December Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day
Around here, as in many places, December is the most difficult month of the year in which to get plants to bloom. August is not much fun for plants here either, but December manages to be even worse. Nonetheless, yesterday I ventured outside to find out what was blooming and photograph it for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.
I'll start, though, with what isn't blooming: The pecan harvest is officially over, because the pecan tree (Carya illinoinensis) is now totally bare.
And the orange harvest has just begun, because the orange tree (Citrus × sinensis) has begun to drop oranges. This means it's officially time for me to start trying every recipe under the sun that uses oranges and pecans.
But I promised you flowers. There weren't many to choose from in the back yard. The only native plant in bloom was the prostrate coastal goldenbush (Isocoma menziesii) spilling over the edge of this blue pot that also contains a blueberry and a strawberry.
The only other plant blooming in the back yard was the weedy non-native sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima) that I inherited from the original homeowners.
The front yard is faring a bit better this winter, though. In the bed I dug out this summer next to my front door, a sticky monkeyflower (Mimulus 'Pamela') is blooming.
And in the same bed, a woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca 'Golden Alexandria') has one flower on it.
In another bed that I dug out the previous year, a beardtongue (Penstemon 'Blackbird') has already produced its first bud of the coming season.
The out-of-focus pink spots behind the beardtongue are this miniature rose that I inherited from the original homeowners.
Nearby, the tallest and most spectacular of my California fuchsias (Epilobium canum 'Carman's Gray') hasn't finished its fall bloom season yet.
And on the other end of the front yard, a California goldenrod (Solidago californica) has been blooming steadily for months.
That's all I have for now. Perhaps there'll be something new in January!
I'll start, though, with what isn't blooming: The pecan harvest is officially over, because the pecan tree (Carya illinoinensis) is now totally bare.
And the orange harvest has just begun, because the orange tree (Citrus × sinensis) has begun to drop oranges. This means it's officially time for me to start trying every recipe under the sun that uses oranges and pecans.
But I promised you flowers. There weren't many to choose from in the back yard. The only native plant in bloom was the prostrate coastal goldenbush (Isocoma menziesii) spilling over the edge of this blue pot that also contains a blueberry and a strawberry.
The only other plant blooming in the back yard was the weedy non-native sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima) that I inherited from the original homeowners.
The front yard is faring a bit better this winter, though. In the bed I dug out this summer next to my front door, a sticky monkeyflower (Mimulus 'Pamela') is blooming.
And in the same bed, a woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca 'Golden Alexandria') has one flower on it.
In another bed that I dug out the previous year, a beardtongue (Penstemon 'Blackbird') has already produced its first bud of the coming season.
The out-of-focus pink spots behind the beardtongue are this miniature rose that I inherited from the original homeowners.
Nearby, the tallest and most spectacular of my California fuchsias (Epilobium canum 'Carman's Gray') hasn't finished its fall bloom season yet.
And on the other end of the front yard, a California goldenrod (Solidago californica) has been blooming steadily for months.
That's all I have for now. Perhaps there'll be something new in January!