Plants I'm Growing: First Blooms—Bosc pear, flowering crabapple

Spring is here. I've been lazy about keeping track of what's started to bloom in the garden this year, but note here that the flowering crabapple toward the back of the house (above) and the Bosc pear at the front of the house (below) both started blooming in the past couple of days, on March 28 to be exact. 

Plants I'm Growing: First Blooms--(March 25-26, 2012)

A number of plants have come into bloom in the garden in the past few days. First blooms on the 25th on Lithodora diffusa, a ground cover with deep green leaves resembling rosemary but with bright blue, star-shaped flowers. First blooms also on the 25th on the Bosc pear tree in the garden. Yesterday, March 26 saw the first open blooms on the deep pink crabapple on the side of the house and on one of the pink rock rose bushes (photo above)--which has only a single early flower; the main bloom probably won't come for some time still, particularly given the rainy weather we've been having, but it's a start.

Plants I'm Growing--First Blooms: Bosc Pear, Tulipa Bakeri, Isopogon Formosus

First blooms yesterday on some of the species tulips in the garden--the Tulipa bakeri in front of the house. These are the survivors of about 300 I planted about four years ago. One summer the squirrels discovered them and ate most of the bulbs. Those that remain are very pretty. Species tulips, unlike the familiar florist's tulips are not hybrids. It is from these species tulips that what most people think of as tulips today were developed. Tulips are native to places like Turkey and the countries of the Caucasus region. This is a variety called "Lilac Wonder." Tulipa bakeri bloomed in the garden on March 5 in 2009 and on Februray 24 in 2010, calculating years of 356 days and 383 days, which average to 369.5 days.

I count yesterday also as the first day of blooms on Isopogon formosus, a strange Australian flower that has done rather well here. I never know exactly when to judge it has bloomed. The petals are like filaments. The flowers open slowly and last a long time, both on the plant or cut. Isopogon formosus bloomed on March 26 in 2009 and on March 22 in 2010, calculating years of 361 days and 357 days, which average to 359 days.

The day before, March 13, the first flowers opened on the Bosc pear on the garage side of the house. It's raining again today. I wonder if the tree will set fruit? Last year we had none, presumably because of the strange, cold summer. We'll see. The Bosc pear bloomed on March 26 in 2009 and on March 22 in 2010, calculating years of 361 days and 356 days, which average to 358.5 days. All three of these plants have bloomed more irregularly than most.

Plants I'm Growing--First Blooms: Michelia Yunnanensis, Creeping Phlox, Bosc Pear, Isopogon Formosus

Sunshine and a wave of heat have brought several plants into bloom today--pink creeping phlox, the Bosc pear near the garage, Isopogon formosus, and Michelia yunnanensis (pictured). The Michelia seems finally to have gotten onto its feet, so to speak. The plant looks strong in contrast to the rather wobbly look it had last year. I'm very pleased to have got this beautiful plant going. The cold this year (23 degrees F) didn't bother it at all.  Today it's sporting about 12 small magnolia-like white flowers (the genus Michelia is closely related to the magnolias--or, if you accept recent taxonomic changes, Michelia yunnanensis has another name, and it is a magnolia; for more about this plant, see my post about it from 2009).  I love the contrast between the creamy white petals and the fuzzy cinnamon-colored sepals. The plant bloomed on April 1 in 2009. A year according to this plant was thus 355 days.

Isopogon is a somewhat bizarre-looking plant native to Australia that I first saw and fell in love with at the Strybing Arboretum, in San Francisco. This plant, too, looks strong and happy this year. Isopogon formosus (pictured left) first bloomed in 2009 on March 26. A year according to this plant was therefore 361 days. The Bosc pear bloomed on the same day last year (March 26) and thus calculated a 361-day year as well. The creeping phlox bloomed much earlier in 2009, on March 5, yielding a long year of 382 days.

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Plants I'm growing: First Blooms--Isopogon, Bosc pear, crabapple

Spring is really here. Every day brings a number of new plants coming into bloom. Today the first blossoms opened on the deep pink crabapple (unfortunately, I can't remember the name of the variety), on the Bosc pear, and on the Isopogon formosus we have. The flowers on this last, an unusual Australian plant, open progressively, so it's hard to say exactly when a flower is in full bloom, but I note the plant today because the flowers are starting to look more flower-like than not. Even the tightly closed buds are attractive on this plant.