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My garden is confused

15 years ago

I am not referring to the planting plan, though no doubt someone could argue that one. It's the flowers. Here in Silicon valley I'm not surprised to find a few roses blooming intermittently in December. Last year I adjusted to seeing irises for Christmas. Yes, they are blooming again this year, and very pretty against the winter skies. But this year I have a new one. The 'Sensation' lilac outside my son's bedroom window is blooming. Yes, the lilac. The flower clusters are shorter than those I am used to seeing in the normal blooming period, but there are clusters all over the plant.

I wonder if it will bloom again in the regular season or this is it for the year?

Rosefolly

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Comments (12)

jbfoodie
15 years ago
My 'Old Gold' deciduous Azalea is blooming. It usually blooms in April. I think the whole Bay Area is confused. I guess this is what we get to look forward to as global warming continues. We seem to have such drastic changes in temperature lately. It can be 70 degrees one day and the next it can plunge to 35 degrees. No wonder the plants are confused. Many of my roses have new blooms and a few have open blooms. I must say that I would rather the plants took a break and slept a bit to awaken refreshed rather than this paucity of bloom during winter.

Joanne
jerijen
15 years ago
Oh, down here in Coastal SoCal, we have blooms all over.

Not mass bloom, you understand, but bloom. Mostly on Teas and Chinas, but others, as well.
Fortuniana is blooming. Grandmother's Hats are blooming some, and pushing new buds.
The Brugmansias are all blooming.
After all, that's what inspired the Tournament Of Roses, to begin with.

The Plumerias, however, seem to be feeling quite discouraged about the whole thing, and are dropping their leaves. Some of them were caught with half-developed inflorescenses, though. It will be interesting to see if they "Y" at those points, as if they'd bloomed.

Jeri
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Thanks Kate, Signet & Nancy! Signet, it seems you and I are sharing identical weather and the same freak garden event. Doesn't it feel like Mother Nature has forgotten our corner of the world sometimes? We hear about heavy rain all over the country but darn if we can get a pitiful raindrop. The month of May here was one of the driest on record and so far June is no better. The other day we were supposed to get thunderstorms as a result of all the heavy rain from the South but nope......southern New England got some of it but it fizzled out before it reached my area. It just got cloudy and looked promising which just made it all the more frustrating. You're right; I doubt these are 'leftover' scapes. These are all my 'earlies' that are scaping so the order is right. None of my mids or later have any sign of scapes. Since I never get rebloom here (it's a rare event like the solar eclipse....or rain.....lol) I know it's not late rebloom scapes from last season. Just weirdness and your explanation might be plausible.
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wanttogarden
15 years ago
I thought I was the only one with this problem up here in Silicon Valley.

My roses are keep sprouting new blooms, I don't know if they think winter has not come or it's spring. I am so confused as to prune or not to prune.

O well.
I guess we all have to wait and see what springs brings on.

FJ
jerijen
15 years ago
FJ, before you prune, go to the Vintage Gardens website, and download the new Newsletter (in pdf format).

It is a Pruning Issue -- and it's NEWS.

Below find the link for the pdf.
Seriously, read this BEFORE you prune.

We have two pruning demos to do next month, and we're handing this out at both.

Jeri

Here is a link that might be useful: Vintage Newsletter
jbfoodie
15 years ago
Thank you, Jeri. I tend to visit the Vintage website regularly, but I missed the newsletter. I took a pruning class with Gregg last year and may do so again. This is such valuable information and I hope others read up on Gregg's pruning technique. It certainly makes sense to me.
Joanne
jerijen
15 years ago
Made sense to me, too, Joanne.
In fact, a lot of what he is suggesting is what we have been doing here, though we've stumbled our way to it by trial and error.

I'm planning to use this material as a handout for the pruning demos we have coming up.

Jeri
buford
15 years ago
It's not just California. I saw a forsythia blooming yesterday here in North Georgia. But it's supposed to get very cold here this week, so that will put a stop to that.
mendocino_rose
15 years ago
I remember my years in The Valley of Heart's Delight. Anything can happen in that mild place. I am suprised that you get enough cold for a lilac to bloom. Things were strange here for a while this season until winter finally came.
lemecdutex
15 years ago
Like Pamela's garden, winter is in "full bloom" here, with temps dropping into the 20s again. I did notice a tree peony trying to grow right now, despite quite a few freezes that you'd think would give it the hint it should be sleeping.

And yes, Gregg's pruning classes were a revelation for me too, though like Jeri, I'd sorta gravitated that way just because I found it hard to believe the hard pruning notions of the past could be right.

--Ron
sandy808
15 years ago
It's been crazy here too. Freezing one day and 80 the next. I have two hybrid teas that are budding heavily right now. They must think it is March. My teas and chinas are putting on growth and blooming too.

Sandy
jerijen
15 years ago
And yes, Gregg's pruning classes were a revelation for me too, though like Jeri, I'd sorta gravitated that way just because I found it hard to believe the hard pruning notions of the past could be right. --Ron

*** Well, I wish we could have been there for that class.
I've not been excited about a pruning class for some years, but this one did it for me.
Of course, I was one of the Converted to whome he'd be preaching. :-)

Jeri
lemecdutex
15 years ago
Well Jeri, if you find yourself up here around the 17th, then stop by! But do dress VERY warmly, that recommendation I've been making was certainly needful today, we started off at 18Â°F!

--Ron

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