Plants I'm Growing--First Blooms: Daffodils, Pink Flowering Plum 2019

The yellow daffodils in front of the house and the pink flowering plum behind the house generally bloom at about the same time each year. This year, the first daffodils opened on February 6. The first flowers on the plum (Prunus blireiana) opened on February 9. Early to mid-February is normal for both plants. They have bloomed between February 2 and about February 20 in a typical year in the past. A storm is on the way that is supposed to drop as much as 10 inches of rain in the coming seven days. I hope these blossoms aren't all lost before we've had a chance to enjoy them.

Plants I'm Growing: First Blooms--Yellow Daffodils (February 4, 2018)

The yellow daffodils in the front garden starting blooming yesterday, February 4, 2018, in response to the unseasonably warm weather we've had this week. It seems like spring already, with highs in the 70s. That said, this has been typical. These flowers have frequently bloomed in the first week of February since I started keeping track.

Plants I'm Growing: First Blooms—Yellow Daffodils

The yellow daffodils in the front garden began to bloom today, February 10. This is a trifle late, probably owing to the rain, but not way out of line. This is one of the few plants in the garden I have a complete data set for since 2009, when they bloomed on February 5. They bloomed on February 5 also in 2010, calculating a 365-day year. They bloomed on February 2 in 2011, February 13 in 2012, February 4 in 2013, February 8 in 2014, February 3 in 2015, and January 31 in 2016.

Plants I'm Growing--First Blooms: Daffodils, Pink Flowering Plum (February 3, 2015)

A stretch of dry, unseasonably warm weather has coaxed out flowers in the garden. On February 3, the first yellow daffodil blossoms opened. The pink flowering plum tree in the side garden (Prunus blireiana) starting blooming the same day. This year the sparrows and finches left the buds alone (probably because I've not been feeding the birds), so it looks like we will have a full tree of flowers for the first time in a while. February 3 is on the early end of the normal range for both plants here. They have bloomed between February 2 and about February 20 in a typical year in the past. A storm is on the way, though. I hope these blossoms don't all get lost before we've had a chance to enjoy them.

Plants I'm Growing: First Blooms--Golden Currant and Two-toned Daffodils

First blooms in 2014 on the two-toned daffodils in the front garden on February 18. The golden current (Ribes aureum) in the back garden began blooming on February 17.

[Update: The dwarf flowering peach in the garden began blooming this year on February 21. The dwarf nectarine began blooming on February 27.]

Plants I'm Growing: First Blooms--Yellow Daffodils

I belatedly report that our yellow daffodils began to bloom on February 8--tentatively at first, in the heavy rain, but they are fully open now that the rain has stopped and the sun is out. The yellow daffodils began blooming on February 18 in 2013, February 15 in 2012, February 2 in 2011, and on February 5 in 2009, so this seems a fairly typical date. I photographed them last night, still with water on them from the rain.  

Plants I'm Growing: First blooms--Yellow Daffodils (February 18, 2013)

The first of the large yellow daffodils in the garden opened today.    This is somewhat late. In the past these have first opened as early as February 2 (2009) and no later than February 13 (2012) with dates of February 5 and February 2 in 2010 and 2011.

Plants I'm Growing: First Blooms--Yellow Daffodils (February 13, 2012)

I belatedly report that the first bud on one of the yellow daffodils in the garden opened the day before yesterday, February 13. Before long, there will be clusters of them in bloom around the garden. Our two-toned white and apricot-colored daffodils always bloom later.

The yellow daffodils opened in 2011 on February 2. The first bloom date was February 5 in 2010 and February 5 also in 2009, for years of 365, 362, and 376 days. In other words, the daffodils are rather late this year--although the average year calculated by the daffodils is about 368 days, only slightly longer than a calendar year.

Plants I'm Growing--First Blooms: Two-toned Daffodils (2011)

First blooms today on the two-toned daffodils in the garden. I don't know the name of the variety in this case, but it's distinct from any of the more common all-yellow daffodils. I was sure I noted the first blooms on these last year, but I can't find the record. I didn't post anything to the blog, it seems. I'll amend this if the data turn up. I think I planted these in late 2008. This should be their third year blooming. In any case, they're pretty. I will probably plant more. They provide a nice contrast with the yellow flowers (also blooming right now).

I took this photo of them late at night in the rain (the things I do for this blog....), which resulted in a somewhat surreal image. I used a flash. A drop of water is caught suspended in mid-air at lower left. You can even see an image of the flower within the water droplet.

[I found the information I was looking for. The two-toned daffodils bloomed on February 22 in 2010, for a year of 367 days.]

Plants I'm Growing--First Blooms: Rhododendron "Noyo Dream," Yellow Daffodils (2011)

First blooms today on the Rhododendron "Noyo Dream." The plant bloomed in 2010 on February 7 and in 2009 on Februray 25, which makes this seem quite early. The plant has thus calculated a year of 360 days this year following a year of only 347 days in the preceding year. These average to 353.5 days, still a short year.

The first yellow daffodils opened today as well. The first yellow daffodil bloomed on February 5, in 2010, for a year of 362 days, much closer to a calendar year.

Plants I'm Growing: Spring in Full Swing

A series of warmer days (although it's been cold at night) and a break from the rain has brought many plants in the yard into full bloom. Shown here are Tulipa bakeri ("Lilac Wonder"), a species tulip rather than a Dutch hybrid. Plants like these are the ancestors of what most people think of as a tulip today; daffodils; and the little Santa Rosa plum tree that went in last year as a pollinator for the pluots.

Plants I'm growing: First Blooms--Ceanothus "Ray Hartman," Dwarf Peach, Santa Rosa Plum

The warmth and sun today has coaxed out new flowers in the garden. The "Ray Hartman" Ceanothus (or California lilac, top photo) and the dwarf peach (bottom photo) have both started blooming today. The Ray Hartman is now a small tree. It looks fabulous when at its peak, which should come within about two weeks. The dwarf peach has grown very slowly--left behind by a dwarf nectarine planted on the same day. Small differences in location (the trees are only a few feet apart) can make such a big difference; the peach gets an hour or so more shade both in the morning and afternoon. The fruit of the two trees is delicious. The deep pink blossoms contrast nicely with the rosemary always in bloom at the same time.

Yesterday brought the first flowers of 2010 on the little Santa Rosa plum tree and on the two-toned daffodils that went in last year.

I missed the first blooms on the Ceanothus in 2009, but I seem to have noted on March 19 last year that they had been open for about a week, suggesting the tree bloomed around March 12. That would make the flowering quite early this year. The dwarf peach started blooming on March 2 in 2009, which means a year according to the peach was 357 days. The Santa Rosa plum bloomed on February 23, 2009, so a year according to that plant was 363 days. I don't seem to have a 2009 record of the first blossoms on the pretty white and coral daffodils that opened yesterday.

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Plants I'm Growing: Daffodils

First blooms today on the yellow daffodils in the garden. Actually, just a single flower has opened. These bloomed on February 6th in 2009, so a year according to the daffodils was 364 days. It's remarkable how close to a calendar year each of the botanical years I've recorded so far has been. Who needs calendars?