Here is Central California I feel as if I went for a trip in the TARDIS or the way-back machine. We have had what I vaguely remember being a 'normal' winter. With rain and fog even! The whole garden is relaxing and breathing again as am I. The drought is not over no matter what anyone says but the current crisis is eased.
And now for this month's blooms!
Lavandula pinnata's leaves are a bit zapped by frost but the blooms look fine.
Crassula ovata is blooming tucked up against a brick wall...the other C. ovatas are not blooming so I think the bricks are the reason.
This Christmas cactus has gotten kind of old and scraggly and was left outside on the patio table. It decided it wanted to bloom anyway!
This oblong-leaved gray crassula's name has been lost over the years but, tucked under the same table on the patio, it is sending forth its pretty star shaped flowers. These succulents and others are on the patio to stay a bit dry during this wet (!) winter. The succulents and a few other tender plants get moved here on the back patio, onto the front porch, or into the nanogreenhouse every year for protection. This year they actually need it!
A couple of the begonias in the nanogreenhouse have continued to bloom.
Then there is this little wax begonia that is nestled in under some ferns and managing to also stay in bloom.
A sasanqua camellia that bloomed a month ago decided to give it another go after that nice rainy holiday season.
The borage was covered with frost cloth for a while because some neighboring iris are in bud. So it has continued to bloom longer than it has done in the past.
The first fava blooms have started to open and I am hoping for many more.
One sentinel banksia bloom is a hopeful sign of spring to come.
Salvia Limelight still has blooms this month which brighten up this corner of the garden.
The peas, planted in 4 large pots, have started pumping out pods. If I could stop eating them standing there we might get enough for dinner.
Lastly, one the most reliable year round bloomers is this variegated abutilon. Several abutilons are blooming but this is the showiest one. It certainly brightens up a foggy Central California winter day.
For more blooms around the world visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens and see who has blooms to share. Carol has been hosting this gathering for ten years and it is a great way to virtually visit other gardens!
