Flowers
First front yard California poppy bloom of the year.
Our cherry tree’s super close **together** buds are opening up! Soon flower buds will rapidly drop on stems, bloom, and then by late May... ripe cherries! If the birds don’t get them first.
Hard to oppose California’s almond bloom! ❤️ Our apricot will bloom mid March and the cherry late March (but it’s nearly girdled by boring beetles).
Bees seem to never **rest** when manzanitas are blooming. I gave up trying to photograph them.
Mid-February 2020 Update: Home Orchard and Native Plants
It has been 19 days since it last rained here. The outdoor temperatures have been in the mid-70s. The area’s almond orchards are blooming in waves about a week earlier than last year.
Our deciduous plants are waking up! We planted a nectarine this winter and it is beginning to grow. Our California Roses, which are in the same family as nectarines — Rosaceae — are also beginning to grow back. The elderberries are starting to fill out and the Ceanothuses are a few weeks away from flowering. The Manzanitas are already flowering white and pink lanterns. We’re still harvesting mandarins and they are very sweet now. There are two Valencia oranges on the verge of being ripe enough.
We had to irrigate our citrus as it’s been literally too gorgeous; the rain needs to come back. But please, no hard freezes.
Our recently planted nectarine is starting its journey growing branches:
The California Wild Roses are putting on new growth:
The California native plant garden is very green right now and soon there will be plenty of flowers. The blue oak will wake up near end of February.
No sight distance through the evergreen toyon. It’s very happy. So is our manzanita — getting ready to flower. 🐝🌳
An indoor aloe succulent growing a flower stalk.
Front yarden update: California Buckwheat’s dead flowers are showy red and the Blue Oak has decided it is winter. California fuchsias still have flowers for the hummingbirds. Front of the house illuminated by mostly bug friendly amber lights. 🐞🐝
Also in bloom! Eriogonum fasciculatum (California buckwheat).
Front yard native plants currently in bloom: Epilobium canum (California Fuchsia; red flowers adored by hummingbirds) and Baccharis pilularis (Coyote Bush; small, pleasantly scented white flowers loved by small pollinators).
A front yard native garden update! Fuchsias & Cal Buckwheat are still flowering. Coyote bushes are struggling to flower (tiny pollinators love them). The Blue Oak has no complaints. Poppies & yarrow are back after a couple of soggy thunderstorms. Toyon barely has berries.
California Wild Rose (Rosa californica) flowers are incredibly fragile. This backyard plant became quite happy when I added it to the drip irrigation.🐞
