Texans are fond of saying 'Go big or go home' but they sure didn't mean the ice age that's descended on them this week. My heart goes out to the people there. To be without power in the middle of such a deep freeze is truly a catastrophe. Our prayers are with the residents there, that power will be back on in short order.
Meanwhile, here in the Bay Area, we're getting our usual 'a little bit of everything' February weather. The rain is certainly welcome, though we're still below our season's average rainfall right now. My garden has loved the rain we're getting. There's no question to me that rainfall is superior than water out of the hose. Full of prana and absent the chlorine that's in our commercial water system. My garden is in transition, with the very beginnings of spring starting to show their head. Today's brief collection of photos reflect that cusp. Enjoy!
Othonna cheirifolia. This curious plant from Tunisia features spoon-shaped silvery leaves and bright yellow daisy-like flowers. Its common name is one of my favorites - Barbary Ragwort. Not fussy about soil and easy to grow.
Gladiolus 'Mirella.' This is one of many lovely so-called species glads. Species glads mostly hail from Africa and are the source for the fancier hybrids so popular everywhere.
Anisodontea Strybing Beauty. Most people are familiar with tree mallows (Lavatera). Anisodontea is like a petite-flowering version of that mallow but one that given favorable conditions, can bloom nearly year round.
Grevillea 'King's Celebration.' This Grevillea makes up in volume what it lacks in larger flowers. It too can bloom nearly year round, as the specimen in Ruth Bancroft Garden has demonstrated.
The photos above and below are of my Viburnum x burkwoodii. If your view of Viburnums is that they have pretty white flowers and not much else for appeal, this species will change your mind. It has some of the most intensely fragrant flowers of any garden plant. One sniff and you'll be rushing to your local nursery to buy one.
What's that expression? "A weed is only a plant you don't want in your garden." That would certainly not be the case for Chasmanthe bicolor. At least for some. In late winter it produces attractive mint-green leaves and sprays of very pretty orange and yellow flowers. Yes, it does spread but it's easy enough to contain.
I know that many people's association with Oxalis is that bothersome winter and spring weed but in fact there are scads of lovely species. One of them is this unique O. teneriensis, that forms rounds balls of leaves and eventually petite yellow flowers.
Daffodils and Echeverias make a good combo, don't you think? Especially when both are in bloom, as is the case here.
This mixed conifer bowl just keeps getting better and this winter, the golden specimen in front (a Chamaecyparis variety) has turned an especially vivid mustard yellow.
That large guy on the left is Aloe striata (Coral aloe) and to its right, Sideritis cypria. Together they're kind of taking over the front of this driveways bed. If you look closely, you can see a fat flower spike emerging from the center of the aloe.
Lachenalia tricolor. The most dependable, and perhaps colorful, of all my Lachenalias!
4 new Neoregelias. Neos, as they're called, are the most colorful of all the bromeliads.
My Dianthus Rosy Cheeks is a blooming machine!
For some reason my Erysimum (wallflower) went completely dormant last year but it has bounced back and is happily blooming away.
There's something about yellow trumpet daffodils that is just so cheerful!
Iris reticulata 'Alida.' Reticulatas are dwarf, species iris and this is an exceptionally pretty one!
Here's another 'retic' - Iris Dwarf Clairette. Lovely blue and purple colors.
My Erica canaliculata Rosea is back in bloom - in a big way!
Here's my front yard bed, so named Sun King as a Beatles reference. There are a ton of bulbs in there, everything from Ferraria and Daffodils to Iris and Tritonia.
It took awhile but my Loropetalum is going great guns now.
Fuchsias may be common but they are a sight for sore eyes in late fall and early winter.
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