tarweed and madia, that I’d like mellower colors.