January or June?

Not a trick question -- okay maybe it is -- but a comment on the unseasonably warm days we're having. Those of us in the Bay Area are of course already dusting off our rain dance boots as we need much much more rain. Or to be more precise, the Sierras need much much more snow.
I'm a little short on inspiration (of the gardening variety) or perspiration (to write something substantial about a plant), so today the sharing is of the visual kind. That is, more photos of my garden, though of course I always add little tidbits about each of the plants displayed. I'm trying to expand some of those tidbits, as the occasion warrants.

Winter has come to equal succulents in many people's gardens. It's not just that winter is the 'off' season but that many succulents are at their best in the colder months. Here's a shot of my Aeonium 'Suncups'  (suitably enjoying the sun).

Just winter color, these pansies, but they complement the chartreuse foliage of the newly emerging Filipendula.

When I planted my Trachelium 'Hamer Pandora' it was green for the longest time. Hmm. But in the last few weeks the foliage has turned its characteristic bronzy-purple. Long before the hydrangea-like heads of purple flowers appear, I get to enjoy this distinctive foliage.

Though just starting to rebloom, this Erysimum 'Winter Sorbet' has put out its initial multi-colored blooms. 

I'm now calling my Oxalis penduncularis "The Octopus" for its gangly curving branches, each topped with a ball of bright green leaves.

My Chamelaucium has decided to test the waters by opening a few of its many flower buds. I didn't get this photo quite in perfect focus but it was so pretty I decided to include it.

I'm now engaged in a kind of death stare match with my Puya, daring it to finally bloom after eight years. So, yeah, it's a contest of wills at this point.

I'm loving my Melianthus pectinatus these days. Not just because it finally flowered after so many years but due to the singular, lush foliage. This plant, which I never knew needed a steady supply of water, is an example of needing to pay attention to each plant's individual needs.

On the other end of the spectrum we have my fourth succulent bowl. It's newly planted so the plants are still small. Contrast that with succulent bowl #3 below. Over a year old now, it's a study in the growth rates of different types of succulents. The big guy in the middle is an Aeonium  lancerottense and I knew it was going to get big. It'll be transplanted into the ground this spring.

Heliotropium 'Alba.' As I share regularly with customers, the white heliotrope is far more fragrant than the purple one. It's supposed to be longer lived as well. I love the textured leaves, as well as the dainty white flowers. Noses (as it pertains to smelling these flowers) fall into two camps -- talcum powder or vanilla. Which are you?

Speaking of plants with a 'food' connection, here's a shot of my delicate Camellia 'Buttermint.' Though it is supposed to exude a light fragrance (it doesn't for me) I think the butter part of the name refers to its subtle yellow center.

Here's a new photo of my O.R. (original rhodie). It really is this vivid fuchsia color. Lots of rhodies have a paler color as part of the flower but this one is a solid pink throughout.

Want a 'winter' shot? Here's one -- my Coral Bark maple's red stems shown off to good effect against the grey stucco wall.

Hydrangea 'Nikko Blue.' If your first reaction is "An hydrangea flower in January" and your second reaction is "This is a Nikko BLUE?" there is an explanation. I left this 'dying' flower on the bare plant and it gradually 'faded' to a soft pink. Sometimes 'death' can be interesting, even pretty, to photograph (when it comes to deciduous plants that is).

Here's the walkway leading back from the front area towards the studio apts in back. It gives you an idea of the narrow spaces I have to work with here.

Ferraria crispa. I had my first flower open yesterday but it was a bit small and the light wasn't right. So I raided my archives and found a photo of the flower from last year's blooming. What can you say, they're just spectacular flowers -- weird, cool, unique, impossible (who in the Making a Flower committee in the Nature Hall dreamt this one up?) and perhaps most unlikely of all it's hardy and a prolific bloomer.

Echinacea 'Summer Sky.' Okay, it's not summer and the sky isn't this color so ... wait ... okay, I've got nothing. Someone had clearly had a few drinks in naming this one. But it's a pretty flower nonetheless and it's a nectar rich plant so bees adore it.

Sphaeralcea munroana. This is a low growing, mounding globe mallow. This shot is from two years ago when it was in full bloom. Why here now? I had to replace it last year and for the first few months it looked like it would die. But it's settled in now and I see some flower buds so I am thrilled to have one of my favorite plants back.

The Year Round Garden

A year round garden may not be practical for many parts of the country but here on the West coast our winter weather is tempered by the Pacific ocean. That allows those so motivated to garden year round, though there are days, even weeks, where only hardy souls will be out tending to their garden. Here in Oakland, which has one of the most ideal climates of the non-tropical regions, it is indeed not only possible to be out in the garden in January but at times entirely pleasant. Such was the case today and even though the clouds are out the temps are very mild.
Of course the milder temps in winter can confuse certain plants, making them think spring is on the way. I've heard of people who "talk" to their plants. Unfortunately, I'm not sure my plants would listen if I told them "No, no, this isn't really spring. Stay in the ground!"
That's okay. They know the drill by now and are used to the highs and lows. In fact, I wish I handled my own ups and downs as well as my plants do.
Here are a few more photos of my 'winter' garden, most taken today and a few from my archives.

Agapetes serpens. There are some plants that are more unique than others (though uniqueness like beauty is in the eye of the beholder) and this evergreen shrub is one of them. First you have the flowers hanging underneath the branches. Which is similar to many heathers. But add in the papery feel of the flowers and you have a plant that's unlike just about anything else.

Abelia 'Kaleidoscope.' After a slow start my variegated Abelia is looking good. It still has yet to produce much in the way of flowers but since I wanted it primarily for the foliage then that's quite fine by me. 

Daphne odora marginata. It may be the most common Daphne but that doesn't mean it isn't pretty. And like many shrubs, the unopened flower buds are sometimes as pretty as the open flowers. That's certainly true for many daphnes. Incidentally, the genus name is from the Greek myth. Daphne was a lovely maiden and was pursued by the God Apollo, whose advances she spurned. When Apollo was about to capture her, Daphne's father Peneus turned her into a plant to save her. Apollo was still so smitten he then set out to tend to his special plant, to see that she prospered. Apollo as a faithful gardener? In this case, yes.

Justicia fulvicoma.This sweet little 'Plume flower' isn't as showy as some of its species mates but it has its own subtle charms.

Here the aptly named Campanula 'Blue Waterfall' is doing just that, spilling over this low bowl. It's a perfect compliment to the taller Justicia brandegeeana above it. 

I take so many photos of individual plants -- it's the nature of my garden -- that I have to remember to take a few "group" photos. I can almost imagine my saying to the plants "All right, Lepechinia, can you move a little closer in so I can get you in the photo." That is indeed the "Salvia-type plant gone wild" in the upper left. The charming and unique Cunonia (Butterknife tree) is in the middle. And snaking upwards on the right is my variegated mint bush (Prostanthera). "Can't we all just get along?" In this case the answer is yes.

This may not look like a Sweet olive but it is indeed an Osmanthus. In this case O. heterophyllus 'Goshiki.' Yes, it does have serrated leaves and yes it's incredibly slow to flower. Hmm, maybe the other Sweet olives kicked it out of the family!

Echeveria species plus Ornithogalum umbellatum. This Echeveria is proof positive that these guys can be just as happy in the ground as in pots. In fact, mine only began to prosper once I did relocate it to the ground. The vertical shoots sort of in the middle of the Echeveria is the Ornithogalum (Star of Bethlehem). It's a late winter blooming bulb, producing sweet little white flowers.

I have come around to feeling that Dianthus are one of the great little common plants in the trade. They're tough, prolific, adaptable, come in a variety of flower colors but also types of foliage. I happen to like the ones with a bluish foliage as is the case here. The bright red flower really pops against that foliage. 

Though this shot isn't in perfect focus, I include it as much to give an example of what I talked about in the lead-in discussion. Filipendula ulmaria is a deciduous shrub and mine did indeed lose its foliage in early December. But by the end of December it was already putting out new growth, obviously confused by our recent warm weather. I guess we'll see what happens next.

I planted this Fuchsia 'Rose Quartet' late so it's just now starting to produce flowers (another plant that's not paying attention to the calendar). I like the simplicity of the rose pink petals and the white sepals. 

To paraphrase Wayne's World "Plectranthus rule!" Indeed, many a gardener has fallen in love with these tough, pretty and versatile plants. Here's the low growing, spreading P. 'Troy's Gold.'

Carolina Jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens). Though not as fragrant as say honeysuckles, it has the prettiest flared yellow flowers and enough fragrance to be enjoyable. Mine seems to bloom whenever the mood suits it. 

Phylica plumosa. I just love this South African native. It has the fuzziest and softest plumes, so soft you wish you could make a feather duster out of it. It turns out to be tougher than its reputation and has even been happy in a pot for me.

I call this my O.R. (not to be confused with an O.G.), standing for my Original Rhodie. I planted it so long ago that I no longer know its variety name. It's almost always the first of my rhodies to bloom, though it usually 'previews' its spring show with a few January blooms.

Ferraria ferrariola. Mine has yet to bloom (though it will in ~ a month) but here's a photo from the web that shows why I'm so stoked. Just breathtakingly beautiful and weird.

Name that Pea

A hale and hearty New Years to everyone. 2014 was a bit of a hangover but hope springs eternal.
Today I'm going to raise a topic that may be of limited interest to some but quite curious to others. It turns out that the description "pea-like flowers" actually applies to an astonishingly varied number of plants, spanning the entire globe. This thought has been brought to mind by a newly flowering plant in my garden, the curious Brachysema celsianum. This one, whose common name is Swan River pea (owing to its Australian homeland) comes by its common name honestly as it's part of the Fabaceae (pea) family. It features lovely beak-shaped deep red flowers that look like they will open to ?? but in fact stay closed. It features slender grayish leaves that provide an engagingly soft backdrop to the bright red blooms. It stays low, about two feet, and spreads. Being from Australia it is tough and drought tolerant. It blooms in the fall and winter so offers a splash of color during the 'off season.'
Interestingly, Fabaceae is the third largest family of flowering plants behind only Orchidaceae and Asteraceae. Its 16,000 species are spread all over the world (here a legume, there a legume).
It may have turned very cold in the Bay Area but for us sun lovers the blue blue skies are literally heaven sent. And of course our gardens love the one-two punch of rain and sun (as do the birds).
Here are a few photos, some taken today plus a few taken from my archives, showing plants that I'm noticing in my garden these days.

Cyclamen 'Salmon.' I love how this photo came out, with the deep shadow and then the pink flowers kind of exploding out of the darkness, like shooting stars.

This spotted bromeliad always looks interesting, no matter the season.

Bidens 'Hawaiian Flare Orange Drop' keeps popping out these colorful little flowers, not bothering to check its calendar to see what month it is. It looks more 'painted' than a live plant but then Nature is truly grand in its expression.

Where that Bidens is full of color, the leaves on my Eriogonum giganteum are a cool silvery gray, which is its own lovely color and somehow appropriate to the season.

Aloe striata plus Oxalis latifolia. This little corner of my front yard bed has become one of my favorite micro gardens. This area also includes some Sparaxis, a Hemizygia to the right and behind it my colorful Datura Blackcurrant Swirl. I am starting to discover the charms of densely planting a small area, including layered planting (bulbs underneath, ground covers on the surface and then vertical plants rising above).

This unidentified succulent in my neighbor's yard is beginning to bloom and I couldn't resist capturing its bright bursts of color.

This aloe, also in my neighbor's yard, has put up multiple spikes and is putting on quite a show. The Aloe genus contains over 500 species, distributed mainly throughout tropical and southern Africa, Madagascar and the Arabian peninsula. There are also a few species found in Mediterranean climates. Tough and prolific, with striking flowers, what's not to like?

Cupressus glabra 'Blue Pyramid.' This is a new addition to my dwarf conifer bed, though this guy will eventually get quite big. But at a growth rate of one foot plus per year, it's not going to get there very quickly. I call it my 'Icicle' cypress and love its look.

Here's the immediately recognizable leaves of Alpinia 'Zerumbet,' displaying the telltale gold and green striping. This is a great foliage plant where you want to add a bit of the tropics to your garden. It's not an edible ginger but does add loads of drama.

Jade plants may be common and almost invasive but that doesn't mean the flowers aren't pretty. This older specimen in my neighbor's garden is in full bloom right now so thought I'd share it. Botanically, it's Crassula ovata. Jade plants are a popular choice for those into bonzai and there are many varieties out there, offering gardeners a good choice.

This bird house makes a lovely silhouette against the sunset sky. That's a Japanese maple in front of it, now finally bare.

The first of my Hellebores is about to bloom. This one is H. 'Wayne Rodderick,' one of the 'purple' hellebores now in cultivation. Unlike many hellebores, that feature a green background and then a splash of pink or white, this hellebore is a solid burgundy color.

My Felicia amelloides keeps on flowering, impervious to the calendar or the weather. These guys need good drainage and once established are quite drought tolerant. For those of us who like blue flowers, it's one of the few winter blooming plants that will give us that blue fix in this season.

Nobody said Mahonias weren't tough and here's another case in point. I had to move this container of M. lomariifolia and 'temporarily' put it at the very back of my driveway, under an overhang. Of course that's where it's been for the last four years! But it still flowers reliably every year.

Speaking of reliable, my Winter Wonderland White Fairy orchid is a force of nature, blooming at least twice a year, even though it's been outdoors its whole life.

Chaenomeles 'Kurokoji.' Ornamental quince are one of the most colorful winter/early spring blooming shrubs. Noted for their toughness and ability to get established and thrive in almost any soil conditions, they are nonetheless tres, tres beautiful. The 'Kurokoji' offers blood red flowers and with a bit of water produces an abundance of flowers in late winter.

And finally here's the Brachysema mentioned in the opening. I didn't have a good photo of mine so borrowed this one off the web. Given the time of year, these little bursts of color almost look like Christmas tree lights. In any case, this guy will make a nice addition to my Australian native shrubs bed.