What Blooms in Paso Robles in Early Summer?

Early Summer In My Yard

June disappeared before I could finish showing you all of the flowers growing in my front yard. I covered the front flower bed  here. I kept taking photos, but June soon became July before I could get the rest of my photos edited to post. Most of those same flowers are still blooming, since Mother Nature uses her own calendar. To introduce this post we will start with the goldenrain tree that blooms in June. It's still in bloom in July. See why I love to hate it here.

A Look at the Side Flower Bed from the Street to the House

It's amazing to me how fast this section filled out once I started planting in 2013. Before that it was almost empty except for a few gazanias and weeds. There was also a holly bush in the middle. Here's a peak at the section closest to the street before we planted it in 2013.

Here's the tip of the triangle as it is in June 2018. The lawn is brown due to water restrictions. The very tip is fruity teucrium. It appears something is keeping the drip irrigation from getting past the front flower bed by the house, and I will need to hand water this before it dies. I will also have to find out what's happened to the system so I can get it fixed.

By now you probably recognize the yellow gazanias, since they seem to be everywhere -- even in the lawn. Behind the fading irises is a miniature rose. The deep purple iris is still in bloom as of June 11, but is starting to fade.

Below is most of the rest of that bed. Use the irises as a point of reference. Crowding the irises from the left is the Spanish (aka French) lavender. I planted it after seeing it in bloom at Trader Joe's. It reached its peak in May, but there are still a few flowers. Although it's drought resistant, I'm sure the drought hasn't helped it, nor the broken irrigation. It's another plant the bees cover when it blooms.

 Behind the lavender is the wormwood. It's not in bloom yet. Behind it is a rosemary bush that came from a root cutting from a plant in back. In fact, every rosemary plant you see in front was propagated the same way. It doesn't take long for those root cuttings to become huge shrubs.

Yellow Gazanias, Spanish Lavender, Fading Irises, Miniature Roses

Let's take a closer look at the fruity Teucrium at the tip of the triangle. It's also known as bush germander. At least that's what the label said. I'm beginning to think it is really Teucrium chamaedrys "Prostratum because it certainly never became a four-foot high bush. I'm not disappointed because I really wanted it as a ground cover and this one plant certainly covered a lot of ground. It also seems to have overcome the tansy, which will bloom later, whose bright green fern-like leaves are competing for space. Read more about my experience with these plants I intended to be garden friends that complement instead of compete with each other..

Fruity Teucrium in Bloom, © B. Radisavljevic

Normally this is covered with bees, but I didn't have the patience to catch one in this shot. They move so fast!

Moving Closer to the House along the Side Flower Bed

Most of the other flowers in the side bed are not in bloom or are also in other flower beds. Gazanias are everywhere, as is Lamb's Ears. What's different is the blooming sages. Here's an overview of the part of the bed with the most blooms.

You've already seen close-ups of gazanias, clary sage, and Lamb's Ears in previous posts here and on my Paso Robles in Photos Blog. Let's take a closer look at the black sage.

The black sage has almost finished blooming, but as of the end of June there were still a few small flowers left to attract the bees. Now all that remains are the skeletons of the flowers which held the seeds. This was taken on June 11. You can still see the tip of one small light purple flower near the center of the left edge between two stems.

Black Sage Up Close, © B. Radisavljevic

Here's how that plant looked in April when more flowers were open.

Black Sage in Bloom, © B. Radisavljevic

The dried flower whorls are quite fragrant. They might make a nice centerpiece that smells like sage.

Wild watermelon sage is still in full bloom and brightening the middle of my side flower bed.

Wild Watermelon Sage in Bloom, © B. Radisavljevic

Wild watermelon sage requires little attention or water once it's established. It's happy even after this third day of triple digit temperatures, in spite of the drip irrigation being broken.

Here's another photo showing more of the plant and the way its flowers are arranged. As you can see by its leaves, the sages are related to the mint family.

Wild Watermelon Sage in Bloom, © B. Radisavljevic

The other plant blooming in my side yard and all over my neighborhood is oleander. This attractive but poisonous plant is quite drought-resistant.

Oleander in Bloom, © B. Radisavljevic

I have a long hedge row of red oleander along my side fence. Many of my neighbors also have one or more plants. Some have pink or white oleander shrubs. Click this link to see my photos of more oleander plants and how they change during the year.

The Flower Bed Beside the Garage

This flower bed is shady during the morning hours, but it still has enough sun for flowers to bloom. I have star jasmine all along the garage wall, and it really takes off in June. The bees love it. In the photo below, you can see the butterfly bush in bloom quite close to the garage wall. There is jasmine behind and in front of it, creeping along the ground. I have a much older butterfly bush plant in Templeton that has purple flowers. It got very tall and wide, and one year the wind blew it down. I thought it was a goner. I was surprised at how it adapted and survived.

Butterfly Bush Surrounded with Jasmine, © B. Radisavljevic

Here is a close-up of the jasmine flower.

Jasmine Flower, © B. Radisavljevic

I am also growing some transplants in pots in this flower bed. One of these is lemon balm which blooms in the early summer. The mother plant is in the pot, but more is growing around the pot where it appears the mother plant reseeded.

Lemon Balm Blooming in Early Summer, © B. Radisavljevic

Here's a close-up of the lemon balm flower.

Lemon Balm Flower, © B. Radisavljevic

The pink grapefruit yarrow is also growing in a pot in this flower bed. It was red in May, but is fading in June. The color seems to change with the weather.

Pink Grapefruit Yarrow, © B. Radisavljevic

How many of these plants have you seen blooming in your area? Are you growing any of them?

What's in Bloom at the End of October in Paso Robles?

There's a Lot of Color on the Central Coast in October

Over the weekend I walked to the mailbox a block away with my camera to see what was blooming in my neighborhood. I will share what I saw with you here.  I made sure to walk past the home of my favorite neighborhood gardener, and I wasn't disappointed. This bougainvillea's bright color immediately got my attention. At the very back you can almost see one of the pots containing a yellow pansy in bloom.

Bougainvillea in October, © B. Radisavljevic

I'm not familiar with the purple flowering shrub in the photo below. It's from the same yard. I do recognize the roses surrounding it and the white scabiosa (pincushion flower) in front of it. I'm also not sure of the red flowers next to the wall. Whatever their names, you have to admit this is a colorful arrangement of blooms at the end of October.

Part of my Neighbor's Flower Garden in Paso Robles

The next photo is just to the right of the photo above in the actual flowerbed. I can't make a positive identification of everything below. I believe most of the daisy-like flowers are gaillardias, asters, or African daisies. The flower hanging over the edge is a California poppy, which I was surprised to see in bloom. There is another rose bush on the extreme right.

More of my Paso Robles Neighbor's Flower Garden

Are you convinced yet that one can have a colorful garden at the end of October? But there is more around the corner in the front flowerbed. That plant trying to take over is, I believe,  Lipstick Sage. Some sages will expand if given a chance. This appears to be one of them. It seems to be trying to smother the Jupiter's Beard to its right.

Lipstick Sage

Last but not least in this neighbor's side yard is this lavender-like sage plant. I'm not sure what variety it is.

Sage, variety unknown

Need Help Picking Seasonal Blooms

If you live in the West, there's no better all round gardening reference than this.

What's Blooming on the Rest of the Block

Shades of purple and yellow add a lot of color to fall gardens here. One of the light purple staples is society garlic, pictured below. It's not showy, but it's drought resistant and almost everyone who cares about that plants it. The small white sweet alyssum is a wonderful flowering ground cover to  fill in the bare places.

Sweet Alyssum and Society Garlic

Daylilies are a colorful addition to any garden. These are still blooming in my neighborhood. You see one tiny society garlic flower peeking out to the right.

Daylilies in October

Here's another garden with thriving roses. The roses usually keep blooming well into winter.

A Neighbor's Rose Garden

Oleander is a favorite in my neighborhood. Several of us have it in our yards. One neighbor has several colors, including white, which I don't show here. We like it because it's drought resistant and blooms during from spring well into fall here. Read about oleander growth stages through the year.

All parts of the oleander plant are poisonous, but I've lived with it all my life and no one in any of the places I lived where this was in almost every yard ever died because they ate it. It doesn't seem to invite snacking. Parents tell their kids it's poison and for some reason they believe it about this plant.

Oleander

Oleander

Flowers Blooming in my Own Yard at the End of October

After seeing what my neighbors have, I have garden envy. My health hasn't enabled me to clear the leaves from the flowerbed that the gardener used to take care of. He quit for health reasons. About all I can do right now is photograph what's happening. I had hoped to put in some fall annuals, like pansies. First, though, I have to make space where the Lamb's Ears have taken over. I hope to be able to get back to the garden soon.

My roses in the back garden are still blooming. The red roses seem to be doing best. The yellow, coral, and white ones are also blooming. I think the roses aren't healthy, but I'm not an expert on roses and I'm not sure what to do about it. I didn't plant the garden. I usually only plant what I can take care of. The gardener kept it pruned in winter, but that's about all it gets but water.

Red Rose

Below are my scabiosa flowers. I begged for these when my neighbor was thinning her plants from the lovely garden I showed you first in this post. She gave me a couple she was uprooting, and they are thriving in my yard. This one is doing well at holding its own in the midst of the invading catmint and juniper around it.

Scabiosa (Pincushion Flower)

My gazanias seem to bloom faithfully every day we have sunshine. They close when there is not much light. They can handle drought well. The only thing that's ever killed them are gophers and a hard frost. But after the hard frost was over, they came back from the roots still in the ground. They spread as they grow, and can be an ideal ground cover.

Gazanias

Rosemary usually provides forage for the bees during winter. I see it blooming during almost every season, though it appears to be slowing down a bit now. It's strongest in winter through spring. If I don't keep it pruned back it will take over.

Almost everyone in this neighborhood grows some because it's a useful herb, the bees love it, and it needs no water once established. Some have made hedges of it.

It's not as tall as it looks here. It's really only about four feet high now, but the angle of the camera makes it look much higher. It's the only way I could get the small flowers to show.

Rosemary in Bloom in October

Ah, faithful calendula. It just keeps on blooming as long as it gets a bit of water sometimes. It's an annual, but keeps reseeding. I will post more about its virtues later. It seems to bloom in all seasons. It occasionally gets attacked by aphids, but the ladybugs usually control it. 

Calendula

Lastly, I present my wild watermelon sage. I planted it in 2013 and appreciate that it adds color, the bees like it, and it doesn't try to take over. Compared to my other sages, it has a small footprint and it's only about a yard high. It occasionally gets some water. Other than that, it fends for itself and I prune it if it appears I need to.

Wild Watermelon Sage

Here's one last tidbit from my neighbor's garden. She grows this morning glory in a pot with a support to climb on. She probably wants to confine it because it tends to be invasive. Delicate, isn't it?

Morning Glories

I hope you've enjoyed this informal garden tour of one block in a Paso Robles neighborhood to see what's blooming here in October.

What is your favorite autumn flower in your area?

***

Oleander through the Year

Oleander Seeds Bursting from Pods,
© B. Radisavljevic

I can't ever remember living long in any location where oleander shrubs weren't nearby. They are a staple in California gardens and even freeway plantings because oleander isn't fussy about its soil and it doesn't need any irrigation once established. It actually likes a sunny, hot, dry location. In this post I will show you the life stages of oleander flowers -- how oleander flowers begin and end. The photo to the right shows you both the beginning and end of an oleander flower. We will continue to see how oleander changes through the year.

Since oleander is an evergreen shrub, it adds color and texture to the garden year-round with its long blade-like, dark green leaves. It can also be used on large rural properties where deer roam because it's said that deer won't eat it. Perhaps it's poisonous to them, as well as to people. Children need to be taught not to snack on it, since it can be deadly.

The photo below was taken on April 15, when my oleander was just starting to bud.

Oleander Budding,© B. Radisavljevic

This next photo was taken in June, when my oleander was in full and beautiful bloom.

Oleander Blooming,© B. Radisavljevic

When walking my neighborhood in the summertime, I see neighbors with many shades of oleanders ranging from white and light pink to red. Some neighbors have contrasting colors. This neighbor combined white with light pink.

White and Pink Oleander Blooming Together,© B. Radisavljevic

By October, the oleander flowers are beginning to make their seed pods. As the flowers have been pollinated and die back, what's left turns into one of these long seed pods. Some flowers just die back without making pods.

Oleander Seed Pods,© B. Radisavljevic

This last photo in the series was taken in February. It shows the seed pods bursting and the seeds getting ready to parachute away with the wind. See the close-up of the seeds in the very top photo.

Oleander Seed Pods Splitting,© B. Radisavljevic

If you enjoyed this post, please share it. The sharing buttons are just above the comment box at the end of the post. The photo below is especially designed for pinning.

This is my fifteenth 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 Lunch

Lion's Tail - A Perennial Summer Burst of Orange
Miner's Lettuce is Tasty and Free

"Naked Ladies" Bloom in August