Last weekend we stopped by the Elfin Forest Preserve, to check out the spring bloom. We where not disappointed!

Ceanothus….

Mimulus…

Another Ceanothus (I think) not quite open…

Rhus of various species (my poser botany skills can’t keep them all straight)….

Clematis….

Mission Manzanita…. (love the berries)

Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum)…

Bushrue (Cneoridium dumosum)….

And what I think is a native California rock rose (Crocanthemum scoparium). I tried to grow one of these in my back garden last summer but sadly it didn’t make it. Sorry for the lousy picture!

Bloom day in San Diego today reminded me of that old saying about March, that I used to hear in the Northeast when I was growing up: “In like a lion, out like lamb.” We had rain overnight (yay!) and I woke up to a soggy morning commute. But by the afternoon, the sun was out, without a cloud in sight.

Here’s what’s blooming, starting in the backyard. Blue elf Aloe is lit up all over the place.

These dudleyas (giant chalk? Pulverulenta?) are getting ready to throw out their crazy octopus arm inflorescences. Check in next month to see what I mean.

The lemon tree is in full on flower mode, as is the lime tree and the 2 little grapefruits. My pictures of those other citrus were too blurry to post (a hazard of snapping photos in fading afternoon light).

The little NOID opuntia is going strong…

… as is this NOID Cotyledon. (Yes I have a lot of NOID plants. I’m hoping that starting this blog will help me improve in that situation).

One of my favorite plants, Sphaeralcea ambigua ‘Louis Hamilton’ is looking lovely as ever. This one was new last fall, from the San Diego California Native Plant Society plant sale.

Bust snapdragon, Galvezia specious, is just getting started.

Aloe striata

The little Ray Hartman Ceanothus in the back is flowering one branch tip at a time it seems

NOID Salvia (chamaedryoides? Whatever it is, its a really good one).

And Salvia chiapensis (I think) with yarrow and a random purple Freesia.

The Dymondia margaretae deserves some glamor.

Dudleya (edulis?) and another NOID echeveria are getting ready to flower.

These NOID Aloes in the side yard were glowing as the light faded.

Finally! On to the front yard. This is quite a post.

A few of the Anigozanthos are blooming already, along with Euphorbia rigida, California poppies Eschscholzia californica, and statice flower Limonium sinuatum. Oh and another Sphaeralcea (an orange one this time) in the back there.

A closeup of the Euphorbia rigida flowers. This one is the furthest along.

A few random NOID echeverias in the flower boxes.

And finally, the Ray Hartman Ceanothus, front yard, which isn’t *quite* blooming yet. It’s going to be amazing in about 2 days, especially if it stays sunny.

The 2 Agave desmetiana plants flowering this year are about half way done. The bigger one is so tall its hard to get a good picture of. Oh that hibiscus is blooming too. I’m such a plant snob — I’m not even giving it any mention.

… and here’s the Agave on the corner, accompanied by another orange Sphaeralcea.

That’s it! I’m out of daylight.

Thank you to http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/2018/03/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-march-2018.html for hosting!

Phew! That most dreaded Monday of the year, the Monday after the clocks spring forward, is behind us. Despite my grumbling this morning, I have to say I really love daylight savings time because now I have a chance to actually see my garden at the end of a midweek day without the use of a flashlight. Its glorious!

Things on Del Diablo Lane have been humming along lately, making the most of these little scraps of rain we’ve been getting. I, myself, have been pathetically boring lately with just far too much time spent at the office. But back to the garden….

The first California poppy of the season to bloom (in my yard at least) happened on Sunday

The Ray Hartmann Ceanothus is about to burst

Lots more is blooming or about to bloom: check back in on Thursday for March’s GBBD.

Warm sunshine on a Sunday afternoon never gets old.

This Dudleya has come alive since we got that rain about two weeks ago.

I’m starting to seriously worry that we won’t get any more storms this winter. It’s already February, more or less. We’ve had more Santa Ana’s, but no sign of rain.

This NOID Aeonium has also shaken off its summer dormancy.

The lemon tree is just starting to bloom. My backyard is going to smell amazing for the next couple of weeks. Too bad I’m off to Dallas for a work trip.

Here’s just a quick sampling of what’s blooming…

Cotyledon orbiculata has been keeping the hummingbirds fed for a few weeks now.

This NOID senecio deserves a shout out for the weeks (literally, weeks!) it put in to growing the flower stalk for this single orange composite bloom.

These delicate pink Kalanchoe (fedtschenkoi?) flowers are among my favorite winter flowers. This plant practically disappears during other times of the year (no doubt due to my stingy ness with the H2O).

Finally, I had expected the larger of the 2 Agave desmetiana (variegata?) in the front yard would have some flowers open by now, but not yet. Check back in February.

Friday morning (when I took these pictures) was the first morning all week I didn’t need to rush into the office, and I had a chance to check in with the garden after the rain we had earlier this week. We ended up getting nearly 2 inches, which we desperately needed. Now if only that would happen about 4 or 5 more times this winter. Unfortunately I think the warm and dry and drought causing weather we’ve had for the past few years is what we’re in for this winter, too.

My coral aloe is going to bloom — 2 stalks.

The rainstorm did knock over these aeoniums. I’ll need to salvage the stalks and start some new plants.