Spring is Here in Southern California!

Well, since Davie and Hetty started spring threads, I figured I would too. There is not much to show though, and I think both Arizona and Florida are probably warmer at night than we are still. It is a pleasure to see flowers again though in the yard.

Here is 'Singapore.' This one started blooming last July and hasn't stopped since. It got moved to the portable greenhouse for the winter and is outside now. It never got Black Tip, and it never lost its leaves. I actually have three 'Singapores' because I love them so much. I also have several other obtusa species that never lost their leaves during the winter including 'tuberculata,' 'Hanging Windmill,' 'bahamiensis,' 'jamaicensis,' 'stenophylla,' 'Dwarf Singapore White,' and 'Dwarf Singapore Pink' among others. Some of these were not in the greenhouse but were out in the cold and still never lost their leaves.

This is a 'Celadine' that just started blooming again on an old inflo that was blooming last year:

This yellow/white also started blooming again on an old inflo:

This one too:

Jack's Purple bloomed in the greenhouse all winter and then stopped once it was put outside and now has started blooming again:

The same with this rainbow that is blooming on two of its branches:

This one started to bloom in the fall and then stopped for the winter and has now started again. It is 'Siam Ruby' from Thailand:

This is 'Dwarf Singapore White,' that has the same fragrance as Epiphyllum oxypetalum to my nose. It is wonderful. It has also been blooming nonstop since last fall.

Thank you Claire for the photos, Singapore is beautiful, does it get full sized?

I really like Siam Ruby, too.

This one is an unknown as it was supposed to be something else when I bought it, but I like it anyway. It too bloomed all winter in the greenhouse.

Here is 'Loi Kratong' that was blooming all winter too and is still blooming. The fragrance smells wonderful.

Thanks, Robyn. Yes, the 'Singapore' can get very big in time. Here's a picture of one in Thailand at the ruins. I think there might be a few in Arizona as well that are protected somewhat in the wintertime. The 'Dwarf Singapore White' and 'Dwarf Singapore Pink' don't get much bigger than five feet all and five feet wide, I think.

This isn't a plumeria, but it smells just as good as one. My lilacs are starting to bloom also.

The wisteria is starting to bloom also.

you can grow lilacs in 10b???? in SC we can't even grow them in zone 8!!!!

Thanks Claire, all your pictures are wonderful. I love pictures of Ruins and castles and such. I have started a few plummeria seeds and hope in a couple of years they will bloom for me.

All my plumie flowers are smaller than normal because of the time of year, and the colors are somewhat muted as well because of the lack of heat, but as the season progresses, the flowers will start looking more like themselves, and there will be a lot more flowers to post.

Thanks, Robyn. Seeds take a lot of patience so good luck with them. They can take 3-5 years or longer to bloom from seed and take up a lot of room, but they can be fun to watch bloom for the first time.

I'm looking forward to it. I have about 25 seedlings started, I will eventually give them away to friends and family.

Hi Trent! I missed your post above. Yeah, it is pretty amazing, but I have six or seven lilacs here, and they bloom well for me. Two are regular lilacs, and the others are Descanso Gardens warm-weather lilacs, but the regular ones bloom best for me. You can make them go dormant for a few months by keeping them on the dry side for the winter, but it gets cold enough here apparently. I'll take a wide shot when more flowers open so you can see the whole tree.

This message was edited Mar 12, 2008 12:35 PM

Trent, here's a picture of one of mine from last year in April. This one hasn't started blooming yet this year. It is a white with pink on the back. I think it might be 'Beauty of Moscow.' The two that bloom the best are both double lilacs.

they look beautiful.... maybe its because of our hot/humid combination that kills them

It could be, Trent. I haven't done that much research about lilacs, and everyone said that I couldn't grow them in my climate, but they said that about wisteria too, and I grow them both just fine. If you like them, then try one out. There are certain ones that are reliable bloomers in most climates. And they smell soooooo good. I got mine here: http://www.forestfarm.com/search/search.asp?aPage=1&index=genus&field-keywords=syringa

i would, but i'm afraid that i'll end up losing it. i have seen soooo many miserable failures even in 8a....they were painful to just look @. wisteria on the other hand does beautifully here, and in a few weeks should be blooming

Look good as always Clare..
Lol i thought you quit this forum didn't expect to see you post...

Hi Robert, I didn't quit. In case you haven't noticed, I haven't been around much. I'm just really busy and can't post very often, but I'll post some picture threads and respond to questions as time allows until my subscription expires;-)

You've been scarce too! I hope you are all healed up since that terrible accident.

This message was edited Mar 13, 2008 10:11 PM

I still walk with a limp the process has been slow to say the least..
I am riding my mountain bike now to help build my knee back up..
Glad to see you still here...
;=)

Beautiful flowers as always, Clare. Now I'm lusting after Singapores. :-)

Thanks, Robert;-) I'm glad you are on the road to recovery. That was a bad fall. No more taking pictures on ladders for you this summer!

Thanks, Kathleen. Singapores are one of my favorites too. Everyone should have at least one!

OK, new desktop photo! :-)

LOL, Kathleen. I have a few nice ones of Singapore flowers. Feel free to keep them for your viewing pleasure;-)

:-)

It bet it smells killer when in bloom like that.

Singapore is right up there in the top ten for me.... mine is slow waking up this year
Great shots Clare.

great blooms clare! i have to come see your plumeria in person one day.

i just potted half of the cuttings i got from the co op, and i would have to say that the singapores ( the dwarf kind) have made it to the top of my list also

Thanks Davie, Hetty, and Dete. You all are welcome here any time you want to visit.

I agree, Trent!

do the dwf singapores have a nice scent???

Trent, in my experience, the Dwarf Singapore Pink has a nice fragrance but fairly mild. However, it branches and blooms extremely well, which means in no time, you could have lots of branches and inflo's, and the more inflo's you have in bloom at one time, the stronger the fragrance.

Edited to add: I just realized that you asked about dwarf singapores in general and not just Dwarf Singapore Pink. Dwarf Singapore White has an extremely nice fragrance as does the Mele Pa Bowman, which is the dwarf yellow.

This message was edited Mar 19, 2008 9:08 PM