Bahia - wow, your garden sounds great, and you've got some things I've never seen. Already killed the Pslorlea (have to get another) and lost the Gnidia - which I first saw blooming in S.F. in September.

Where to start? I live in Encinitas, about 30 miles north of San Diego, close to the coast in zone 24.

BULBS:
My babiana are already done, ditto for the homeria, freesias, ixia, lachenalia, sparaxis, and chasmanthe. Lots of watsonias blooming now in all colors, also Tulbhagia violacea and its sweet-smelling cousin, T. fragrans in both white and violet. Cyrtanthus brachyscyphus blooms here from March for about 4 months or longer.

Groundcovers:
Osteospermum variegata 'Dandenonus White', Pelargonium
reniforme and P. sidoides all bloom almost non-stop here.

SHRUBS, TREES:
In bloom now: Melianthus comosus, Schotia brachypetala, Athanasia agerosa, Phygelius (these bloom virtually non-stop). Also Polygala x dalmasiana, Leucospermum cordifolium 'Flame Giant', Gomphostigma virgatum, Athanasia
trifurcata, Euryops virgineus 'Golden Wheel', Mackaya bella.

PERENNIALS:
A variety of cultivars of Arctotis are in bloom now, also some of the Kniphofias, Salvia africana-lutea, Scabiosa africana, Scabiosa 'Giant Blue', Leonotis leonurus, Pelargonium cordifolium.

SUCCULENTS:
Blooming now: Bulbine frutescens 'Hallmark', Bulbine alooides, Lampranthus piquetbergensis and L. deltoides (just starting), a number of Aloes.

Anybody want to trade???????

Cheers~
Susi

Hi Bahia,
Here's my blooming-now list in no particular order:
Gorteria diffusa
Nemesia cheiranthus
Salvia africana-caerulea
Psoralea pinnata
Venidium fastuosum
Aristeas
Lobelia vallida and sp.
Phylica pubescens
Lobostemon fruticosus
Hymenolepsis parviflora
Felicia echinata
Senecio glastifolia & elegans
Heliophila longifolia
Hebensteitias
Gazania krebsiana
Linum africanum
Ursinias
Wahlenbergias ( love them!)
Zaluzianskya capensis & villosa

Annie

wow, i sure envy you guys the climate you live in ... here in southwestern Oregon it is still raining, and still cold enough that the Watsonias have no scapes yet, one lone first little bloom is on the Homeria today, two little lost blooms on the Sparaxis ... and more rain coming the day after tomorrow ... today, at least, it's sunny! i actually took my sweater off outside, and puttered around in a tank top. So, from my corner, answer is "very little is blooming!" Delina

Hi,

The showiest plants blooming around Houston area are the "Milk and Wine" crinums (C. x herbertii). Other hybrids and species will join in soon.

I've benefited from communicating with several of the folks on this forum and hope to have Cyrtanthus brachyscyphus blooming this summer, as well as hybrid bulbs that represent a cross between C. brachyscyphus and C. mackenii.

Aloe saponaria is still in bloom in some yards, it is a wonderful and durable plant hearabouts. It seems to ignore the wet spells, the dry spells, the heat, the cold and the humidity. A buddy told me it can survive (but not be too happy) all the way north to Dallas area (7b/8a).

If you can get to the link below, there is a nice photo of Aloe saponaria taken in late March in Houston. I think you'll be able to see it without having to log in or be a member of that particular gardening forum.

Cordially,

Here is a link that might be useful: Aloe saponaria

Anisodontea (won't stop blooming until it goes into forced dormancy this summer), Homeria, Watsonia, and assorted pelargoniums. That's pretty much it until my dietes divisions get going.

Near the tail end of the winter-rainfall bulbous plants now flowering here are
Geissorhiza radians
Lachenalia bachmannii
Lachenalia gillettii
Lachenalia fistulosa
Gladiolus citrinus
Gladiolus floribundus
Gladiolus carneus
various Romuleas
Babianas and Watsonias are still to come.
Some of the earlier summer-rainfall area bulbs flowering are
Rhodohypoxis baurii
Drimia robusta
various Albucas
Scadoxus puniceus;
and the inevitable Osteospermum.

Currently, in my inland Bay Area Garden:
Aloe Striatula
Watsonia
Dietes
Bulbine
Aristia (thanks annies annuals!)
homeria
species pelargonium
Chasmanthe didn't bloom (too bad, it was a mild winter, the frost ruined the bloom last year).
Ursinias (thanks annies annuals!)

Anyone growin everlasting daisies?....Marvin

Daniel :)

Hi. Just wanted to ask you what the bloom season is for your aloe striatula? I recently purchased 2 and the growers site says fall/winter blooms yet the plants have blooms on them now that are finishing... Got any info on that? I am in the inland Bay Area as well, that's why I ask you ;) ...

The flowering time for A.striatula is around mid-summer.

Hi,

It is late-June and Crinum x Bradely is flowering up a storm, Ellen Bosanquet is just starting. The other day a garden friend had a huge Crinum jagus in bloom (native to Africa but maybe not South Africa). The C. jagus was the swamp type, it made an enormous plant growing in 8 inches of water, with large flowers.

C. bulbispermum is putting out a late spike.

Cordially,

Good old gazanias are going wild.

Crocosmia (or Montbretia, not dead sure which I have) is sending up dainty little scapes which are starting to show color.
Phygelius (common name Cape Fuchsia) is still blooming, true to its nature of blooming from summer into fall. Mine is P. aequalis, the dusty rose one with a little bit of yellow in the throat. Its shiny little green leaves stand up well to the heat.
It has been very hot here for several weeks now, and I water all my container grown plants daily.
In another month or so the Amaryllis belladonna will probably come to life ... always something magical about those scapes coming from the leafless bulbs. Then, when Fall is truly here, I can look forward to the Nerines blooming. Delina

Hi,

Not a lot blooming here that is from South Africa. However, one plant is a constant performer on an irregular schedule. Kniphofia rooperi bloomed in December, and January, and July and is putting up another spike now.

It has been 100 degrees lately, and the plant is apparently quite happy in a regular flower bed with water every 5-7 days. By contrast the daylilies are looking pretty ragged.

It is less than 2 years in the ground and seems intent on becoming a giant mound 2 or 3 feet tall by 5 or 6 feet across, I guess I'll have to trim soon--maybe divide it. It was evergreen last winter, temperatures reach as low as 25-26 F even while it was blooming.

It does not set seed, so I presume it is self-sterile. Does anyone know if plants in this genus tend to be self-sterile?

Cordially,