california native flora

What’s Blooming? Early March, 2010

The recent rains have brought the patio garden to life and many of our California native plants have woken from their winter slumber. Even the Carpenteria Californica is defying its reputation as a slower grower with lots of fresh young foliage.

The wildflowers are no surprise, this is their time of year and the Desert Bluebells (Phacelia campanularia) are still out in force. Joining them around the birdbath we have lots of Tidy Tips (Layia platyglossa), a few Bird’s Eyes (Gilia tricolor) and also Chinese Houses (Collinsia heterophylla). A new blooming wildflower in the garden this month is Meadow Foam (Limnanthes douglasii). This small annual has pretty little white and yellow flowers leading to it’s nickname “Poached Egg Flower”.

In the shrubs and perennials Galvezia Juncea has valiantly maintained some flowers throughout the winter. Now it’s joined by Hummingbird Sage (Salvia Spathacea), Apricot Mallow or Desert Globemallow (Sphaeralcea Ambigua) and the very fast growing ‘Candy Cane’ California Morning Glory (Calystegia Macrostegia ssp. Cyclostegia ‘Candy Cane’).

Interesting to note our Western Redbud (Cercis Occidentalis) is bursting to life with lots of new apple-green leaves, however it completely skipped the pink blossom (red buds) stage. The Desert Willow (Chilopsis Linearis) still looks like a stick so I think we need to climb a few more degrees before dormancy ends for our future hummingbird tree.