What is in bloom
As the winter winds down and we anticipate the change of seasons Saturday, we survey the garden for fading flowers, plants now in bloom, and the harbingers of spring.
This exercise reminds us of the appealing vision of an all-season garden. This is an achievable result, but it requires thorough research, diligent plant hunting, and time. Add the complications of growing conditions, thematic gardening, and landscape design, and we have an elusive goal.
Best wishes for gardeners who pursue this ideal.
As we install a variety of plants in our gardens, following the guidelines of our choosing, we typically proceed without attending to bloom cycles. When plant selection is random with respect to bloom periods, an all-season garden could happen as a matter of chance.
Gardeners with lots of time on their hands might pursue a thought experiment: list popular garden plants that bloom each month and then randomly select a collection of plants to see how close it might come to an all-season display.
I won’t do that, but a walk through the garden can discover what’s going on now in early March.
Ending bloom
The winter-blooming -plants have finished blooming by this time. A favorite in my garden is the Candelabra Aloe (Aloe arborescens), which has grown to impressive size and attracts many birds. I had to whack away at it this year to allow painting the back of the garage, but it’s still enormous. I may give it away because it grew as a volunteer out of place in the Mexican succulent bed. I’ll probably move some of it to the South African succulent bed.
Several Salvias also are now completing their bloom cycles. In the Monterey Bay area’s moderate climate, they retain their blooms and leaves even as new stems sprout at their
base. I’ve begun cutting
some plants to the ground to stimulate the new growth. There are many more Salvias to prune, so this task will continue into the early spring.
My deciduous Maidenhair Tree (Gingko biloba) is out of leaf at this time. After several years in a large terra cotta container, it’s grown to about
six feet tall. This is the only living species of an ancient plant group with a fossil record going back 270 million years, so it has uniqueness, endangered status, and a high quality for the landscape. It should be in the ground, not in a pot, but I don’t have a good space for it, so I’m seeking someone who does. I don’t know this particular cultivar or how big it could become; some varieties are dwarfs, and some can reach 160 feet in height.
In bloom now
The Daffodils in my parking strip are blooming their heads off again this year. I planted many bulbs of this cultivar
(‘Mon Cheri’, 1983), and it has propagated generously. Daffodils should be divided every three or four years to space the bulbs for growth and access to nutrients, and this bed is overdue.
There are a few patches of bright yellow ‘King Alfred’ specimens, also in bloom now.
Other plants now in bloom include several Australian natives provided by the UCCSC Arboretum: two Correas (‘Ivory Bells’ and ‘Ray’s Tangerine’); pink and blue Hyacinths; Pink Rice Flower (Pimelea ferruginea); and Tetratheca ‘Amethyst Eyes’.
Another current bloomer is a Camellia japonica.
Coming into bloom
Several plants are preparing for early spring bloom: Tree Aloe (Aloe plicatilis); an unidentified Aloe; Karwin’s Sage (Salvia karwinskii); Bush Lily (Clivia miniata), Lilacs (three Syringa vulgaris varieties bred for bloom in moderate climates); Tree Houseleek (Aeonium arboreum); and Giant White Squill (Drimia maritima.
These are not complete lists of my garden’s plants, a small subset of the great number of plants at these stages of bloom at this time of the year. Take the time to survey the plants in your garden or in your neighborhood gardens to monitor what’s happening now.
Gardens are about anticipation.
Advance your gardening knowledge
A recent webinar by the Cactus and Succulent Society of America about Orchid Cacti (Epiphyllums), presented by Frank Süpplie, a “super specialist” in this genus. He grows countless plants in enormous greenhouses and has written 300-plus articles and books about them.
The presentation was mostly about hybrids that Süpplie and other noted hybridizers, plus some advice about cultivation and pest management. Visit www.epiphyllum.online for an overview of the stunning range of hybrid forms of this plant. Epiphyllums are shade-loving, night-blooming plants.
The Garden Conservancy’s upcoming webinars include a description of the restored 17th century gardens at Vaux-le-Vicomte, a private estate in France that inspired the famous gardens at Château de Versailles (March 18); a virtual visit to 36 western United States gardens, featured in a new book, “Under Western Skies” (April 1); and the innovative work of Chilean garden designer Ximena Nazal. (April 15). For more about these events, visit gardenconservancy.org and click on “Calendar”.
Climate change has become a hot topic and will continue to rise in importance in the years ahead. Gardeners have a role in reducing the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. There are many ways to achieve carbon-positive landscaping. Visit climatepositivedesign.com/pathfinder and click on “Resources” for the Climate Positive Design Toolkit, with 50 strategies for improving your landscape’s footprint.
Also, check out the U.S. Forest Service’s “i-Tree Design” (design.itreetools.org) to estimate your tree’s cardon-sequestration potential, and visit gardenplanner.calscape.org/ for practical guidance for selecting low-maintenance California native plants for this local area.