Back to Winter

 So, one step forward (towards spring) and two steps back (to winter). Such is the Bay Area in February (and sometimes in March too).  That said, here are some photos from my not quite spring garden.

Camellia Silver Waves. An early prolific bloomer, with huge white flowers and a prominent yellow boss of stamens.

Kalanchoe variety. I love its thick, red, scalloped leaves.

Heliophila longifolia sounds more like a medical term, whereas it is in fact a charming annual with pretty pale violet flowers. The wandering stems are fun too.

Magnolia Butterflies. Though the flowers on my specimen have never got to the pure yellow they are advertised as having, my creamy flowers are still a delight.

One plant that is always eagerly awaited is this Viburnum x burkwoodii. Its many flowerheads are heavenly scented. Intoxicating!

One of the Aussie shrubs in my Driveways bed, this Melaleuca incana produces fuzzy flowers that sort of resemble a bottlebrush tree, only a pale yellow and smaller.

Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun.' Blanket flowers as they are known are one of the easiest flowers to grow. Along with Heleniums and Echinaceas, this group of central cone-producing flowers are rich in nectar and thus loved by bees, butterflies and hummers.

Verbena lilacina De la Mina is a CA native perennial that forms a 3'x3' shrub and delicate light purple flowers. Charming.

Though it is just beginning to bloom, my Phlomis fruticans has offered its first golden-yellow flowers.

Many people are familiar with the common hopbush - Dodonea viscosa - but here is a species known as D. sinuolata. It produces hundreds of tiny charming red flowers which soon become seedpods. 

Though a bit hard to find these days, the pretty and durable Ipheion bulb offers star-shaped pale blue flowers in spring.

My large garden is made up of 20 smaller beds - each with a name. This is the aptly named Driveways bed, it being between the two driveways in the front yard. It is filled mostly with Australian native shrubs and dry garden plants such as Agaves, Aloes and Yuccas.

Here's a little corner of my garden, under a west side fir tree, populated with pots of dwarf conifers and bromeliads. 

Though not in bloom yet, my Teucrium betonicum still offers chunky green leaves and a nice dense habit.

Strobilanthes anisophylla. This beauty holds onto its dark burgundy leaf color year round.

Anisodontea Strybing Sunset. Almost in bloom year round and a favorite flower for the bees.

Adenanthos (Wooly bush). The softest leaves ever plus tiny tubular orange flowers adored by hummers.

Leucospermum Veldfire. Buds are forming but no flowers yet. One of the most spectacular of all Leucos.

Erysimum Poem Mirabelle. One of my favorite winter bloomers.

Freesias. These have reverted back to the species cream color. Still one of the most fragrant flowers going.

Here's a wide view of my Magnolia Butterflies. Best year yet for flowering.