Bloom Day - January 2010

January in Northern California, and the pickings are a bit slim! This is absolutely all I've got, and only one is new, but I guess when compared to snow drifts, it's something! Loropetalum chinense 'Plum Delight' (Chinese Fringe Flower) is one of my favorite multi-purpose shrubs; happy in sun or shade, with these lovely floral explosions in winter.

Good 'ol Cerinthe major (Honeywort or Blue Shrimp Plant) has been unfazed by freezing temps and continues its graceful display. Cerinthe is a generous seeder; plant it once and you'll have it forever (which is not a bad thing!) There is a whole field of it growing in the gravel of my side yard where some of last year's plants were piled! The only thing it dislikes is hot, dry weather.

The yellow Lantana continues to bloom against a warm, south-facing wall, however most of the plant has succumbed to the elements. At some point I will cut the whole darn thing back, and give you all a rest from seeing his smug face...but not yet!

Lovely, lovely Arbutus 'Marina' is my favorite small garden tree. A hybrid of our native Madrone, discovered in San Francisco, this relative of the strawberry tree (Arbutus Unedo) has the same bell-shaped flowers, but with wonderful red bark like a Manzanita.

Still enjoying the unexpectedly lovely blooms of my green Senecio; quite different from the dingy white puffballs on the the blue kind.

Reviled by California gardeners as a virtually uncontrollable winter weed, Oxalis (or Sour Grass, as we called it as children while munching on the crunchy stems) still has a certain cheerful beauty on sunny days. It will be gone with the heat of the summer.

The Grevillea 'Coastal Gem' is really hitting its stride now, the tightly curled buds are flinging themselves open all over the place!

Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder' is now revealing its round button flowers; the surrounding bracts will continue to turn creamy gold over the next month or two, getting taller and more star-like .

So what do you plant in a 6" wide strip of soil? That was an easy choice; a couple of sixpacks of 'Snow Crystals' Alyssum has turned into this lovely, fragrant border along the walkway through in my side yard. It even gets watered by the neighbor's sprinklers; you can't get much lower maintenance than that!

Good old Mona Lavender (Plectranthus) rallied through last month's freezes and is looking quite chipper!

Another good month for my Fuchsia thymifolia, which is much hardier than her tender hybrid relatives. This little flower is the size of a pinky fingernail, so sweet.

Last but not least, a new face, (finally!) and one that always says early spring to me. January through March is the season for the Hardenbergia violacea (Lilac Vine) that covers my side fence; it's just getting started, wait until next Bloom Day!

And that is everything that's blooming for me this month! Thanks, as always, to Carol from May Dreams Gardens for being the heart of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. Visit her site for links to Bloom Day posts from all over the world.

"We can have flowers nearly every month of the year."
Elizabeth Lawrence