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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