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.

Hints of Spring

 It seems odd to even mention the word 'spring' in early February but then again when it's sunny and temps are in the 60s, one can't help but think ahead to spring. That said, here are more photos from my late winter garden.

Ranunculus. One of the earliest bulbs to bloom, it offers cheer in the middle of winter.

Erysimum Poem Mirabelle. This wallflower tends to bloom more in winter for me than in summer. Odd.

Tulipa saxatilis. This hardy and reliable species tulip has already sent up a bunch of shoots. Boring to some perhaps but for we bulb lovers, a bit of spring promise.

Melianthus pectinatus. One plant that's right on time is this Melianthus. Winter is its blooming time. Though the flowers are much smaller, and the leaves too, the foliage has that unmistakable smell of peanut butter!

My Cryptomeria Sekkan-Sugi has produced its first tiny cones!

My Aeonium 'Sunburst' continues to get bigger and loves its south-facing location.

Camellia 'Winner's Circle.' Such a lovely coral color!

Oxalis 'White Pillow.' I love how it's formed a perfect dome.

Although shot while in the shade, I love this new Iris reticulata named 'Painted Lady.'

Also shot in the shade, this daffodil was a shipping mistake by the bulb company. The pack of 20 bulbs was meant to be a Classic Trumpet mix but instead I wound up with these much smaller daffodils. Then again, they are fantastically fragrant so I'm not unhappy!

My Melaleuca incana has begun to bloom again. I love its soft, fuzzy flowers.

Anisodontea 'Strybing Beauty.' This vigorous mallow blooms nearly year round.

Completely different than the common hopbush, this Dodonea sinuolata makes these little red flowers/seedheads. By the hundreds.

My Magnolia 'Butterflies' is about to flower and I thought that the buds looked handsome against the vivid blue sky.

My Strobilanthes anisophylla has held onto its deep burgundy color.

Lachenalia tricolor. This species is almost always one of the most floriferous of all my Lachs.

This new addition sedum is S. spathifolium 'Tomales Bay.' Lovely.

Erica speciosa. This durable heather blooms off and on all year.

I've lost the tag for this low growing Grevillea but it reminds me of G. 'Coastal Gem.'

My Chasmanthe bicolor has the first of many flower spikes. Vigorous or weedy - you choose the description!

Salvia discolor. Here's a better shot of my favorite Salvia.

A California Winter

 I'm always amazed when people who don't live on the west coast wonder just what the heck we're doing, living out on or near the California coast. Well, it's 60 degrees, dry and sunny. And I just came in from the garden. That pretty much sums it up right there. For further proof, here are a collection of photos taken today, of just my one not too large garden. They offer a good sampling of my Oakland winter garden.

Erysimum Poem Mirabelle. This common wallflower blooms throughout the year.

Agastache variety. I'm not sure which one this is but it has the distinctive tubular flowers that so many of these Hummingbird mints possess.

I'm as surprised as anyone that my Banksia rose is in bloom. Very early!

On the other hand, this is about the right time for Ranunculus to be in bloom.

This is a new Calothamnus I've added to the garden. It's C. gracilis 'Spring Torch'.

Though not in bloom, I already have nice thick swaths of Babiana. The first flowers should be here in 3-4 weeks.

Also in progress is my Leucospermum 'Veldfire.' Those fuzzy balls within the leaves are flowers in the making.

Honeysuckles can be amazing. My Lonicera x americana always seems to be budding up, if not in bloom.

Here a few last flowers for the season on one of my red Mimulus.

This shot is not just in shade but not completely in focus but thought I'd include it anyway. My Salvia discolor has begun blooming and it has the blackest flowers of any salvia.

Abutilons also seem to flower nearly year round in the mild Oakland climate. This one is A. 'Tiger Eye.'

Though partly in shade, this is one of the shamrock Oxalis. This one has spread out among my dry garden plants and will eventually produce rose-pink flowers.

Here's my collection of plants under a SW facing fir tree. There's dwarf conifers and bromeliads in pots and behind those are swaths of Chasmanthe bicolor.

I put my charming Geranium harveyi in an equally charming wooden watering can planter.

Though not in bloom, the rough textured leaves on my Salvia corrugata are still a delight.

One of my earliest blooming S. African cowslips is this Lachenalia aloides 'Orange.'

My sprawling, bushy Cuphea oreophila is still in bloom and doing its best to overrun the walkway that leads to the backyard.

Camellia 'Winner's Circle.' This hard to find camellia may in fact no longer be for sale.

On the other hand, this Camellia Frank Hauser is a regular in the trade.

The little variegated aloe here is A.'Delta Lights.'

Finally, here's a long view of our main walkway and the narrow bed planted along its right side.