Rosa Flower Girl is blooming on the wedding arbor...only because I was VERY careful not to accidentally cut off the few clusters that I saw last weekend when I did a major pruning. I love the way the flowers keep their pink color this time of year...in the summer those same blooms would be almost white.
Next we have a few surprising (to me as well!) blooms. Let's begin with a little background. Davis rarely has much in the way of a hard freeze although temperatures dipping below freezing do happen. In anticipation of any such occurrence I have three strings of cafe lights that are hooked onto retired (as in worthless) tri-fold tomato cages. The cages are set up around my Meyer lemon and Bearss lime trees which are in large pots. When the thermometer is in the low 30s in the late evening I plug the lights in and the warmth is usually enough to protect them from frost damage. This year I planted a Felicia amelloides near the lime and a Lavendula pinnata bucchii near the lemon. Both of these summer bloomers have continued to bloom thanks to their exposure to those lights.
Here is what happens to lavender that is not so well protected...
Half of the lavender, the part not under the lights, has been nipped by the frost while the other half continues to bloom.
Likewise, this plumbago has a few blooms as well as dead branches. Just don't think the lights in this photo are the heroes...they're simply my high tec extension cord.Next up are a series of little white flowers. While taking photos I realized I should think about adding more pansies or other colorful bloomers next year. The Iberis is just beginning to bloom
The Solanum jasminoides has bloomed a bit all winter and continues to do so.
Viburnum tinus "Spring Bouquet" is just showing the very first blooms on the front of the plant which gets a bit more sun.
I love Tulbaghia fragrans...it smells wonderful and always begins blooming soon after Christmas.
Next up are two cool season crops. First is a new one for me...fava beans with a truly lovely bloom.
And the last is garden peas...these have bloomed for a few months and there have been a few peas to eat but they are now beginning to bloom on a larger scale. Maybe I will get enough peas for an actual meal soon!
Also blooming today are:
Allysum
Pansies
Dwarf Carnation Evermore
Cyclamen
Leucanthemum Paludosum
Unknown pink Abutilon
Bush Mallow
For more blooms around the world visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens who invites us to gather here each month and share what is blooming in our part of the world.
13 comments:
Those are a lot of very subtle, dainty, and beautiful flowers. I am guessing many are fragrant too!
that's still quite a bit going on. Love the idea of stringing the lights to protect from frost, clever!
Nice flowers. I love the fava bean blossoms. Certain vegetables always surprise me because their blooms are so beautiful.
Have you got your Chianti already? (Sorry, I just couldn't resist when I saw the shot of the fava beans.) Your Roses are such a beautiful shade of pink with the cooler weather. I like when plants' flower colors are variable, it's like having two plants in the space of one.
Your lights are a great way to keep everything happy in your garden space. I be it's pretty too. Here in Oklahoma, we can't wait until spring.~~Dee
We may live far apart, Leslie - but our citrus are protected in similar fashion! Your roses still look great. What kind of lavender are you protecting?
I've got 4 varieties of lavender planted in my garden...the fernleafed variety grew and bloomed the best all summer, but is looking the worst right now.
Also love the beanblossoms!
Happy GBBD!
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
I like your lights as well as your blooms. Enjoy your peas!
I had no idea that fava beans had such unusual blooms. Learn something new every day!
Roses in Jan. Sigh! You are so lucky.
Donna
Those roses are beautiful as are the bean and pea flowers. Thanks for joining in for bloom day.
Hi EAL! Some fragrant but I'm thinking too many dainty ones. I'm going to be in the market for SOMETHING less dainty...but don't know what yet.
Welcome Darla...the lights are fairly common among those who care to keep things going here but I like the way they look, too, on a winter night.
Daphne, I agree! some veggie blooms are just lovely.
OK MMD...I almost made a Chianti comment but thought I'd wait and see if someone else did. Good for you!!
Dee...I hope spring comes soon for you!
Hi Annie! I've got the pinnata bucchii thst's blooming and a white lavender near the variegated lemon that just has a burlap cover, no lights. Also one more that is not protected that I can't remember the name of and I'm at Dad's so can't look it up...happy GBBD to you too!
Sue...I hope I get enough for a meal or two. The birds often beat me to it!
Hilery...I had seen photos before but never the real thing. I think they are pretty cool too!
MNGarden...I do appreciate my climate! I will say though that when those blooms are gone it looks to be a while before I get more. That's one reason I was so careful not to accidentally prune them prematurely.
And thank you, Carol, for having such a great idea and being kind enough to continue the fun!
I love the beans too-it's nice to see vegetables being appreciated for their often-overlooked beauty. :)
Leslie,
Thanks for registering for Chicago Spring Fling. We noticed that you and pup were arriving on Friday and we were wondering if you would be getting here extra early that morning or arriving later in the afternoon. If you can shoot us an email at chicago gardeners at g mail dot com we'd appreciate it.
Feel free to delete this message once you get it since it is off topic to your post.
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