Sunday, February 14, 2010

Bloom Day - February 2010

Spring is in the air for Bloom Day! A warm February weekend in Northern California meant the Hardenbergia vine was humming with honeybees... ~click pictures to enlarge~

The front porch Lantana is rallying, better cut it back soon or I'll be so, so sorry!

The lovely Loropetalum just keeps it coming; I love the way the green and purple leaves compliment the fringy flowers.

Oxalis is a major winter weed in California; it's everywhere. I have a few patches in my garden, and enjoy their seasonal contribution of fresh green-and-yellowness, for little awhile anyway. Its leaves make a juicy contribution to the compost bin later on!

I figure if I take the shot reeeaaally close, you won't notice that I'm posting yet ANOTHER Cerinthe picture. You like her, admit it...

Gaaah! The Daffodils are simply screaming out in the park strip! For me the sight of them is the official "all clear" for spring...

This little wild geranium is a common weed around here, and I let it grow for a while too (ladybugs seem to like it particularly.)

This cracks me up. My up-close vision is very poor; I had no idea that these beautiful Bronze Fennel fronds were generously sprinkled with aphids until I cropped the photo! What the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't feel, as my grandmother used to say.

Leucadendron 'Wilson's Wonder' is living up to its name. When backlit like this it fairly glows.

My friend Ivette recently described Grevillea blossoms as a cross between a shrimp and a toothbrush (or something like that) so of course, that is forevermore what I'll see!

Another Hardenbergia shot; I so love this vine. It grows on the fence opposite my bedroom window, and is right up there with Daffodils and Oxalis in the 'Spring is Coming' department.

This Begonia bud looks like Little Shop of Horrors meets Transformers...

OK, not technically a flower, but what a work of art is a succulent...

Pink flamingo tutus, that's what Fuchsia thymifolia flowers remind me of. The kind that really bounce up and down.

Now there's a sight, this year's blueberries, getting ready to bloom.

The whole time I was taking these pictures, our neighborhood mockingbird was singing up a storm, yet another spring sound. This is his mate, keeping watch over our garden. Maybe they'll nest in one of the trees this year...

...but somebody else already has dibs on the Bamboo! Unfortunately this nest is about head high, right next to the path from the patio to the Red Umbrella. I foresee much anxious hovering in my future!

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

20 comments:

  1. You've got a perky collection of flowers this month--perfect to lift the spirits of your readers in the more blizzarded parts of the country!

    ReplyDelete
  2. That is quite a party you have going on there.
    So much already out and flowering.

    "What they eye doesn't see,
    the heart doesn't grieve over"

    is our version :-)

    I wouldn't mind all those 'weeds' you mention.
    Wish we had some of those here.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Laura, you've just brought me to a surprising realisation!
    When I was growing up, the mounds around my school were covered with 'Soursobs'. It formed a vibrant yellow carpet of flowers and we used to pick them and chew on the juicy, sour-tasting stems. I loved them and thought they were pretty. Until this day, I had absolutely no idea that these flowers were actually Oxalis, the terrible weed, menace to society, and doer of evil that I've heard so much about!
    You learn something new everyday. One person's weed is another's delight. I think I'll keep loving those bright yellow flowers. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Laura,

    It sounds like your grandmother was very wise...as grandmothers tend to be. Your daffodil photo made me ache for mine, which are covered by several inches of snow and won't make their presence known for at least a month. happy Bloom Day.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wonderful presentation for Fickle February! Precious bird pics. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Gorgeous!! I always love your photos. I'm a sucker for pretty close-ups taken by a real, live gardener.

    And, I still love you even though your garden isn't covered in snow. :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. My Loropetalum won't bloom for some time yet, but I enjoyed yours and all of your other beautiful flowers. I wish I were in CA right now. If only we didn't have school. Happy Bloom Day.~~Dee

    ReplyDelete
  8. The Hardenbergia looks like it would be a lovely addition to my garden. I will have to do some research on it:)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh duh! I forgot my Hardenbergia pictures. Well, yours are better anyway, that purple is hard to photograph.

    Thanks for sharing. You're right, that succulent is quite amazing.

    Happy bloom day!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Again with that lantana? I'm going to drive on over there to see if YOU'RE the one telling the truth now (hahaha!!)....seriously - where did you get that gorgeous plant? I've never seen one bloom year-round like that. Mine is just a sad lump of brown twigs - nary a green leaf on it, much less a flower! And I'm SO in love with that hummingbird - again, I must come over to see the little cutie for myself!! So much life over there, Laura!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Come on over, Rebecca! Just watch out for dive-bombing hummers. As for the Lantana, well, MOST of it looks terrible, but there's one section right next to the house that survived (selective photography, right?) The rest is sad lump/brown twigs etc.

    ReplyDelete
  12. @Town Mouse I'm glad to hear someone else has a hard time photographing some colors; for me it's magenta (like the Fuchsia) it can take ages to get the camera to "see" it properly to focus!

    @Karly I, too, grew up with 'Sour Grass' and never knew it was 'evil' until I became a gardener. I still munch on a stem occasionally!

    @James talk about perky, your aloes are gorgeous! I went to school in Santa Barbara, and Aloes remind me of our gorgeous winters there.

    @Melody Hardenbergia is hardy to about 25 degrees...

    @GardenofWords Hopefully you'll have time to visit my garden when you're in CA next month!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Great blooms - I am very jealous. My Grevillia isnt in flower yet but there are buds so shouldnt be too long now

    ReplyDelete
  14. The teeny-tiny hummingbird nest is a special treat!

    ReplyDelete
  15. @chuck, isn't that a gem? I took the shot right after a night of rain, so everything is particularly...saturated! She's driving me nuts though...

    ReplyDelete
  16. Oh my Gosh, your photos are always so beautiful. I do love that Leuacadendron of yours.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Gorgeous pics! I want a Grevillea :)

    -Megan

    ReplyDelete
  18. Laura, I'm a bit jealous, but, a LOT happy;-) You know how to warm up my snow covered eyes! I'm sending good wishes to the little hummer and it's family, and to you as you tip toe through and around it's nesting space.

    ReplyDelete
  19. wow hardenbergias are so pretty. First picture is my favorite. Leucadendron is relatively new plant to me. Other blooms are very refreshing.

    ReplyDelete
  20. is it eggplant?

    Just like to share with you a quote...

    "Give me a stock clerk with a goal and I'll give you a man who will make history. Give me a man with no goals and I'll give you a stock clerk." - J.C. Penney

    You can get more quotes at http://www.quotelandia.com

    ReplyDelete