california native flora

What’s Blooming? May 2010

The weather remains changeable. Warm dry days continue to be punctuated by cool wet days and these conditions are serving the plants well. Everything looks so lush when El Niño comes to town. So we are enjoying it while we can. The smart money is on drought for the next few years.

In the garden we are enjoying our first blooms from the iconic California favorite – Matilija Poppy (Romneya Coulteri). The gorgeous fragrant sages have also burst into color much to the delight of the hummingbirds. Purple Sage (Salvia Leucophylla) and Aromas Cleveland Sage (Salvia Clevelandii ‘Aromas’) dominate while some pretty blue flowers on the Brandegees Sage (Salvia Brandegei) have started to show. I’m expecting the later to flower more profusely over the next few weeks so that will be pictured in the June showcase.

Our Bonita Linda Coffeeberry (Rhamnus Californica ‘Bonita Linda’) recently woke from its winter slumber and now displays lots of tiny white to light green flowers. While unspectacular this is hopefully a precursor to a healthy fruit production.

The mystery Irises continue to impress. Most recently blooming is a variety of Pacific Coast Hybrid named “Gold Dust” which sports bright purple petals with a sprinkle of gold colored specs towards the center.

The biggest surprise so far is a solitary bloom on the Red Fairyduster (Calliandra Californica). The bright red puffs are quite unique in our garden and for our young specimen to show one off is a pleasure.

Our newest plant, Santa Barbara Sage (Salvia Leucantha) is a compact hybrid of Mexican Sage. So while not strictly native to California, it certainly does well in our climate. Potentially blooming most of the year, it slots into the May display since that’s when we planted it.

Can’t wait to see what June has in store!