Bloom Day

I didn't know until I read it on Amy Stewart's blog that gardeners are supposed to post pictures of whatever is blooming in the garden on the 15th of each month. I'm going to start doing that next month, but so wished I had done it for January. I have a fuschia which has been blooming since last spring. It only had a couple of flowers this month but, given the cold, it shouldn't even be alive. (I'm pleased to report that all of my fuschias seem to have surivived the winter and were treated to a feeding last week.)

Happily, February is a good time in California gardens, as many years winter and spring happen at the same time. So you have the azaleas, the hellebores (I've now got my first hellebore flower of the season), the violas, cistus, geraniums, flowering maples, and mallow all at the same time. It's likely that the cold weather will delay some blooms, particularly the later bloomers like mallow and the mimulus. But I should have a good crop for Bloom Day next month.