"Naked Ladies" Bloom in August

 "Naked lady" leaves are lying dormant and brown near my pump house wall and along the edges of the mobile home we rent out. In August, though, they will reemerge and shoot up for all to see.  After a period in summer where they look almost dead, the "naked ladies" bloom  in August  on the Central Coast of California. 

They are a tradition for me. I was introduced to them when I was but a toddler, since they grew in the yard of the first home I remember. That was my childhood home in Bellflower, California, where my dad had a large vegetable garden, fruit trees that spoiled me forever after by letting me taste peaches, plums, and apricots fresh off the tree, and a fence that acted as a trellis for climbing berries. It was also the house where my dad raised chickens when I was little.

The naked lady flower’s scientific name is Brunsvigia rosea. It is better known as the Amaryllis belladonna.  It likes a warm, dry summer, such as those we have in southern and central California, though it’s native to South Africa.  In fall and winter it produces a clump of green, wide, ribbon-like leaves that are rather floppy.  It resembles a green fountain.  In this photo taken in mid-April, the leaves are still green, but the plants have had no care this year and were overgrown with weeds.

Amaryllis Leaves in April, © B. Radisavljevic

When the weather gets dry, the leaves die. Just about the time you think the plant is dead, about August here, up pop bare stems that have clusters of fragrant pink trumpet-shaped flowers at the top.  The photo at the top focuses on just the flower.  The photo below shows the naked stems, as well. The top flowers have already faded and are trying to form seeds. I had to cut them to prevent that after all flowers had bloomed.

Amaryllis Flowers in Bloom, © B. Radisavljevic

Amaryllis flowers are great for drought resistant gardens. I had planned to divide these and dig out some bulbs when they finished blooming and plant them in my Paso Robles garden for added color, but I didn't get around to it.

Amaryllis plants prefer to grow in well-drained soil and all their water needs are met by the winter rains. That fits the description of my side yard pretty well. Maybe next year I'll get them planted.

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This is my fourteenth post for the 2016 AtoZchallenge, a Blogging Challenge for the month of April, 2016. My theme is plants, since this is a gardening blog. Here are links to the other posts if you missed them.

A is for Apple Blossoms
B is for Bottlebrush
C is for Carnations
D is for Daisy
E is for Elderberry
F is for Flowers
G is for Gazania
Hollyhocks are Edible
Irises Are Garden Survivors
Jupiter's Beard: A Mystery Finally Solved
Kale for LunchLion's Tail - A Perennial Summer Burst of Orange
Miner's Lettuce is Tasty and Free

Daffodils are Back in Bloom

Daffodil in Bloom with Budding Carnation,
 © B. Radisavljevic

Every year I look forward to the arrival of my daffodils. The first ones for this year began to bloom about two weeks ago. The minute I saw them blooming my heart warmed up. I took this photo on January 26. 

Daffodils in Bloom in Early February
 © B. Radisavljevic

The daffodil above emerged right in front of a carnation. If you click that photo to enlarge it you will see that the carnation is budding and will also be blooming soon. Both carnation and daffodil live in the front flower bed. As I was taking the pictures I see how many weeds are starting to creep in that someone needs to deal with, and suppose I am that someone.

The daffodils to the right live near the corner in the front part of the side bed. You can see an iris behind it near the sidewalk waiting for its turn to bloom in a couple of months. In the back  corner on the left side of the picture you see the dried flower remains of my French lavender which I need to  cut down before the new growth begins.

Daffodil and Hyssop in Bloom
 © B. Radisavljevic

Back in the front flower bed, I was surprised to see a bit of hyssop blooming next to this daffodil. Usually I don't see any of the purple hyssop flowers until June. You will probably have to click to enlarge the photo to see it, since the hyssop flowers are small. The daffodil sprang up between the extended hyssop branches. You can still see the dried flowers from last year forming a backdrop for its brilliant yellow.

One thing I love about daffodils is that they can push their way through almost anything. They are one flower I can plant that the gophers will leave alone. They brighten the world for a few weeks, and then they are gone and the tulips and irises take over. A few small tulips are beginning to push through the soil now, but they don't usually do very well here.

I think it's about time to feed these bulb plants some fish emulsion. I like to garden organically, and I use fish emulsion for many of my plants. I don't like to use chemical fertilizers. Since we can't depend on rain here in Paso Robles to water in granular fertilizers or powders, I like using the liquid fish emulsion because I can dilute it for application before applying it and it can go straight for the root zone. I have pretty well neglected these daffodils since I planted them in the fall of 2013, so maybe it's time to feed them. The ones pictured below in the front flower bed are in the poorest soil of all of them . You can see they are a bit shorter than the ones in the front flower bed.

Contrast between Budding and Blooming Daffodils , © B. Radisavljevic

I see it's also time to put out the organic snail bait. I have successfully used Sluggo and Garden Safe brands because they are made with iron phosphate. These baits won't hurts pets, wildlife or beneficial insects. I was sceptical at first as to  whether they would really kill snails, but I found out first hand that they do. You can even use this  around vegetables and herbs you plan to eat. The photo below will show you why I need to get the snail bait applied.

Snails Attacked Both Buds and Blooms of These Daffodils, © B. Radisavljevic

Notice that as the flowers were opening they began to be attacked. They live beside a jasmine vine and the snails hide out under it. Now that the rains have come, the snails are active again. You can still see the damage when the flowers were in full bloom, and in the bottom right photo you can see there's almost nothing left of them.

I have many more daffodil buds still to open, so I'm hoping these bright beauties will be around for a few more weeks. I always hate to see the last one die down.

Are you growing any daffodils this year?